Derrick Tabb = CNN Hero!

Roots of Music executive director Derrick Tabb was named a CNN Hero this weekend! You may have seen Mr. Tabb, as the students respectfully call him, on Larry King Live and all over CNN. In case you missed it, here are the stories that aired...

Find out more about CNN Hero Derrick Tabb here.

Many thanks!

If you watched CNN over the July 4th weekend, you may have seen this great piece about Roots of Music...



Thanks to reporter Fredricka Whitfield and everyone at CNN!

And many, many thanks also to the Louisiana State Museum for providing Roots of Music with a new rehearsal space! The students are now practicing in the spacious and historic Cabildo building in the heart of the French Quarter.


A final thanks to Madelyn Bonnot of the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation, who made a personal donation to help keep Roots of Music going strong.

L-R: Keisha Carmouche, Madelyn Bonnot, Derrick Tabb, Lawrence Rawlins

Much gratitude for all those who've given their support to Roots of Music.

News Makers

Tonight Roots of Music was featured on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Check it out here:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

At the same time that the news was airing nationwide, the band was parading through the fairgrounds of the New Orleans Jazz Festival:


The word is out. We still need your help, so give it up!

Mardi Gras!

Roots of Music made their debut at the Mardi Gras parades this week. The band had the crowds cheering along the sidewalk and neutral ground for the Pygmalion and Alla parades.

The students have been anticipating the Mardi Gras season for months and once they hit the pavement they never skipped a beat. And they looked as good as they sounded in their new black and gold uniforms. All along the parade route we heard: "Which band is that?" "Where's that band from?"

After the parade, the students, teachers, and parent volunteers were beaming with pride. And exhausted. Be sure to look for Roots of Music at the Muses, Bacchus, and Orpheus parades, and contact us anytime about donations or enrollment.

Taking it to the Streets

The Roots of Music band has begun marching practice in preparation for the Mardi Gras season. The select members of the program who have spent months learning their parts are now taking it to the streets for the first time. Keep an eye out for official debut of the Roots of Music band at the Mardi Gras parades, starting with Pygmalion on Friday, February 13. We weren't able to purchase full uniforms for the band, but we have some special outfits on the way thanks to the support of the parents' booster club and an anonymous donor.

The 2009 Roots of Music Mardi Gras parade schedule:
Friday, Feb. 13 @ 7pm: Pygmalion
Sunday, Feb. 15 @ noon: Alla (Jefferson)
Thursday, Feb. 19 @ 6:15pm: Muses
Sunday, Feb. 22 @ 5:15pm: Bacchus
Monday, Feb. 23 @ 6pm: Orpheus

Let the Games Begin!

The Roots of Music drum section has begun performing around New Orleans and the response from audiences has been fantastic! Tonight, the drummers took to the stage of One Eyed Jack's to play for the Camel Toe Lady Steppers fundraiser.


The ladies made a generous donation to RoM last year and tonight they were able to witness the results of their support. Drum instructor Shoan Ruffin had the students playing their cadences with discipline.


After the show, the drummers headed home to get a good night's sleep before practice tomorrow. The band is gearing up for the Mardi Gras parade season starting in February. Thanks to all the Camel Toe Lady Steppers for keeping the beat alive!

Music Rising Donation

Roots of Music has received a donation of musical instruments worth over of $20,000! The gift came from Music Rising and was administered by the Gibson Foundation and the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation.

As you can see, the students at RoM are already putting this generous gift to use!

The students had a surprise waiting for them when they got off the bus in their school uniforms... shiny new trumpets.


The drummers love their new Ludwig snare and tenor drums. Playing cadences on these is way more fun than banging on banquet tables.


The horn players have new trumpets, mellophones, and sousaphones from Jupiter. Here instructor Edward Lee goes over a complicated tuba part.

Thanks again to the kind folks at Music Rising, the Gibson Foundation, and the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation for helping keep the drums beating and horns blowing in New Orleans.

We also received enormous support this year from the Jubilation Foundation, Tipitina’s Foundation, Sweet Home New Orleans, D'Addario Foundation, B'Nai Israel Baton Rouge, Ludwig, Hudson Music, and many more.

For the moment, RoM is humming along with instruments, but we are in need of donations to ensure that students can attend the classes for no charge. Buses and teacher salaries make up the vast majority of our budget. Help us out by donating here. (Please indicate Roots of Music in the PayPal form).