It Doesn't Get Any More Fabulous than the Fabulous Leopard Percussionists

Here's a recipe you're going to love. Start with one charismatic and enthusiastic educator. Add 40 or more bright and energetic elementary school kids. Stir in several heaping spoonfuls of creativity, spirit, and heart. Dash liberally with talent, and maybe a drop of magic. Then toss the whole mixture together with a truckload of percussion instruments, and enjoy. This tasty dish is called the Fabulous Leopard Percussionists and it's guaranteed to dazzle your musical taste-buds.

     The Fabulous Leopard Percussionists are a group of 40-plus 7- to 11-year old students led by Diane Downs, a third-grade teacher at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky. They perform on a full range of percussion instruments: marimbas, vibraphones, xylophones, glockenspiels, congas, bongos, timbales, shakers, cowbells, tambourines, and a drum set. Originally formed in 1993, each year's group consists of Downs' current crop of second- and third-graders, plus the fourth- and fifth-grade students who opt to remain in the group even though they are no longer in Downs' class. This might not sound all that unusual except that Downs' class is not a music class; the students do not audition; they are not handpicked; and they haven't already had years of musical training.
     "The kids I have, they're just a regular old class. Whoever happens to be in my class at the beginning of the year I start them off first day of school playing right away. And that's what's kinda cool about it, you know? Some of these kids, looking at them, you wouldn't really expect that they had this in them-that they could do this. They just look like regular little kids, but they can really play."
     They may be regular kids, but every one of them is also a professional-caliber musician. In the last five years, the group has performed for dozens of audiences including Morehead State University, the Kentucky Derby Festival, the Percussive Arts Society International Conventions in Orlando and Columbus, the 27th Annual Conference of the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) in New Orleans, and the International Band and Orchestra Convention in Atlanta. Last December, they enthralled a packed hall with favorites such as "Oye Como Va" and "Low Rider" at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, the largest music convention in the United States. The ensemble has met and worked with such legendary musicians as Dave Samuels, Victor Mendoza, Ndugu Chancler, Jerry Steinholtz, Ruben Alvarez, and Louie Bellson.
     "I never even thought about this happening," says Downs. "I didn't think, 'OK, I'm going to get these kids playing and we're going to play all over the United States.' This was a big accident. I was digging around looking for bulletin board paper and I found a closet with some percussion instruments in it." Downs brought the cast-off instruments back to her class and asked the students if they'd like to give them a try. They haven't stopped playing since.

Learning by Heart
     One of the most fascinating aspects of the FLP phenomenon is that the learning process is much more organic than orthodox. Just as the kids are not officially music students, per se, neither is Diane Downs a music teacher, either by trade or training. Downs attended Morehead State University in Kentucky on a clarinet scholarship, but switched her major from music to art and finally to education. That broad-based background has allowed Downs the freedom to trust her instincts when it comes to teaching percussion.
     "The kids know their basic music stuff," she explains. "They know what quarter notes are; they know their arpeggios and their scales. They know their sharps and flats. But a lot of the way I do it is with phrases, like we've got the pizza hotdog rhythm and the stinky cheese pattern. If I say, 'Play a meatball drum fill,' they know what I'm talking about. We come up with phrases to put with music so that they can play it better. So like the clave pattern is 'I'm a stinky roach step on me right now.' And it's so much easier than doing 'one and two and ...' It just works better that way.
     "The kids come up with their own, too. When Louie Bellson wrote '3-5-7' for us, one kid had a drum solo that was 'One, two three, four, Carmen is a meatball, crash, apple, apple, apple, I am not a pony, crash.' It's easier to do it like that," adds Downs. "Like when you're learning a song on the radio, you learn the words, not the counts."
     Not only are the kids coming up with their own phrases, they're also writing their own solos these, says Downs, who never ceases to be amazed by the capabilities of her students.
     "I used to write their solos for them, but I'm done-I'm not writing any more solos. And they can really write some stuff! I'll say whoever wants a solo, go home and write one. When you've got it, we'll fix it up and put it in. And they will come back with them. They'll come back to me and say, 'I went home and wrote a solo, listen to this.' I've had them call me on the phone and say, 'OK listen to the solo, what do you think?' It is such a gas to see these little kids all fired up about writing a solo! You know, you figure they'd be watching 'Rugrats' or something on TV and they're in there working on their solos."

