***ATTENTION PARENTS OF CRAWFORD COUNTY PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL MUSICIANS***

In the Spring of 2017, I experienced an inflection point.

Xband had completed a successful run of shows, and had finally accepted what was necessary to prepare at that level.

Xband would eventually be a victim of unfavorable enrollment trends and policies

The surrounding community was ripe with skilled and/ or talented musicians capable of keeping that torch lit.

You can witness that at many of the music performances in many of our county’s schools, but you can also witness it in performances at area churches and community theater productions…but what you CAN'T witness is what would happen if all of these incredible musicians were willing to come together.

There are too many opportunities in our county to divide our student musicians, and exactly zero that combine their skills and talents.  Artificial divisions of young people are unhealthy, and the adults that foster those divisions in the name of “healthy competition” are actually contributing to that division for self-serviing reasons.

Unfortunately, the promotion to recruit members for “The Next Xband” has arrived at the ONE-WEEK-TO-DEADLINE mark with only ONE Crawford County public high school musician registered.

During this initial stage of the promotion we’ve learned that for every music teacher who has encouraged their students to explore this opportunity, there are just as many who have pretended not to know about it or have outright discouraged their students from joining.

We’ve also learned that a climate seems to exist that opportunities available in “our own backyard” tend to be discounted, disregarded, or taken for granted because we’ve seen that in practice.  We have 8 messages asking about when eligibility for this promotion will expand outside of Crawford County as proof of that statement.  It's an option we didn’t want to have to consider - but in one week we won’t have a choice.

We hope you'll help us keep this here - and we hope you'll help us find out what a group of united, motivated Crawford County high school musicians can do TOGETHER.