The country was listening when the School of Rock played a concert under The Rock last year. CTV’s Canada AM was broadcasting live from the 3400 level at Inco’s Copper Cliff North Mine on April 27, 2007 when Confederation Secondary School’s Evolutionary Band set a Guinness World Record for performing the deepest concert underground.
The world record is just one of the amazing things this group of teenagers has achieved under the watchful eye of their teacher and band founder Norm McIntosh. (McIntosh won the MusicCan Teacher of the Year Juno Award in 2005.)

Evolutionary is built around a 24-piece group of young people: four-vocalists, a five-piece rhythm section, four trumpets, four trombones, two alto saxes, and four tenor saxes.
Rather than struggle with Mozart or Beethoven, the young musicians learn about the mechanics of music by playing the soundtrack of their own lives: Ozzy Osbourne, Rush, Aerosmith, AC/DC and Metallica.

The students plan their performances, including selecting songs and creating the choreography.

A 14-member stage crew provides the technical support. Performances include a high energy choreographed show with an exciting light display that includes laser, strobe,
orbitron, intelligent lighting and a smoke machine.

The band members range in age from 13 to 19 and are in Grades 9 to 12. Many students have so much fun they return for a fifth year or “victory lap,” as it is sometimes called.
They dedicate two and half hours of rehearsal time after school four days a week from October to Spring Break preparing for their “concert tour” in the spring. The tour includes
Friday performances at schools and special events from the end of March until June. They performed to about 8,000 people last year.

This is Evolutionary’s 28th year in existence. All students audition and complete an interview in order to be considered for a place in the band. Students must carry a full course load and they receive a high school music credit for their participation.

During their years with the band, the teens become more involved in their school and community, they become better students and they learn to become responsible, motivated, and disciplined young people.

Maria Manolioudakis, 18, who plays the alto sax, says her band experience, “means everything. It made high school worth it.”
Bayleigh Rowlands, 17, says being in the band gives her a sense of belonging.

“If you feel sad, it makes you feel happy when you come here,” says Rowlands. who plays tenor sax and keyboard.

Nathan Simpson, who also plays tenor sax, says he might have dropped out of school, if he hadn’t joined the band.

“School wasn’t something I was interested in. It was something I had to do,” he says. After he became a member of Evolutionary, his grades improved.

While all the band members leave high school with a love and appreciation of music that will last their lifetimes, some students have career goals in mind.

For example, Courtney Tattersall, 17, sings with the band. She hopes to have a career as a singer and plans to head for Toronto after she graduates. Her experience with Evolutionary gave her the confidence to compete for Canadian Idol last year.

In addition to entertaining thousands of people, the band members are goodwill ambassadors for a variety of causes which include Action Sudbury’s no drinking and driving campaign. They have also appeared at special events for Child Find, Sudbury’s Safer Community Coalition, Heart Health Month, the Rainbow School Board and food drives.

In 2006/07 Evolutionary formed a partnership with the Social Planning Council of Sudbury to participate in workshops promoting peace and discouraging bullying.

“Whenever the students perform at these functions, they always take the opportunity to speak to the host organizations and to understand their causes,” says Brenda Stobo, a retired teacher who often acts as a chaperon when the band is on the road.

“They do not simply supply the entertainment and then leave. They promote these causes. After performances, they often mingle with the audience to speak with members on an individual basis. What better way to get the message across than by having kids speaking to kids.”

Evolutionary is self-supporting. All expenses for transportation, and purchase and repair of musical instruments and equipment are covered by student fundraising and sponsorships. In 2002, Evolutionary received $10,000 from the Junos/CARAS to purchase new equipment. In 2005, the Ontario Trillium Foundation gave Confederation

Secondary School a $23,000 grant for a music studio, which was also supported by the Lions Club, and the Rainbow District School Board.

“The kids are what society wants. Good caring, dedicated individuals who contribute to our community,” says McIntosh. “When I grow up I want to be just like these kids.” He tells his students, “As long as your heart is as big as your head, you’ll go far.”

That’s good advice for all of us.