Learning for Life
     There are some serious side effects to being a Leopard-all of them good. The kids involved learn plenty about music, but they also learn so much more. They learn self-discipline, the value of hard work, teamwork, cooperation, patience, self-confidence, and more. The children who take part in the FLP ensemble begin their road to young adulthood having learned life lessons that no typical classroom experience can provide.
"One of the things I learned was how to do team building," says FLP's Kelsey Lee. "We had to count on each other for parts to music and even helping each other with rhythms."
     "The most important thing I have gained from this experience is patience, and an indomitable spirit," says Alicia Santee. "There were lots of times when I was learning something new in the FLP, like a particular song, and I wanted to give up-but I kept on going. Doing this was hard, but it was worth it."
     The positive effects of participation in the group are not lost on the parents of these young musicians. The parents are overwhelmingly supportive and in awe of the group's accomplishments. They enthusiastically volunteer their time as roadies, shuttling kids and equipment to and from gigs. They have seen firsthand how their children have grown as a result of their experience in the Leopards.
     "My daughter, Madeline, has been a Fabulous Leopard for three years and has one more to go," says parent Patty Dailey. "She is not timid about trying new experiences or afraid to stand alone or speak up. She gives all she has and doesn't shy away from new opportunities. She performs very well in school and has been tested for placement in the advanced program. She performs well in whatever she applies herself to."
     "My son Andy is a bundle of energy and this has helped him focus and stay on task," says FLP parent Linda Rodman. "It has done wonders for his self-esteem and composure."
     Recognizing the potential of programs like the one Downs' has created, Yamaha has pledged to support the group's endeavors at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School and beyond.
     "Yamaha recognizes the Leopards as a unique innovative ensemble held together by the vision and guts of their leader Diane Downs," says Yamaha Artist Representative John Wittmann. "The first time we saw them, we knew that it was our responsibility as supporters of education to listen to their needs and help them as a group. There are children all over the country who could benefit from a program like this. We are hoping to help Diane help other teachers with her successful formula of percussion education."
     "John Wittmann at Yamaha has been wonderful," says Downs. "He found me the best set of vibes; the kids were all excited because they were gold! Everyone at Yamaha has been so nice. I think it's really cool that these folks help us out because they see the value in it, too."

If You Teach Them, They Will Learn
     The nine original Leopards are 10th grade students now. Three of the nine attend Louisville's performing arts school, and they will be joined by two more next year. Most of the other alumni are still participating in marching band.
     "It's just really cool to see that some of them are sticking with it," says Downs. "They don't all have to be professional musicians for me to consider them successful, but some of them are just so incredible."
     Downs is a strong believer in the fact that these children are at precisely the right age to be exposed to music and music making. She says she hopes that more people will consider starting up similar programs in the future.
     "Kids can do this," she says emphatically. "More people need to be doing this. It's so easy-it's crazy. I want to do this with as many kids as I can. These little kids, there's nothing that I've given that they couldn't do... my beginners especially, good grief, they're so good this year, I don't know what to do with them.
     "I've been doing this for eight years and it's still just so incredible. If I can do this with these kids, anybody can do this with any kid, really. Just don't teach them how to read music, they can learn that later. You've got to teach them to feel it and be part of it, have it go through them. Turn it up real loud and lay on the floor and listen to something, feel the floor vibrate. You have to get them inside of it.
     Don't let their small stature fool you, says Downs. These young folks possess an almost unlimited capacity for learning.
     "Every kid should have to learn how to play an instrument, especially when they're little-when they're seven, eight years old-because they can definitely do it," says Downs. "When they're this age, there's nothing they can't do; they can do it all of it. My kids, they all want to play four mallets. And if you say, 'No, your hands are too little,' they say, 'No, no, I can do it.' They're amazing. I just can't give them enough stuff to learn.
     "These little kids, they have a magic to them. Most people just don't give kids the opportunity. But if you just believe in them and you just give them the opportunity, they will amaze you."