LINDEN — North Montgomery Director of Bands Andrew Simpkins and Purdue University are teaming up for a joint performance Friday during the boys’ varsity basketball game against Western Boone.
The decision to perform together at Friday’s contest came about after Simpkins applied to become “mini partners” with Purdue through the university’s Partners in Music Education program last fall.
The focus of the program: To encourage younger musicians to continue playing and performing as they make the transition from high school to college.
“High school graduation need not be an end, but rather a bridge to new opportunities for exciting and rewarding lifelong musical experiences,” the university states through its Partners in Music Education webpage.
The program, created in 1999, allows a high school pep band to visit Purdue’s music department and engage in a series of clinics and side-by-side rehearsals, culminating in a dual performance during a girls’ or boys’ home basketball game.
Complete with theatrics from the well-known Silver Twins and Miss Boilerette, all of whom regularly perform at Purdue athletic contests, Friday’s ensemble of musicians and entertainers are set to keep Charger and Western Boone Star fans engaged throughout the contest.
For more information about Friday’s performance, contact North Montgomery at 765-362-5140. To learn more about Purdue’s music education initiative, visit purdue.edu/bands or contact Purdue Bands Associate Professor Max Jones at jonesmr@purdue.edu.
