IDEA Victory School's drumline making an impact on young performers in Bay Area

Name: IDEA Victory School's drumline making an impact on young performers in Bay Area
Uploaded: 2025-04-22T15:17:19-04:00
Description: The winning ways of the newest program at IDEA Victory School, the IDEA Drumline, is teaching kids much more than music.

IDEA Victory School's drumline making an impact on young performers in Bay Area

The winning ways of the newest program at IDEA Victory School, the IDEA Drumline, is teaching kids much more than music.

TAMPA, Fla. - The winning ways of the newest program at IDEA Victory School, the IDEA Drumline, is teaching kids much more than music.

"It's fun because like there's more new things that I have experienced in drumline," seventh grader Jalyiah Baker said. "It gives me confidence."

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The program, which stands for Individuals Dedicated to Excellence and Achievement, is a public charter school that mainly serves low-income families. Octavious Grooms, a 20-year music teacher, helped start the program last year.

"I hope that these kids become very passionate as much as I am about the music program to be able to not only excel and be college-bound, but also, once they pass that, give back to the community by offering their talents and skills to the next generation," Grooms said.

Around 25 students, from third to 10th grade, participate in the drumline. They practice for two hours, three nights a week.

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"The music, I just thought it was really cool from the beginning. I've always liked drumline, seeing it on TV shows and like movies," said seventh grader Alana Natal.

What they're saying:

Among the group are a trio of sisters playing the cymbals. Fifth grader Aniyah Chaviano gets nervous but excited when getting ready to perform in front of a live crowd. Her sister, seventh grader Shilhya Rodriguez, said, "I get really nervous at first, and then once I see all the people, I just get my game face and just do it."

The game faces are working, as the drumline has taken home multiple trophies this year, despite being the new kids on the block. They recently won a statewide competition in Daytona Beach.

"This particular year, I've never seen kids excel so greatly in a rapid time," Grooms said. "It's definitely an eye-opener to let it be known that when they put in the hard work and execute and do what they have to, anything is possible."

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Being a member of the drumline has also motivated the students in the classroom. Many of them said that they don’t want to do anything to let down their drumline teammates.

What's next:

The team will be competing next at the second Brawl for the Beaches Showcase in Riviera Beach on Saturday, April 26. They will also be performing at IDEA Victory’s open house this Thursday at 5 p.m.

For more information, click here.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered through interviews with Octavious Grooms, who helped start the program last year, as well as students in the program.

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