Marching bands are a defining part of the HBCU experience, and in metro Atlanta, a local program is making sure that tradition continues for years to come.

The Atlanta Drum Academy in Riverdale is training students as young as 3 to master the art of the drumline.

For Peyton Ellington, a senior at Georgia Cyber Academy in College Park, the academy has been life-changing.

"I wanted to get a deeper perspective of what marching band is really supposed to be, of what a drumline is as a family, and I found a family here," she said.

Ellington practices every week on the snare and tenor drums, preparing for the next step in her journey. With a 4.0 GPA and an academic scholarship to Alabama State University, she's ready to join the Marching Hornets after graduation.

"I don't think I would have made it onto the snare line if I never played with the Atlanta Drum Academy," she added.

Nine-year-old Kaio Daniels is another young drummer whose dreams are already in motion. Daniels hopes to one day join Florida A&M University's Marching 100.

"Mostly the Sunday practices where we all meet up here, I get to see my friends and be in live action," Daniels said.

At the center of it all is James Riles III, founder and director of the Atlanta Drum Academy. A former professional drummer himself, Riles has helped train hundreds of young musicians.

"Our youngest student is around 3 years old," Riles said. "We teach them how to read music, the funk that HBCU drumlines have, and discipline."

Building a pipeline to HBCU marching bands

Riles says around 100 of his students have gone on to join HBCU marching bands across the country.

From toddlers picking up drumsticks for the first time to teens preparing for college band auditions, the Atlanta Drum Academy is helping young people march confidently toward their dreams — one beat at a time.