Harriet Tubman’s music program has grown fast in the last six years, involving around 500 students across elementary and middle school. Third and fourth grade students all take elementary music together, while the fifth through eighth graders can choose to participate in either a brass band or drumline.
Through these music programs, Tubman staff member Patrick Marshall works to prepare students for the rigors of high school. Marshall holds multiple roles at Tubman, serving as the Music Teacher for third and fourth grades as well as the Brass Band and Drumline Director for fifth through eighth grades. Through his work with students, Marshall aims to not only teach students how to play an instrument or to read music, but he also endeavors to use music to teach students emotional regulation and provide them with a new method of self-expression.
“For many kids, music becomes their way to express emotions constructively rather than destructively,” Marshall explains.
Being involved in Tubman’s music program allows students to express themselves creatively and to work through various emotions. It also fosters a sense of belonging to a community with similar interests. “I can see a physical uplift in how students carry themselves as they participate in the band program. In my opinion, it’s a life-changing experience,” says Marshall.
The kids and the community at Crescent City Schools is what initially drew Marshall, a native of Texas, and his family to New Orleans.
“Everybody in my interview was very open and upfront, friendly from the jump,” Marshall noted. “When I went to teach my sample lesson, I got to meet some kids from the neighborhood, too. They have such great personalities and are so naturally inclined to be a part of a performing arts program.”
That kind of involvement and camaraderie is fortunately something that Marshall found throughout Crescent City Schools and deeper in the community.
“I have had the most parent involvement out of anywhere that I’ve taught with our Tubman drumline, which has been really cool. Having parents join in as chaperones, making sure their kids are practicing at home, watching their kids from the fence and cheering them on, that kind of stuff is something I didn’t experience previously.”
While Marshall is clearly one of the forces behind the music program, he was quick to point out all of the people and entities who make his impact possible. Principal Zondra Howard-Cross, with her background in the arts, provides constant support and encouragement. Grants from funders such as Save The Music Foundation, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, and the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund ensure that a variety of instruments are available and in good condition. Colleagues like Kaitlynn Cunningham, the school’s art teacher and dean of enrichment, keep the program running smoothly, and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Academy (LPOA) is also incredibly influential in providing students with additional opportunities in the community, broadening their exposure and experience.
All of these people and programs have put in a lot of work to grow the Harriet Tubman music program to the scale and quality that it is now. Looking forward, one of the things Marshall is really excited about is continuing to put these kids in front of audiences of people that want to hear them perform.
“We really are like a walking billboard for Tubman and CCS; we have a physical, giant sign that says Harriet Tubman that we walk behind,” Marshall notes. “Just providing them with those opportunities to go and perform outside of the school is huge.”
Interested in hearing Tubman’s musicians perform? One of the best things you can do for the Harriet Tubman music program is go out and hear them play! They are already booked in three Mardi Gras parades: Krewe of Chewbacchus, Algiers Mardi Gras Festival, and Knights of Nemesis.
