DIXFIELD — Regional School Unit 56 is looking for someone to lead a newly approved drum line pep band to play at high school football and basketball home games and travel to state championship contests.

Superintendent Pam Doyen told directors at their Sept. 23 meeting that more than a dozen students have expressed interest in being in the band. She said drums recently found in the Dirigo High School basement were cleaned and are “ready to roll.”

Directors voted unanimously to approve a $2,800 stipend for the band leader position, and there should be no other costs, Doyen said.

Doyen said the money comes from the junior varsity field hockey coach stipend that was not used because there were not enough players for a team.

“We would have to post the position, obviously, and you can tell by the job description that you have to have a music degree,” she told directors.

“We have two music teachers in our district and they’re both fabulous,” she said. “So we feel pretty confident that we could get a good candidate for this and make it happen.”

“So when are you looking to start?” Director Bruce Ross of Dixfield asked. “How many kids are interested in it? Do we have a list?”

Doyen said she will post the position as soon as the board approves it.

“I think we have a good 12-plus kids that would be interested in a drum line,” she said.

The band would practice an average of twice a week after school, she said.

When asked if there were enough kids, Doyen said, “just like anything else, if we didn’t have enough, we just wouldn’t run it.”

“We used to have a pep band,” Chairman Barbara Chow of Dixfield said.

A couple of staff members said the band would add school spirit to the home football and basketball games, and would travel with a team playing in a state championship.

“It’s just another way to look at music and then to express our music and have it looked at around here at Dirigo,” she said.

The district includes Dixfield, Canton, Carthage and Peru.