(light music) (intense music) - [Narrator] What started out as an experiment four years ago with just four kids has wrapped, tapped, and stepped its way into a league that's capturing national acclaim.

Meet the Shark City Drum Corp. (drums music) The man behind this talented group of drummers is Frederick Dixon, a percussion instructor with a dream he hoped would work.

- One day it was rainin', I think we had like two people, and I looked at my partner who's out there, Mr. Edwards, and I told him, I said, "This is this not gonna work."

And he looked at me and he was like, "It's gonna work because I believe in it."

So we took about two weeks off and we decided to go to Harbor Park and we looked up that very first day back and we had eight kids and then the next week we had 16 and then the next week we had 25.

From there we grew into a whole organization and three years later we have an autism group, we have an adult group, we have elementary school kids, we have middle school kids, we have kids my age so we have a lifelong program now.

- [Narrator] Shark City's youngest drummer is three, the oldest 82.

- [Frederick] The mission is to build better relationships with our community, but our main mission is to get as many of these kids off the streets as we possibly can.

(intense music) (siren wailing) Our streets are getting bad and gun violence in our area is astronomical levels.

So we feel that if we can bring them here and we can get 'em here for one day, they'll stay.

Somebody needs to step in and be a positive role model to be able to be around people and do things you love, I believe it's a great opportunity, and my goal is to get as many people to play drum as I possibly can.

I started playing drums when I was like elementary school.

I played middle school, I played in high school.

(drums beating) Then in my 10th grade year in high school, my mother passed away.

It put me in a very dark and depressing place.

Like I didn't know what I wanted to do, I didn't know where I wanted to go.

I didn't know anything.

Everything had just stopped and I believed my family here realized that the path I was going and where I was at.

I had only applied the two colleges, which was Norfolk State and Virginia State.

Well, we can't put you in Norfolk State because you already over here and your mindset ain't right.

We need to get you out of Norfolk to get you focused on where you need to go.

So I went to Virginia State, talked to the band director there.

I started playing drums there and I started loving playing drums again and I graduated and it was like, I can teach as many people as possible and if I can share my story and if I'm able to make it and become what I've become, then how many people would benefit off hearing my story and be able to be whatever they could become.

- [Narrator] During parade season and local performances, you're sure to see the drum line, but when it comes to their annual showcase, they incorporate much more into their presentation.

(basketballs bouncing rhythmically) (electric guitar music) (drum music) - [Frederick] Our last trophy was in Atlanta, Georgia when we competed in 2019 and we won first place there and we had won nine trophies that whole season so we were on fire.

COVID came and once COVID came, we couldn't do the trophies in the competitions anymore.

Then we came back this year, we won two trophy so we're back on that path again.

- [Narrator] Even when they aren't competing, this group stays busy, like this Halloween video done to Michael Jackson's "Thriller".

(drum music) (drum music continues) - [Julian] We do a lot of physical training because we try to get a lot of us in shape for playing the drums and being able to hold drums for a long period of time and sometimes just standing there, it's like a mental thing.

- [Frenetta] I love this group because even with some of the other things my son is involved in sports, football, wrestling, this group is really like a family and is a positive energy whenever he comes to practice.

He's always in a good mood when he practices, and it's just a different vibe or energy to this group than other things he's involved with.

I went to Georgia, that was so much fun and just seeing the kids in their element, they got a big learning experience and some of these kids are taking what they learn here and going to college with it.

A lot of our kids are getting scholarships Fulbrights, to go to college, so this is just another opportunity for him to figure out what he is most passionate about.

- [Narrator] Six of Fred Dixon's eighth-graders will be playing for their high school drum lines this year, and another four will be on the drum line at Norfolk State University.

(drum music) - We got about 20 students that march at college right now, at several HBCUs.

- [Narrator] The impact that Shark City Drum Corp has on its drummers is clear.

During summer camp, we witnessed members who preferred to practice than eat.

- [Frenetta] He doesn't really stop practicing.

If I'm in the car, I have to get him to stop tapping on things, so he loves the drums and he just took to it and now he's just blossoming in it.

- [Frederick] I wish I was that way when I was that age, but if I can motivate them to be better, then I've done my job.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues)