Every year in January the Washburn Rural High School Pep Band travels around to the 437 elementary schools and plays some of the classic tunes. There is a wide array of songs. From motown, to pop, and blues. At every school, once the music began to play, teachers and students alike began to dance and sing along.

This event gives those in pep band a chance to spread the music to kids who do not usually get a chance to see the band play that often. The Pep Band traveled to the Middle School, Farley and Wanamaker Elementary. This tour had several aims. To give the students a gift of a fun experience and also to try and recruit eighth grade middle school students to join the band their freshmen year. It is an opportunity to show them a taste of what type of events different branches of the band partake in.

Hopefully encouraging them to join the band and be a part of the experience. This tour was also a great chance for some of the high school students to potentially visit their old elementary schools. As the band wrapped up their last songs, director Chris Exum would call though who had previously attended that elementary school to go to the front.

Teachers began to smile and wave as they saw there formers students from the not too distant past.  As children began to leave the gyms teacher would run over to their students and give them hugs and ask how they were doing. This allowed for a reunion for many students that they might not have gotten otherwise.

For many high school students they do not have the time to visit old teacher or friends but with the Pep Tour they no longer have to worry about forgetting the memories that they had previously made with old friends or teachers.

When the young elementary children began to file into the gym they stared in amazement at the older kids with big instruments.

On several occasions Mr. Exum would call a certain student from the Pep Band down to the front of the band to share their talent with the kids.

Once they were finished playing some would stand, with big smiles on their faces, and clap as loud as was possible with their small hands.

During certain songs, Mr. Exum called the sixth graders involved with band to join their instrument and watch as they played to experience a little taste of what being in the Pep Band is really like.

From the surface, this tour may seem as if it is designed to be a recruiting event. Although this is true there is so much more that both the students involved and those who watch, get out of it.

It is a chance for students to get out of the classroom and experience something that they may not have gotten the chance to otherwise.

To take a little time out of the elementary students’  day and spread the joys of music.