SANFORD — Sanford High School senior Megan Carpenter plans a career teaching music, and is headed to the University of Maine in Orono next fall for music education. At Impact Percussion, she plays the marimba ”“ an instrument that looks like a big xylophone.

Carolyn Breau, a South Portland High School student, usually plays flute and piano. At Impact Percussion she’s got a new gig ”“ playing the xylophone.

On Thursday afternoon of school vacation week, there are dancers and drummers and others getting ready to practice in one of the music rooms at Sanford High School. In another, the drumline, called the battery, practices with precision. Eventually, the groups will come together to put on a performance.

They”˜re students from all over southern Maine, and their aim is to play percussion. They practice, on average, about six hours a week.

And they have a great time doing it.

“It’s a great way to push yourself,” said Westbrook High School student Milo Brooking, who plays the electric bass guitar with the group. “Its another (music) outlet. I can’t get enough.”

Impact Percussion first emerged a year ago, when some school band directors and supporters got together to find a way for percussionists to keep interested and motivated and stretched in their craft year-round. In the regular scheme of things, that doesn’t usually happen, because marching band winds down in the fall, and while some students take part in jazz ensembles or a chorus, those who play percussion instruments are usually idle in the winter.

So Sanford High School Band Director Joshua Champagne and Craig Scott, who works with the band during the fall, and some others got together to form Impact Percussion. They started with 17 students from Sanford and some surrounding schools. This year, there are 34 members, hailing from Old Orchard Beach, Sanford, South Portland and Westbrook high schools, Thornton Academy in Saco, along with one eighth grader from Kennebunk Middle School.

“It’s like a gifted and talented program for percussionists,” said Scott who is the assistant director of the group.

“We knew there would be a lot of interest,” said Champagne. “We wanted opportunities, not only for Sanford students, but others a well.”

Impact Percussion is the only group of its kind in Maine, but there are many across the country, said Champagne.

The group is scheduled to perform March 1, at the end of the Maine Band Director’s Association winter guard show that begins at 1 p.m. at Sanford Junior High School. They’ll compete at four New England Scholastic Marching Band Association events this winter and spring, starting at an event at Dover High School in New Hampshire on March 8.

The amount of interest in the group by students was a surprise, said Scott. He said he thought there would be only a handful of students who would want to join, and, he pointed out, for students who come from Westbrook and South Portland to practice, its quite a drive.

“It was kind of a surprise to all of us,” when students from other schools expressed interest, Scott said.

Students must meet requirements of their school to participate for Sanford students that means they must be passing all courses.

All of the staff involved donate their time, and the equipment used is on loan from Sanford High School. Students pay a modest fee to join and none have been turned away ”“ Scott pointed out that a spot is found for every student who had expressed interest.

Champagne and Scott said that there have been other similar groups in Maine, but that they tend to last only a few years, usually because of lack of funding. Impact Percussion is hoping for a long run, and to that end, fundraising efforts are underway to cover fees as well as equipment improvements. A Go Fund Me account has been setup at www.gofundme.com/Impact2015.

Sara Champagne, a Sanford High School student, is a member ”“ and yes, her dad is the band director.

“I play wind instruments,” she said. “They said here, play the bass drum,” in Impact Percussion. “It opened up new doors for me,” she said.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324”“4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282”“1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].