An Open Letter To PHS Band Parents

Dear Band Parents,

Thank you and your kids for the past 6 years. If I could re-live any portion of my life, I would join band in high school. What an experience this has been. Your kids work harder than any other High School group, all for their 10 minutes of fame on the field or in the arena. But oh boy, what they’ve captured for life off the field is tremendous.

This letter is a request for your service and prayers.

First the prayer part: Please pray for Carrie as she enters Band Detox. Everyone volunteers to serve our band kids at their personal level. I can tell you that being a “band mom” has been a huge part of Carrie’s life for the past 6 years. She loves your kids, and I think many of them have the same feelings for her. She will be going thru many withdrawals as the next season arrives. We’ll set up visiting hours once she lands in the detox

house !! Seriously though…..because of the very high involvement she’s had, her life will change dramatically. No more early Saturday mornings going to the school to make breakfasts, lunches, or running around town preparing the details for supper on the road. No more spending weeks begging local restaurants for spaghetti for the Italian dinner, hor d’ouvres for the wine tasting, or water and cookies from Kroger. On top of all that, now she has to put up with me full time !! That alone deserves your prayers. My life will change also…. For one thing my garage and refrigerator will get bigger without the stacks of water, soda, bread, cookies, cheese, grapes, carrots, Oreo desert, and salad. My van will once again become a van, instead of a pickup full of band stuff. And I’ll get more time with her (even though I’ll have to go to the home for detoxing band moms to see her). Thank you Carrie, I Love You.

Now the service part: Get involved with PHS band. There is an endless list of things volunteers are needed for. Whatever level you can contribute at, there will be a spot for you. The amount of work behind the scenes to make this experience for the band kids first class is tremendous. All this effort from parents is part of the process that enables the success the band has achieved. It’s human nature, and easy, to sit on the sidelines and criticize an action or decision made by the band booster board or committee heads. These people work their butts off every day for the band program. Go ahead and criticize, but come with an idea or solution to make the situation better. That’s improvement. Continuously support and praise the Harris’s and the phenomenal staff they have surrounded your kids with. What they extract from these young people is amazing. What they instill in these young minds and attitudes is priceless. The life skills and lessons each young adult gathers from being a PHS band member is a gift. If all our nation’s youth had mentors like our kids have had, think of what a place this would be!! Your kids are on a life changing journey. Get involved and experience it with them. You’ll find that you will be the one who receives the gift.

Again, thank you for sharing your kids over the last 6 years. I truly wish our Band program all the happiness and success in the years to come. Gimme me a P….gimme me an A…gimme a G….gimme an E….who are we? PAGE!! EPICA!!

Thanks for letting me rant.

Scott Stafford