The band room in McKee Middle School is spacious and filled with exuberant cacophony. Kids play instruments, while band director Jammie Phillips walks around, teaching with her hands.
Phillips had recently taken a photo of two of the students, tuba player Errol Caraway and trombone player Alexander Philips, in front of the school after they were accepted into the Auburn University Middle School Honors Band. She said she was going to try and post it to the school district’s Facebook page.
Since it was posted, the photo has gotten more than 9,000 comments, more than 600 shares and nearly 30,000 reactions. The two eighth graders said it even made it to Brazil.
Philips said he expected the post to have some engagement but not nearly the amount it received.
“Especially with us just being in middle school, also,” Caraway added.
Lakinya Caraway, Errol Caraway’s mother, said she was not expecting it blow up the way it did. She thinks that the attention will provide other kids with the realization that they don’t need to be sports kids to be celebrated.
“I think these gentlemen kind of opened the gate,” she said. “Kind of, like, gave a lot of kids hope.”
Joshua Caraway said his son comes home everyday and puts on a YouTube video of a band playing.
Frank Carr, Philips’ uncle, is a band member himself and a teacher at Robert E. Lee High School. In the Montgomery district, he said, athletics often overshadow band. The athletics department only makes up a small portion of students, and he said this post draws attention to other parts of the schools.
“I know they have the support, but to actually see them and so many other people recognizing that, ‘Hey, big things are happening in this school with this band director in this school system,’ is amazing,” Carr said.
Jammie Phillips has been a band director for 16 years and came here from Georgia. She said that her previous students have gone on to the University of Georgia and become professionals. Her old district would post about her students, but it never blew up like this one.
“So, I would say I am just happy that this community is so supportive of the children,” she said.
Philips and Caraway said they expected their families to be supportive. “But I wouldn’t think other people…” Philips said.
“It’s all over the world,” Jammie Phillips interjected.
And does all the attention make them nervous?
“Nervous,” Caraway said.
“All good,” said Philips.
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