SAN ANTONIO – Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath - this is what young musicians are performing at Zachry Middle School.
It’s all part of the “Electrify Your Strings” program.
“I have students that, yes, they do like classical," said Liliana Cavazos, Orchestra Director. "But they also really like jazz or, yes, they like classical, but they’re also trying to figure out a Black Sabbath song on their violin - which is awesome."
The Northside Independent School District works with musicians such as Mark Wood, founder of the Transiberian Orchestra, to push the students outside of their comfort zone.
“It’s bringing me out of my shell,” said Jasmine Rosales, 8th Grader. “My passion for music has been growing for a long time.”
Cavazos comes from the same community as her students and that’s why she came back.
“Being able to give them opportunities that weren't around when I was here or that we weren't financially able to have - giving that back to students, that’s everything,” Cavazos said.
Performances include full choreography.
RELATED: Slideshow: Zachry Middle School wins Go Public Cool Schools November 2017
“We did a lot of head banging and moving around and that’s really cool,” Rodrigo Perez, 8th grader said.
For students like Perez and Rosales, this is just a stepping stone for more future opportunities and they credit their orchestra director.
“Miss Cavazos, where do I start? She is the light of everyone’s life here and everyone in orchestra,” Rosales says.
Zachry earned hundreds of votes to win the November We Go Public Cool School contest.
Their next big concert is in the spring.
For more information on all of Go Public's Cool Schools just head to www.WeGoPublic.com.