One afternoon in February I was invited to attend the P.E.I. Honour Band concert in Charlottetown. This band was made up of nearly 100 Grade 9 music students from across Prince Edward Island. What a treat to hear these students, who didn't even know each other two days prior, perform several music pieces for us.
More recently I spent a musical afternoon at the College of Piping attending Band Day, which is held annually for our local intermediate and secondary schools. In past years this was hosted in Charlottetown for all the bands in the province. This year, with the help of several local music teachers, the bands from this area were able to perform closer to home. I was able to hear the bands from Three Oaks High School, Summerside Intermediate, Kinkora High and Bluefield High as they performed their selections for the adjudicators. They were not in competition with each other, instead their performances were adjudicated for themselves and their teachers. It was a very enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.
I am writing this to say a big thank you to the music teachers in all our schools who spend time enriching the lives of the students with music.
When I first saw my granddaughters play, they performed "Three Blind Mice". Now they and the other band members are playing complicated pieces. This is due to the leadership and perseverance of their teachers. So, a big "thank you" to all the music teachers in every school. Thank you for helping our children discover and enjoy music.
Rosaleen Mahoney,
Summerside
