From the Mouthpiece on Back

Directed by Colleen O'Halloran and Jason DaSilva
Produced by Todd Tiberi
TBC Project
61:00 • 2008
Available on DVD and VHS

Meet the TBC Brass Band–a group of high school students from two of the poorest neighbor-hoods in New Orleans, the Seventh and Ninth Wards. Teens from these wards were traditionally enemies, engaged in street fights and often at risk. An enterprising high school teacher found a way to pull them together in a brass band, promoting a musical tradition for which New Orleans is famous. The students excelled, their pride grew, they became close friends and the band was hot–but just as it was about to make it big, Hurricane Katrina blew into town. In the chaos that ensued, band members became displaced and had to move to several different states, along with thousands of others left homeless by the hurricane.

From the Mouthpiece On Back traces their struggle to reunite and continue with what has become central to their lives–their music and their friendship. The film culminates with a triumphant reunion of the group on Bourbon Street, where their music buoys the spirits of a crowd of enthusiastic residents who remain, amid the devastation of the city. From the Mouthpiece on Back is a powerful illustration of how music programs in schools help build good citizens and nurture skills in leadership as well as music itself.

Subject(s): Black culture, Community dynamics, Healing, Identity, Music, United States, Youth