Before music was streamed, recorded, or even written down, it was felt in the ground, in the chest, in the hands of the drummer. In West Africa, rhythm wasn’t just sound. It was survival. It was story. It was identity.

At Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy, we believe that music is more than sound - it's a story, a survival, and a statement of culture. Long before jazz swept the globe or hip-hop topped the charts, the seeds of American music were being sown in the fields, churches, and communities of enslaved Africans in the United States. These seeds - spirituals, field hollers, and work songs - are the roots from which so many genres have grown.

At Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy, we are dedicated to preserving and sharing the rich history of African Americans in music and performance. The story of Alexander Johnson, the Original Drummer Boy, is just one of many that highlight the deep roots and enduring influence of Black musicians in marching traditions.

Alexander Howard Johnson, born in 1846 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, holds the distinction of being the first African American musician...