As I am certain you have all heard, we will not be returning to Perry High School this school year. At this time, the remainder of our spring events have been cancelled. This is incredibly disappointing, especially to our senior class of musicians.
While nothing can recreate the loss of these events for our seniors, we are exploring several options to make sure our seniors are recognized and receive our annual awards. There WILL be senior awards and there WILL be senior recognition. I promise you that. If social distancing measures are relaxed by summer, plan on a senior “Graduation Party” at my house or another suitable location. If we are still social distancing, we are working on a few other interesting plans.
Seniors: Some very memorable and important events have been taken away from you. Nothing that I, or anyone else, says can make up for that. But I will offer you this: My most clear memories from high school do not center on a performance or an “event”. What I remember most was making music with my friends, the daily grind of rehearsals, and the daily interactions with people and friends. We all know that some of our best “performances” never took place in a stadium or a concert hall…..they took place on our parking lot or in the band room. We have had some incredible experiences together over the last 4 years, and no virus can take that away.
Band Booster Scholarship: The application for the Band Booster Scholarship can be found on the boosters page of Perryband.com. The instructions say to mail the application to the school. Since I do not have access to the building, I’m asking that you either email them to Ryan.Smith@perrylocal.org or mail them to 2906 Sheila St NW, Massillon, OH 44646. Please have all scholarship applications sent to me no later than May 1st.
Underclassmen : Your awards will be handled when we return to band/school activities. Auditions for Winds/Concert Band will be held in late summer or fall. The success of the 2020/2021 season depends on what you do now! Continue to prepare and practice as normal. We will be rolling out the marching band music via Smart Music in the coming weeks so you can get a jump on the upcoming season. Mr. Good will be in touch with percussion regarding drumline auditions, etc.
Ms. Nousek is in communication with returning and new guard members. If you know of someone who would like to join but hasn’t let us know, please get me their information ASAP.
The success of our program has always relied on the dedication of our members. That is true now more than ever. Please continue to practice your instruments and prepare for July 20th. The work you do now, on your own, will make it that much easier to get back to normal…..and we will get back to normal eventually.
Uniforms/Equipment turn in: We are working with the PHS administration on a plan for this. Look for an announcement in the coming weeks. We will most likely do a drive thru collection at the HS. It is critically important that uniforms and equipment are returned.
I will continue to have a weekly Zoom session at noon on Tuesdays. Feel free to pop in even if it’s just to say hello. I don’t like Zoom meetings…they are awkward. But I do miss seeing all of you! As always, if you need anything, send an email and I’ll get back to you shortly.
