It was Pajama Day at Mt. George Elementary School, which was why even Principal Janine Burt was decked out in pink flannel jammies.

It was the also last day of No-Shave November at Napa High, which might have been why many of the male members of the Napa High marching band were looking pretty old and hairy, especially by elementary school standards. But when Henry Cadelago, director of the Napa band, invited the Mt. George kids to join his musicians, the young students didn't hesitate to flood out onto the playground and stand beside the tuba and trumpet players, however big and hirsute.

Rock stars couldn't have garnered more awe-struck gazes.

The Napa band has been on tour this month, visiting elementary schools, and for many of the members the trip to Mt. George was another kind of homecoming.

"I see so many kids out there who went to Mt. George," said Burt. "Some of them were in my class when I taught third grade."

Cadelago takes his band to visit elementary schools to spark an interest in youngsters, who get their first chance to play an instrument in school in fourth and fifth grade. If they choose to, they can go on to take band or orchestra at Silverado Middle School with him, and many follow him to Napa High, where he is director of instrumental music.

Sierra Barnes, now a sophomore at Napa, said she remembered the Napa band's visit to Mt. George when she was a second-grader. Now she was returning to her old turf as a trombone player.

Interest was already high when the two school buses and one white truck full of instruments pulled up into the school yard of the small east Napa school. Kindergartners peered through the fence as the musicians began testing the drums and trombones.

"They could just do this and the kids would be happy," commented Sue McGraw, who had brought a group of preschoolers from her nearby day care center to hear the band in which McGraw's son, David, a senior, plays trombone.

In fact, when drum major Hillary Hight blew her whistle to call the band to attention, Morgan Riendeau, 18 months, said sadly, "All done."

The show was just beginning, however, as the band fell into formation and snaked across the playground, led by the baton twirlers and the color guard. The musicians headed toward the benches where the first- through fifth-graders were having their lunches.

"This is cool music," said Wyatt, 8, a third-grader, as the band played Napa High standards "Frankenstein," "Crazy Train," and "Shout it Out," Asked if noontime concerts were standard fare, he replied, "I wish."

He and his lunch pals, Jock and Andrew, said they planned to join the band as soon as they could.

The highlight was when Mr. C, as he is affectionately known, asked fourth and fifth graders in the Mt. George band and others if they wanted to come out onto the playground with the Napa High band, and show which instrument they plan to play. A significant number of youngsters also joined the color guard and the baton twirlers. As the band broke into Napa's quintessential "Warpath," without which no football game would be complete, the youngsters joined in the traditional "chop" that goes with the song.

If these kids have anything to say about it, the future of the Napa's band appears to be pretty solid.

"I'm going to be in the band with Mr. C," said Austin, a fifth-grader. His friends Koty, Christian and Kyle all agreed.

"It was great fun and I think it made a big impression on the kids," Principal Burt said about the noontime concert. "We have fourth and fifth-graders just starting out; now they get to see what the reward is if they stay with it."

Burt said that despite increased pressure on teachers to devote class time to meeting No Child Left Behind standards for math and reading, at Mt. George they encourage children to participate in band.

"We know we need to address the needs of the whole child," she said, "and for some this a place where they can excel." In addition, she said, "there is so much research that shows music is really good for the brain," adding it's no surprise that so many of the band members show up on honor rolls again and again and are often among the top academic performers in high school.

"I think music is very connected" to academic achievement, she said. "I've seen it with my own children and with so many of the Mt. George children. There are also so many other great things that come from (studying music), leadership, working together."

But this sunny fall afternoon, as the kids in their Spiderman and princess pj's mingled with the high school rock stars, the chief thing that seemed to be on their minds was this was a great way to be really, really noisy -- "We're loud and we're proud," says drum major Hight -- and all the parents and teachers just love it.