By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The Thompson High School wind ensemble is looking for the public’s help to send the entire band to the “Super Bowl of concert band events,” said the band’s director.

In mid-July, THS Director of Bands Jon Bubbett received confirmation the band had been selected to perform as a featured band at the National Concert Band Festival. The Concert Band Festival will be a part of the 2015 Music for All National Festival presented by Yamaha, which will be in Indianapolis from March 12-14, 2015.

The wind ensemble is one of only 15 high school bands from across the nation to receive an invitation to perform at the festival, and THS Director of Bands Jon Bubbett called it “the biggest and most prestigious event of its kind in the nation.”

“As such, I feel it is very important that every student be in attendance. Not only because every member is a vital and important part of the team, but because I have seen how this event changes the lives of our students,” Bubbett wrote in an email. “I have been associated with NCBF for the past four years and have seen first hand the difference it makes in our children.”

The band’s selection to perform in the festival earned the wind ensemble a proclamation from Alabaster Mayor Marty Handlon during the Dec. 8 Alabaster City Council meeting, during which nearly every member of the band was present.

Attending the festival will come with an about $675 cost per student, which will cover festival fees, housing, transportation and meals for the four-date event. Because of the cost associated with the trip, some families have reached out to the band for financial assistance.

“Four years ago when we participated in this event, we had four students who needed assistance. This year we have eight to 10,” Bubbett wrote. “So we are trying to raise $6,750 to help those students who will otherwise not be able to attend.”

To donate to the band or sponsor a student, contact Bubbett at 401-8042 or email jbubbett@gmail.com.