HG Drumline members take up the beat.
Members of the HG Band brass section.
While the Greater Boston area may be a bastion of academic prowess, few institutions in the area have much to rave about when it comes to displaying school spirit. Fortunately, one of the masters of the art from Florida has planted a flag in Roxbury.
On March 7, as part of its third Founders’ Week celebration, Hamilton-Garrett Music & Arts Academy (HGMA) introduced its new HG Drumline and Marching Band at Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church. The Drumline is being mentored by members of Florida A&M University’s legendary Marching 100, a world-renowned, 100-member marching band known for innovative pageantry that has been adopted by bands across the country.
“This event is more than a performance,” said HGMA Executive and Artistic Director Gerami (Geri) Groover-Flores of the Founders’ Day premiere. “It’s a celebration of the Boston community, musical achievement, and Black excellence.”
Named after famed vocalists Ruth Hamilton and Elta Garrett, both of whom were prominent members of the historic Elm Hill Avenue church, HGMA opened in 2001.
“The program started with the church musicians teaching private lessons to youth in the church,” said Priscila Perez, director of communications and operations.
She added that HGMA was created to develop “Boston’s next generation of innovative artists through the celebration and preservation of Black music while expanding access to arts education.”
In addition to taking classes in piano, voice, guitar, percussion, violin, and brass — and usually two of those at a time — students also study music theory and history and engage with Black identity and experience.
“HGMA students also receive mentorship and career-focused guidance from…leading artists and educators in their fields,” Perez said, who “provide a supportive environment where music becomes a gateway to broader educational and personal development.”
In the fall of 2022, the academy moved into its own facility to Elm Hill Avenue.
“Geri Groover-Flores had a vision…to provide more opportunities for community members,” Perez said, noting that the facility houses the academy along with the Performance and Library Divisions, which is being expanded to house more archival documents about Black music.
As the birthplace of HGMA, the Roxbury community specifically has participated in Founders’ Week for its powerful cultural gathering rooted in Black excellence, pride and artistic expression.
Performances, collaborations with guest artists and HBCU band alumni and student showcases demonstrate the discipline, creativity and leadership that the program cultivates. Founders’ Week is also when the academy presents its annual Marching Forward Award to an organization or individual who has had an impact on the foundation of HGMA. This year’s recipient is the Charles Street AME Church’s pastor, Rev. Dr. Gregory G. Groover Sr. Other recent recipients have included the AME church itself last year and Florida A&M University’s Marching 100 in 2024.
“What began as a moment to recognize the organization’s origins has evolved into one of HGMA’s most meaningful traditions,” Perez said of the homecoming-style celebration. “Rather than just a concert, Founders’ Week is a dedicated time in which we honor our legacy and celebrate the young artists who carry that legacy forward.”
As for how the partnership with Florida A&M, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), came about, Perez said the marching traditions of HBCUs “represent one of the most dynamic and influential performance cultures in the country…. We felt it was important to bring this tradition to Boston because, although there is a rich arts community in Boston, many of the youth in our city rarely have the opportunity to experience or train within that performance culture.”
This new partnership with the Southern school has not only augmented HGMA’s impressive menu of artistic offerings, which already included music lessons and Boston’s premier all-girls’ choir program, but it has also enhanced its mission to develop Boston’s next generation of artists while preserving and celebrating Black music.
“This is a sound and presence that stands out in Boston’s arts scene,” HGMA’s Marching Band Coordinator Trevon Sullen Trotter said at the event. “Our students are carrying forward a powerful cultural tradition and the pride they bring to it is undeniable. When they take the stage, the energy speaks for itself.”
Perez added that the partnership with the Marching 100 also encourages Boston youth to connect to “a broader cultural lineage” and notes that some students have gone on to attend HBCUs.
“By introducing and sustaining these traditions in Boston,” she said, “we are expanding the city’s cultural offerings while creating new points of connection for audiences who may be experiencing this style of performance for the first time.”
There are other influences are well. HGMA’s student body is made up of children from surrounding communities, many of whom come from all over the world, and so their music combines not only the flavor and flair of HBCU traditions but also of international traditions.
“You hear influences from folkloric traditions across the African diaspora, not only in the music, but also in their choreography, chants, uniforms and overall energy,” Perez said.
At the same time, she says that students also see themselves as “stewards of this tradition in Boston,” with a commitment to “preserving the essence of these musical traditions while inspiring pride, unity and creative expression within our community.”
Looking forward, Perez predicts further growth of the HGMA and its programs and influences.
“HGMA aims to create a platform where young people can showcase their talent while also developing leadership, discipline and confidence through the preservation, celebration and education of Black music,” she said.
