Derrick Tabb has found a way to transform New Orleans youth from troublemakers to music players. He doesn't look the part of a typical band teacher, but every weekday evening in the French Quarter, he beats out the rhythm on his music stand as students play their chosen instruments. In doing so, he gives them an alternative to New Orleans' rough streets. He is competing with the drug dealers and gang bangers. His program, The Roots of Music, offers free tutoring, instruments and music education to more than 100 students.
Students credit Derrick Tabb with changing their lives. Many who were failing in school and heading down the wrong road now have plans to make music their careers and some even want to teach it themselves some day.
Derrick Tabb can relate. During a rebellious phase in junior high, his band teacher became his mentor and helped him get back on track. He is a professional drummer with the Rebirth Brass Band, one of the New Orleans’ most popular acts. The 34-year-old Tabb, a New Orleans native, strives to keep young people on the straight and narrow in the city with the nation's highest murder rate, according to FBI statistics.
He believes that many young people wind up in trouble because they have nothing else to do. The type of music support systems that helped him years ago has been struggling since Hurricane Katrina. Musicians scattered after the storm and budget cuts ended many school music programs.
Mr. Tabb chose to target 9 to 14-year-olds with his program because that's just the most vulnerable time of your life. He feels that if he catches them now, he can hold onto them for at least four or five years and guide them toward a positive path.
Students meet from 4-7 p.m. every weekday, year-round. They work with tutors on schoolwork, practice their music and eat a hot meal before heading home. Through funding from donations and sponsors, the group is able to provide bus transportation, instruments and food for free. He calls it his "no excuse" policy -- "you don't have any excuse why you're not here." With a 90 percent attendance rate, his formula is working.
Mr. Tabb attributes the success in part to the nature of music. "You're constantly learning something new," he said. "That's what keeps the kids coming back every day."
Since getting underway last year, The Roots of Music has already exceeded his expectations. The band marched in five Mardi Gras parades this season. The program also helped students improve their academic performances, with 85 percent having raised their grades in at least one class; some D and F students have become A students. And there are more than 400 children on the waiting list.
No previous musical experience is necessary -- many students don't even know the names of the instruments when they start -- but youngsters learn fast and it’s fun. But the program isn't only about fun. They also learn discipline and how hard work pays off. He insists on good behavior and keeps kids in order with threats of sit-ups, pushups or tasks like picking up grains of rice -- but these measures aren't just punishment. Discipline aside, Derrick Tabb wants young people to realize that music can help them build a better future.
Want to get involved? Check out The Roots of Music and see how to help.
http://www.therootsofmusic.com/
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