Artists formerly known as Bandettes

Brianna Houle, Carley Watt, Chelsea Chaput and Ian Shaule are busy preparing for a year of parading about town and beyond.

The four youngsters are members of the Steel Town Brass horn line.

And proud of it.

16-year-old Shaule has been involved with the drum and bugle corps for three years.

He told SooToday.com that he finds the musical education and opportunity for new friendship invaluable.

Founded in 2006 by the Bandettes in order to meet the growing needs of the corps, Steel Town Brass offers youth between the ages of 12 and 20 specialized music instruction as they learn self-discipline, responsibility and essential social skills.

The corps travels regularly to parades and competitions across the United States and Canada during the summer months.

Drum line member Kendra Deluney has enjoyed the experience for the past seven years and plans to continue.

"It's lots of fun and you get to travel places you wouldn't normally get to go to," she told us.

She enjoys it so much that drumming has become second nature.

She often finds herself in trouble at school for drumming on her desk without realizing she's doing it.

Unfortunately the Steel Town Brass will have more free time than they'd like this coming summer.

The corps currently stands at 16 participants, far below the 30 members required to register for competitions.

On Saturday, February 2, the Steel Town Brass will have a table set up in the Station Mall offering information, demonstrations and an opportunity to register.

Membership is not limited to Sault Ste. Marie residents and the corps currently boasts participants from Milwaukee and the Detroit area.

The entire ensemble meets once a month at Corps Camp in East Jordan, Michigan where show instruction and choreography is polished.

Previous musical experience is not necessary for membership.

Anyone interested in taking part is encouraged to call either Betty McDonald at (705) 942-9674 or Mary Wilson at (705) 759-3192 to learn more about this youth experience.