Music students from Banneker Middle School, Clearspring Elementary School, Clemente Middle School, Sherwood High School and Wheaton High School took to the stage and performed for a crowd of more than 500 people as part of the first annual Rock-In Schools concert.
Rock-In Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes rock n' roll and contemporary music instruction as part of the Montgomery County Public School curriculum or extra-curricular programs.
The goal of the concert was to raise awareness and funds to help expand public school music education. "You're pioneering something," Randi Levy, director of Rock-in Schools, told attendees. "It's time for music education to be expanded in the school day. Every kid should have free access to all types of music at school."
The concert was among one of the first community events to be hosted by the Fillmore Silver Spring. General Manager Stephanie Steele acknowledged the way music allows people to connect, saying, "Live music gives everyone a sense of shared experience and community. The Fillmore is a community resource, so it only makes sense that we play a part in marking sure music doesn¹t die in our area schools."
Not only did each group display an admirable amount of musicianship and talent it was also very apparent that the students were all having fun performing on-stage. "What kid would not sign up for a class like this?" asked MC Kirk McEwen of 105.9.
