Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 19/02) - The halls of Yellowknife Catholic schools will sounds a little different next year as students transform a set of gleaming instruments into a school district-wide band program.

With a new instructor and $50,000 worth of equipment, Catholic school students from grades 7-12 will have the option of learning how to play the tuba, saxophone, clarinet and trumpet, among others.

The band program will be mandatory for Grade 6 students.

Instruments and instruction will be shared between Weledeh, St. Patrick and Ecole St. Joseph schools.

To enable the required cross-school scheduling, each school will adopt the rotating class schedule currently used by St. Pat's.

Ecole St. Joseph principal Flo Campbell said a survey of current Grade 6 and 7 students found that almost half would opt into the band course next year.

"We're pretty thrilled," said Campbell.

The Catholic school music program is currently limited to choral training.

The school board is applying for money to buy the instruments under a special projects fund from the GNWT Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

The board hopes to expand the program in 2003.