Music is fun, accepting, and nonjudgmental. It’s subversive. It’s shelter from the storm. Those are the goals of the South Florida Pride Youth Band, which is taking the stage for its 15th year.
“Band in general has always been a place of belonging,” Artistic Director Dan Bassett said as he prepared for the Sunday, Feb. 22 show at The Parker. “Everyone is accepted for who they are. It doesn’t matter if they’re the best player but you’re part of this band, and that carries through.”
The show brings students from across South Florida together for the performance. The Pride Youth Band, which welcomes all sexual identities including heterosexual, is a safe space in a world that makes LGBTQ youth feel very unsafe.
With about 80 members, Bassett says this is the biggest iteration of the band since COVID. While many arts organizations didn’t make it back from pandemic, PYB was able to rebuild. He says it’s all about the student musicians.
“You just didn’t know if [the band members] were going to come back. The interest is certainly there for people looking for this organization.”
During his tenure, Bassett has looked to expand programs, and this weekend’s show will debut the Youth Pride Jazz Band.
“The program will be a lot of fun music.”
The program will feature some original pieces including one that’s a real tongue twister: Tutu’d Toucan Can-Can. Bassett is especially in love with this one. “You can imagine a toucan in a tutu doing the Can-Can. It’s a lot of fun, really tongue in cheek and it’s my favorite in the entire concert.”
Tickets are still available at ParkerPlayhouse.com.
Photo via Pixabay.
