Banding together

Over 70 third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students banged away on plastic buckets as they set off down Franklin Street on Saturday.

The Sound Machine, a band composed of spirited drummers, steppers and dancers of Frank Porter Graham Elementary, was given the honor of leading the 13th annual Walk and Race for Education.

After shepherding the procession throughout the town, the Sound Machine ended its set at a lively carnival at the Lincoln Center, the school system’s administrative office.

The Sound Machine had been practicing for weeks to lead the walk, a fundraising effort to benefit the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. Buckets were provided by Chick-fil-A.

Only a few years old, the Sound Machine requires little more to exist than support from the PTA and school system.

To raise funds, the group hosted a Moon Bounce and charged for bottled water at the carnival.

“We do our own fundraising. Pretty much everything that we raise is what we have,” band director Barry Garrett said. “All the proceeds will go to the kids.”

It didn’t take long for the group to gain popularity after it began.

“There was an after-school club that a teacher started with the kids, and it’s grown from about 10 or 15 kids to about 70 students,” said Cindy Daniels, assistant principal of the elementary school. “This year is our largest group of children.”

While the ensemble is at its core a creative outlet, the leaders of the Sound Machine said they have more extensive aspirations for the children.

“The Sound Machine also motivates the kids that are in the younger grades to want to succeed and want to get to the next grade level so that they’re able to participate,” Garrett said.

The club meets after school three times a week following brief study periods.

Laura Montross said the frequent practice sessions have provided her daughter with many new friendships.

“Mr. Garrett has made this an exciting, fun program for the kids. She looks forward to it every week,” Montross said.

“She has enjoyed meeting a lot of kids that she would not have met otherwise.”



Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.