NEW ORLEANS — Research shows music therapy can decrease fatigue, anxiety, and depression. It also can help substance abusers and improve coping skills. But could it be used to reduce crime?
We talked to some of the city's youngest musicians to find out.
Roots of Music is a nonprofit organization that provides a free after-school program with music, mentorship, tutoring, and more. You may recognize the Roots of Music "Marching Crusaders" from the parade route.
“Every Mardi Gras parade that they’re in, the crowds go wild, but I want everyone to remember 9-14. Everybody thinks they’re high school or adults. They are amazing," Tulane Dean of Social Work and Roots Board Member, Patrick Bordnick, said.
The maturity of the students we spoke to far surpasses their ages.
“What I like about it is that they teach me how to be a young man and they teach me I can be anything I want to be," 12-year-old Fredrick Brooks said.
Derrick Tabb founded the program in 2007, and people told him it wouldn't last.
“It’s much easier for a kid to get a gun than a musical instrument, and in a city of music, that’s the craziest thing in the world to me," Tabb said. He believes music is a form of therapy.
The students told us they will always keep music as a hobby, but they have other dreams of becoming doctors, lawyers, therapists, and more.
“I want to become President of the United States," 12-year-old Blake Black said.
The program is making a difference in their lives.
“Coming to Roots has helped me with my depression and issues I’ve been dealing with at home," 13-year-old Tyrell Turner said.
Roots also connects students with social workers like Parker Robinson and Patrick Bordnick.
“These kids have talked to us about how they’re afraid to go outside with the current situation," Robinson said.
Not only has crime increased in New Orleans, but some violent acts are being committed by juveniles.
"When that becomes a fear situation, you have limited options. You either join the things you’re fearful of which is not going to be good it could be bullying, gangs, or whatever. Or you try to find a sense to get to Roots and you get connected and you have a sense of community," Bordnick said.
Still, some students at Roots say they're feeling the impacts of crime.
“Most deaths out here in New Orleans, I’m most likely related to them, and it’s been impacting me. Because I’ve been going to a lot of funerals lately," Turner said.
But the music keeps them rooted.
“It’s the only thing that can really calm me down like when I’m angry or mad or sad, and when I pick up my flute, I feel like I can control all things that you know, I’ve been going through," 13-year-old Mackenzie Williams said.
“Sometimes I just be mad, and I come to Roots, and I hear music and I just relax sometimes," Brooks said.
All of the students we spoke to said it's making a difference in the classroom. They've seen better grades and attitudes at school.
“It [music] teaches math, it teaches structure, it teaches discipline," Bordnick said.
Tabb said he works with around 150 students right now, and he would love to welcome more students, but funding is critical.
“If a kid gets turned away here, where can he go? Why can’t he find somewhere in a city of music that he can go and play music free of cost and get the same opportunities that the kids here have?” Tabb said.
Tabb said music should be free and accessible. He also urged the community to encourage kids to play.
“Parents stop them from playing and they don’t want to hear the noise, and a lot of the times, that’s how they’re expressing themselves," Tabb said.
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