Muskogee 6th and 7th Grade Academy band rocks downtown, elementary schools

May 9—Sixth-grader Londyn Archie rocked the drum set Tuesday during a downtown Muskogee performance of Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing."

"It feels amazing," Londyn said. "I've been playing since I was young, so it's a natural thing."

The young drummer provided some of the beat for the 6th and 7th Grade rock band as it played gigs across Muskogee on Wednesday. The band played at the green space between Square Deal Music and Arvest Bank and at all Muskogee Public Schools elementaries. In addition to the swing classic, the band played the theme from the "Pink Panther" and the Lips Inc. disco-funk hit "Funkytown."

"We're just trying to get out and recruit and let everybody see what options we offer in the band program," rock band co-director Greg Breeding said.

The rock band will perform with the sixth grade band and seventh grade band at a concert 7 p.m. May 21 at the school auditorium.

Muskogee Public Schools Fine Arts Director Harvey Price said the rock band is the same as a school jazz band.

"We just wanted a different name," Price said. "We have a jazz band at the 8th and 9th Grade Academy and a jazz band at the high school. Next year we're going to have a band at each of those two schools and probably this will develop into two bands, so we'll have six jazz bands next year."

Band co-director Lindsey Breeding said many in the rock band are beginners.

"A lot of these students are in the sixth grade," she said. "They just started playing their instruments since school started this year, and they've been in rock band since the semester just started."

She said the band went to a Eufaula contest two weeks ago and was the highest scoring band out of 30 bands.

"We are so thrilled to have this group and to have the opportunity to have a class like this and the numbers are going to just keep multiplying," Breeding said. "We're super excited about it."

Price said all players in the MPS rock band and jazz bands also are part of their schools' concert bands.

Some rock band members play two instruments. Rock band keyboardist Leslie Chavez Lopez also plays flute for the other band. She said she's more into the keyboard.