Shared from the 12/24/2018 The Columbus Dispatch eEdition

A different drum

At West Side charter school, steel variety gives students an outlet for expression, stress

Picture

Music teacher Sam McCoy directs students in a steel-drum class at Franklinton Preparatory Academy. [ADAM CAIRNS/DISPATCH]

Picture

ABOVE: Sophomore Ayniah Duncan plays the double seconds during class at Franklinton Preparatory Academy.

Picture

LEFT: Steel-drum playing has proved cathartic for some students. [ADAM CAIRNS/DISPATCH

PHOTOS]

In the middle of December in Ohio, the Caribbean-infused melodies filling the music room at Franklinton Preparatory Academy seemed misplaced.

But for students enrolled in a steel-drum band class at the West Side charter school, they're as inviting as a walk on a beach in Trinidad and Tobago.

Crafted from 55-gallon oil drums, the instruments — part of a rich tradition that originated in the dual-island nation near Venezuela — have become a staple at the school since they were introduced three years ago.

On a recent Tuesday at Franklinton Prep, Calypso music blended with classic rock; modern hits and Christmas carols reverberated through the hallways. Renditions of "Jingle Bells," "Silent Night," the Who's "Baba O'Riley" and Frank Sinatra's "My Way" were the order of the day as the dozen kids stationed at steel-pan drums and other percussive instruments followed instructor Sam McCoy’s direction.

With three upcoming performances — including one on New Year’s Eve at COSI Columbus during “First Night” — the students needed to master their catalog.

“I need to be able to call any of these,” McCoy reminded them at the start of the 90-minute class. “Any song is fair game.”

McCoy allowed no breaks between songs, but the students didn’t seem to mind. Smiles and laughter permeated the room, with students cracking jokes about McCoy’s drill-sergeant style.

“He keeps us busy,” said sophomore Ayniah Duncan, 16, who has been playing steel drums for four years. “It’s a lot of fun.”

McCoy was instrumental in launching the class at Franklinton Prep, one of only a few central Ohio high schools with a steel-drum band; Granville and Canal Winchester high schools also have them.

Three years ago, Marty Griffith, the school principal and founder, had originally been seeking to hire a choir director. But when McCoy — who was running a steel-drum music program at the time at the social-services agency Directions for Youth & Families — saw the ad, he contacted Griffith to persuade him to start a steel-pan band instead.

“You can walk in on day one, and, if you hit a C, it’s a C,” Griffith explained. “It’s something that kids can pick up very quickly. In half an hour, I can have a group of anyone playing songs.”

Griffith envisioned the drums as both a creative and cathartic outlet for the teenagers.

The students at the school are there, he said, because they struggle to thrive in a traditional classroom setting. Many come from poverty; many experience trauma at home.

“Drumming is a calming and focusing activity that reduces stress, reduces the impact of trauma and allows our kids to perform academically and behaviorally much better,” Griffith said. “The arts are a means to allow our kids to express themselves.”

Convinced of the program’s potential, Griffith hired McCoy in 2015 as the full-time band director and director of development.

Sophomore Jennifer Ayala, who is in her second year with the band, has experienced some soothing benefits from the steel-drum class.

“At first, I feel stressed out,” the 16-year-old said. “But once I get into the song, I feel better.”

The class started with three steel-pan instruments but now has a dozen pan drums in a variety of styles, from the single-pan lead to the full 55-gallon six-bass.

The drums primarily are bought with grants or donated by community organizations, including Music Loves Ohio, Puffin Foundation West, Guitar Center and the Franklinton Arts District.

“The steel-drum band is now an important part of Franklinton’s neighborhood identity,” said Adam Herman, president of the Franklinton Arts District. “We are honored to have helped contribute to their overall success.”

Also part of the band are two traditional drum kits as well as conga drums and timbales.

The steel-band class plays out in a time block devoted to elective classes focused on art, music and movement. Other classes taking place during that block include yoga, martial arts, songwriting, cooking and theater.

This year, 25 students are enrolled in the steel-band class.

“I love working with the kids,” said McCoy, who has a bachelor’s degree in jazz studies from Ohio State University and a master’s in jazz studies from William Paterson University in New Jersey. “There’s just an energy they provide every day because that room is going all the time.”

Outside the class, the students travel throughout Ohio to showcase their music.

They have performed at a Cincinnati Reds game;” at Confluence Park during a Rotary Club of Columbus meeting; at the Columbus Commons; and at Ohio Northern University alongside its band and Bowling Green State University’s band.

In January, they will perform at the King Arts Complex during Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations. McCoy is also organizing a summer trip to Trinidad and Tobago.

For students like Ayniah Duncan, prowess at the steel drums is a point of pride.

“Some people show off pictures of their cats,” she said. “I show off pictures of my steel drums.” elagatta@dispatch.com @EricLagatta

More online

• To see a video of the steel-pan drum class at Franklinton Preparatory Academy, visit Dispatch.com/life.

See this article in the e-Edition Here