FORTVILLE — Mt. Vernon Middle School eighth-graders celebrated Black History Month in February with an annual live concert featuring many genres of music including blues, rock, jazz, contemporary and pop. The concert celebrated music originally performed by famous black Americans such as Prince, Louis Armstrong, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Lenny Kravitz, James Brown and other notable African-American musicians.
The band consisted of an all-star lineup of local musicians. On keys and lead vocals was Allen Burke, who has toured with the Temptations, Marvin Gaye and the Spinners. Burke, a Mt. Vernon alumnus, is also a member of the Indiana Jazz Hall of Fame and a band teacher in Zionsville.
Chris Murray joined the band on trumpet along with local guitarist Casey Harshbarger, TJam on vocals, Austin Shearer on bass, Josh Weirich on saxophone and Mt. Vernon Middle School Principal Ben Williams on drums.
“Music can change the way people think," Williams said. "Music can change society. Music can change the world. Overall, the goal is to take kids on a historical tour of music that has changed America for the better.”
