Members of the PCM High School Marching Band will participate in the University of Northern Iowa’s Band Day on Saturday.

PCM is taking a group of 25 students to Cedar Falls for the event and will arrive around 9 am. The event includes an information meeting with the Director of the Panther Marching Band Dr. Justin Mertz, rehearsal for the performance, and lunch with the members of the Panther Marching Band (PMB). The Mustangs’ Marching Band students will get to watch the PMB’s pregame performance, before joining them to perform at halftime of Northern Iowa’s football game against Indiana State University. PCM Band Director and PMB alum Timarie Lafoy says that she is hoping that students will use this opportunity to explore participating in marching band beyond high school.

“I’m hoping that they take away that they don’t have to major in music in order to be involved in ensembles at the collegiate level, especially with the Panther marching band. About 5% of the ensemble is music majors, the rest of them are all non-majors. And something special about the PMB is that it’s non-audition like you would see for Iowa and Iowa State, their an auditioned ensemble, so it’s a little bit easier to get into, and so it’s just a little bit easier access for that ensemble.”

Hear more about the UNI Band Day from Timarie Lafoy and PCM marching band students Miranda Bellinghausen and Jake Winters on tomorrow’s In Touch with South Central Iowa.