BMS students can carry a beat

Drumming club showing signs of success in third year

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Ask many parents with children of middle school-age and they would say that their children march to the beat of their own drum.

For a little more than 40 students at Baldwin Middle School, though, they literally beat their own drum as part of the school’s drumming club.

Philip Pierre-Louis, the bandleader for the seventh and eighth-grade bands at BMS, and a district employee since 1996, started the club in the 2011-12 school year after attending a music workshop a few years earlier on the subject.

While teaching the class “Exploring Music,” Pierre-Louis took a workshop on world music drumming, which has roots in African drumming. In the 2008-09 school year, he implemented some African drumming in his Exploring Music class and immediately noticed there was a high level of interest from students.

After interest continued to build, Pierre-Louis established the club and had 65 students try out the first year. A grant from the Baldwin Foundation for Education helped purchase the drums. There were only enough instruments for 40 students, so cuts had to be made. Any student in the middle school — grades six through eight — is eligible to try out for the club, whether they play an instrument, sing in the choir or take a general music class.

Like many district programs, the club wasn’t funded during the 2013-14 school year, but was reinstated this year. Tryouts were held in November and 80 students came out to audition over a three-day span. Pierre-Louis would teach interested students a musical piece, then have them play that piece while a different piece was playing. Those who could keep their beat intact moved on.

Eighth graders Justin McMackin and Nijha Young are both part of the club this year. McMackin, who plays the upright and electric bass at BMS, also made it through as a sixth grader, but didn’t get to participate while he was in seventh grade due to budget cuts. Young, a clarinet player, auditioned while in sixth grade but didn’t make the club. He said he had reservations about trying out again this year but is now glad he gave it another shot.

“It’s a really fun thing to do,” McMackin said, “especially after school. It’s nice learning about what other cultures do.”

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