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Health & Fitness

An Invitation for Parents with Middle School Students in Plymouth-Canton Schools

A proud band mom invites local middle school students and their parents to test out what its like to participate with the Plymouth-Canton Marching Band.

This week I want to talk about how important it is to help your seventh or eighth grader adjust to the thought of going to high school ... but not any high school. I’m talking about the giant high school campus comprised of Plymouth, Canton, and Salem high schools ,known as the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park. If I was 14 years old again and my parents told me I was going to be attending high school with 6,500 students, I would have thought they were slightly crazy. That’s a lot of kids! True, there are college campuses smaller that our beloved Park. But if you really think about the situation, there really is quite the advantage to going to such a large school.

Choices, choices, choices

There are so many different course electives available at the Park for students to consider.  Graphic design?  No problem.  Auto mechanics?  No problem.  More AP classes than most community colleges?  No problem.  Radio broadcasting?  No problem.  (Seeing a pattern here?)

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And of course, the Park has some of the top curriculum courses in choir, theater, orchestra and band.  And it will come as no surprise to some of the previous readers of this blog, the Park has one of the best Marching Bands in not just the State of Michigan, but in the USA!  (That’s no exaggeration…the band has not placed lower than 15th in the nation at the Bands of America Grand Championship for over 15 years running!)

So parents, if you have an eighth or seventh grade student, now is your chance to let them test drive what it would be like to be a high school student in the Plymouth-Canton Marching Band. On Friday, Oct. 28, the band is kicking off its annual PerCEPtion weekend. (See the PCEP in there?)

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Trial run band opportunity

PerCEPtion Weekend is a two-day event designed to give middle school band students a first-hand, active experience as they perform among the students of one of the most recognized high school bands in the country. The Plymouth-Canton Marching Band is a 22-time State Champion that will be marching next month in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

To many, the term "marching band" invokes images of parades and football games.  While your Plymouth-Canton Marching Band does both, the 180-member band also competes with the finest bands associated with the Michigan Competing Bands Association and Bands of America circuits.

On Oct. 28, the student participants will join the Plymouth-Canton Marching Band at the Plymouth High School band room. They will then walk to the Varsity Stadium alongside the marching band to perform pep songs for fans attending the varsity football State playoff game.

Local band competition has home field advantage

On Saturday evening, the annual Great Lakes Invitational, a local band competition hosted by the Plymouth-Canton Music Boosters, will be held at the Varsity Stadium where more than 11 high school bands will perform their competition show for the crowd of hundreds. The public is welcome to attend; there is a nominal fee at the gate. (Editor's note: Tickets cost $7 for adults; those age 62 and up or 18 and under pay $4.) The seventh and eighth grade band students will play center stage at this event and be part of the opening ceremonies by playing our National Anthem on the field at the beginning of the event.

Middle school students will be able to talk to current marching band members and learn first hand of the potential experiences that await them in high school. Parents of the students will also have the opportunity to speak with band parents about their child’s future participation in this rewarding activity.

For most members, marching band is the most memorable thing they do in high school. Participation in band programs will afford students to grow in many areas: musical, social, and emotional. The band students learn and develop teamwork skills, commitment, responsibility, and confidence; and all the while making friends that will aid in their transition to high school and enhance their high school years. Trust me, starting high school at the Park is just a little easier when you walk in the first day with almost 200 new friends.

Registration forms, times of events, drop-off and pick-up times, and additional information can be found on the marching band’s website at www.pcmb.net. For further information, middle school students are encouraged to speak with their own band director. Encourage your son or daughter to try high school band for one weekend. They might just have fun!

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