"Band of Friends" is a fast paced 34,000 word young adult fun read that is targeted for the millions of middle level students riding the rollercoaster of thrills and spills of being in the school band. The concept of writing a book and/or series featuring band kids was born when the school librarian and I discovered that there were no available books in this genre to recommend to my students. Band students are typically the most avid readers in the school and we were very surprised that there weren't any books addressing this genre. With a mix of a marketing ploy and the educator that I am, I intentionally designed this, the first book of the series, to address the younger YA market (length and level) with succeeding books advancing appropriately. Several goals with this series include weaving the main characters' development through school experiences, music performance experiences, and their individual experiences with athletics and an eclectic mix of family values.
Synopsis: Ronnie Simms had to move mid-year to a town that was very different than the place he grew up. Ronnie, a typically insecure middle school trumpet player in a socially backwards town with a great band suddenly finds himself in a much more socially advanced sports driven town with a less developed band program. Socially outcast by most of the new students, he becomes irreversibly linked to three friends in band. The new friends, neighbors and bike riding buddies are Dean, the nerdy clarinet player that lives next door, Butch, the goofy trombone player, and the character that balances the equation, Claire. Claire is a cute, wealthy, athletic, girl in the drum section who cleverly gets the boys out of the trouble they always manage to get into. Ronnie's reluctant arrival in the new school immediately finds him teased, insecure and lost in his new world. But, he is able to rise to every challenge including being attacked by and decking the school bully during his first detention ever, going on a bike ride with is new friends that becomes a life or death adventure, and being accepted into the band in a way that thrusts him into the starring role in the band's performance for a championship football game in front of the whole town. None of this would have been possible without supportive parents, a bratty but lovable younger sister, and of course three very special new friends.
After surviving his own adventures as a member of the band in school, "Doc" Smith finds himself in his 30th year of directing school bands. After many successful years teaching at the high school and university level, the return to his first love, middle level teaching, has been both revitalizing and productive. With his bands consistently rated at the highest levels, Smith has enjoyed having his two sons and all of their friends as his students while actively publishing journal articles about innovative pedagogies he has developed. "Band of Friends" is Smith's uplifting first offering in a series of fiction books about the adventures of being in a school band program. As a state chair of advocacy for music education, the author has dedicated this book to all of the students that include music as part of their school day and promises to donate a percentage of all of his proceeds to the "Music for All Foundation" to support music programs nationwide.