Listen to Marching Band Music

• The Edna Karr senior school marching musical organization had under 40 people four years back. These days, over 80 students have been in the band.

  Keith O'Brien/NPR

• Christopher Herrero, a tuba player at Karr about ten years ago, had been hired as musical organization manager four years back.

  Keith O'Brien/NPR

• Music is so essential at Edna Karr that some kids tote their particular instruments to course. "Band is everything for a few of your children, " claims Assistant main Margaret Leaf. "it provides all of them an identity."

  Keith O'Brien/NPR

• The horns can be dented, and bound along with duct tape, nevertheless the children nonetheless appear.

  Keith O'Brien/NPR

• Nicholas Nooks (left) is well known into the musical organization area as "Big Nick." At almost 300 weight, he appeared like a good fit for baseball, but he gave up the sport in favor of playing sousaphone and tuba.

  Keith O'Brien/NPR

Editor's Note: this might be a tale about increased college musical organization. It is a tale that needs becoming heard, even more therefore than look over. Kindly click the audio player, above, to concentrate. Audio will be offered around 6:30 p.m. EDT.

In a few days, in brand new Orleans, 240 students will graduate from Edna Karr twelfth grade, including 16 people in the marching musical organization. The band is considered a rising celebrity in a city that treasures music. To relax and play in Edna Karr twelfth grade's musical organization is usually to be somebody, at the very least inside the hallways of this college. But being within the band does not just move you to popular; it includes a pathway to college — high stakes for poor young ones.

On time this school year, the buses had been late, the horns damaged. Like most times, the Edna Karr marching musical organization would use instruments held with duct tape.