More than 400 elementary students packed Stratford Northwestern for the fifth edition of "Loud and Proud" Tuesday night.
Jason LeRoux is the Grade 7 and 8 music teacher at Stratford Northwestern and says music helps develop skills beyond the notes on the page.
"We have kids who are looking for an outlet for their creativity," said LeRoux. "And it also enhances their other school programs. Music has been shown through a number of studies that it can improve their academic performance in other subjects."
The event showcased Grade 5 to 8 students from 14 different schools in Huron and Perth.
"Collaboration, everything else, they're all really important life skills that I know down the road when they get through high school and start looking for jobs, those are things employers are looking for," said LeRoux.
Each of the 14 different school bands performed one piece then they all combined to play three pieces of music.
Here are clips of two of the pieces performed:
[audio wav="https://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mass-Band-Loud-and-Proud.wav"][/audio]
[audio mp3="https://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Crazy-Train.mp3"][/audio]
*Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne