Students of Jefferson Middle School are pictured. Band students from across the county will take part in “Taps Across Chautauqua” on Veterans Day. Submitted photo

Students from school districts across the county will be participating in the first “Taps Across Chautauqua” event Thursday in honor of Veterans Day.

At 11 a.m., students from the Brocton, Cassadaga Valley, Chautauqua Lake Central, Jamestown Public Schools, Southwestern Central School district — as well as students from the State University of New York Fredonia School of Music — will play taps outside their homes while wearing their band uniforms. Community members are encouraged to step outside and participate in the acknowledgment of Veterans during this occasion.

In the case of inclement weather, students will go outside and play when the weather clears.

Last year, students from the Jamestown Public Schools Middle School band participated in the event, which provided a way for students to perform in tandem with other students while also honoring veterans, said Marc Lentsch, Persell Middle School director of bands.

“It started during COVID,” Lentsch said. “When we got shut down, we were trying to think of authentic ways for our students to make music and actually feel part of a community and a part of a group. We couldn’t play with anyone, we had to be solo. Last year, it was just ‘Taps Across Jamestown,’ and we had the students play Taps outside their house for anyone that wanted to listen as an authentic music-making experience for the kids, and that was really well received. The parents enjoyed it, the kids enjoyed it and I think a lot of our communities that heard it enjoyed it. So, we at Jamestown, within our band director corps., decided to invite the rest of Chautauqua County this year.”

Lentsch said several schools decided to join in, so music will be heard throughout the county on Veterans Day. He said he believes anywhere from 200 to 400 students across the county will participate.

“A lot of them really enjoy it,” he said. “Some parents have scheduled things; one of our kids is going to play at 11 o’clock, but then they’re going to go over to their grandfather’s nursing home and play. Another mother has scheduled her son to play at 11 o’clock, but then at the Legion, they’re going to play at 7 p.m. A lot of the parents on their own have kind of taken off.”

Lentsch is glad to have so many students participating and that the district has found a way to provide music to the community in an impactful way.

“It’s always really great when we can connect what we do in school to the outside community,” he said. “That can be surprisingly hard to do, so this was a great way to do it.”

Lentsch said his only hope is that the event will not take away from the other Veterans Day events going on in the area, including the downtown events.

“They have their own ceremony, which actually a portion of our high school band will be playing in,” he said. “I never want to take away from that.”

However, for those who are unable to attend the other ceremonies, Lentsch said he hopes they will be able to hear the music in their neighborhoods and be a part of the event.

The event was inspired by the national “Taps Across America” movement, which came to pass during the pandemic as a way to honor service members on Memorial Day 2020. All the band directors involved are hopeful that this event will help instill in young people a sense of honor and gratitude for the sacrifices of our armed forces.