Letter to 8th Grade Parents

Hello parents of 8th graders!

Please take a moment to read the letter below. There is some great information just for you!

We asked parents of marching band members to share with you what they thought about their kids involvement in the HMB.

(Updated 3/6/19 at 8:08 AM)

-RM

Should your 8th grader be in the Hudson Marching Band? We think so; but don’t take our word for it; hear what parents whose kids have been in the HMB have to say about it:

“I'd tell parents of 8th graders that students joining Marching Band have an advantage coming into the new environment of high school. Marching Band peeps have a welcoming, multi-age peer group that reaches across class years. Marching Band kids tend to be high achievers in other academic areas--who wouldn't want their kids to hang out with this bunch? Marching Band helped my rather shy and retiring 8th grader find a fun social group.”

“The comment I remember that you made when my son joined his first year still sticks with me. Mr. McCarthy told the group to "look around you, at 80 of your new best friends". Marching band is a place where a student fits in and has the ability to forge new friendships from all grade levels. It's like a ready-made family when they begin school in the fall. In my opinion, marching band is an unparalleled equalizer across the class hierarchy!”

“I know for my daughter it was a huge deal to be in marching band all four years. As an 8th grader entering spring marching band, she had already made friends with many kids, even upper class students by the time school started in September. It helped her feel so comfortable at the high school and know so many faces. Many of the older kids in band really mentor the new bunch that come in each year. They become a tight family. I can't imagine her life without her band friends.”

“My daughter joined marching band the summer after 8th grade, and has enjoyed every year! She's had the experience of being part of a large group, and the camaraderie of her own individual section, and has formed bonds with people that ended up becoming her closest friends. You also get to know kids from each grade level, and have the advantage of knowing upper classmen before even stepping into the high school. She has developed confidence by trying new things in marching band that she probably wouldn't have expected to do, and has learned valuable leadership skills. It is definitely a worthwhile experience!"

“I want to thank you SO SO much for a fantastic year of marching band. You made many promises to the kids and parents last spring and you came through on every last one. My daughter has never been a joiner of any organized sport or club despite much nagging and encouragement. She came home from school last year and said she was signing up for marching band. We thought ‘Huh?” We looked at the schedule and frankly groaned. It was a huge commitment and I was not overly excited about it. I asked her many probing questions about why the sudden interest. She merely said that she wanted to and she was VERY excited about it so we had to jump on board as this was the first real interest she has taken in any extra curricular activity. The only comment she said was that she wanted to make friends with upper classmen before school started. May practices went well and she kind of enjoyed it but then we had a month off in June which gave her time to forget what she was committing to. When July rolled in, she did not want to return as she was missing family vacations and three of her best friend’s parties. We told her that we had already committed and that we had already invested financially and that she was not allowed to back out now. She was unhappy. I was worried. But I should not have been. By the end of the summer, she was having the time of her life. She did make older friends, and has a group of new people her age as well that she never would have gotten to know. She has a passion for this like I have never seen. I have actually cried tears of joy seeing the transformation in her. You run a tight ship which I really respect and need to make my own plans. I cannot say enough about the program. Thank you a million times. We are all in.”

“Nudging our daughters to stay with band was the best decision my wife and I made in helping our kids navigate high school. Research in neuroscience has demonstrated what many have known for years; there are differences in the brains of musicians and non-musicians. I had read that the discipline of learning to read music and play an instrument might do more for your child’s academic success than any other single activity. As our oldest daughter is preparing for college, I now believe it. The statistics about music and correlations to IQ, GPA, math skills, and success in school are well known. What is less measurable but equally valuable is that Band changed our children’s circle of friends. In the crazy, peer-pressure world of high school, a child’s peer group exerts tremendous influence. We were thrilled with the “band geeks” that our children befriended and proudly became one of. As parents, we never set out to position our children to be “cool” or hang with the “in” crowd, we set out to help them develop skills that will benefit them for life and help them succeed. Mr. McCarthy, Mr. Syman and music have done just that. I am convinced that Band and music not only helped our children thrive through their high school years, it helped position them for a future of endless possibilities. Music and Band mattered in the best possible ways for our two children.”