Rockin' Role Models

Seventh- and eighth-graders pour into the gym at South Laurel Middle School in Laurel, Ky., quickly filling the bleachers. Doubly excited, they are not only excused from class, but it’s for a rock ’n’ roll concert.

As the last students settle into their seats, the band Street Heat launches into “Nod Your Head,” a popular song from the movie Men In Black II, and the students rise to their feet to clap, sing along and move to the groove.

Street Heat, based in Louisville, Ky., has been performing shows like this for 15 years at schools and other venues across Kentucky. But they’re not your typical rock band. Its members are full-time police officers, sheriff’s deputies, correctional officers and firefighters who volunteer their time to use music to reach kids with messages about resisting drugs, avoiding violence, dealing with peer pressure and believing in themselves.

Lead singer Billie Monk, 52, a correctional officer, says the reaction to the shows, especially in rural areas, is amazing. “We have actually gone to schools that have never seen a concert,” she says. “Not a rock ’n’ roll concert, anyway. You’d think we were Van Halen.”

Police officer Sonya Talbot, 40, is a vocalist in the band. “Music crosses all boundaries,” she says. “This is a positive connection with law enforcement where they can hear from someone other than their parents, other than their teachers, people who are encouraging them to do the right thing.”

Street Heat works to stay current on music popular with kids. Their repertoire includes songs on the current pop charts, some rap, a bit of country and even a few golden oldies. But they’re careful to select songs with positive messages consistent with their musical mission. For example, “I’m a Believer,” the 1966 Monkees smash reworked for the movie Shrek, is presented with a commentary encouraging kids to “believe in themselves.” Before singing the Maroon 5 hit “Harder To Breathe,” Talbot tells the kids that making bad decisions can make you feel trapped, making it indeed “harder to breathe.”

The group also modifies the lyrics of some songs. The 1984 hit “Ghostbusters” becomes “Drugbusters.” The tag line of the 1995 TLC pop hit “Waterfalls” (“Don’t go chasing waterfalls”) becomes “Don’t go chasing drugs.” Percussionist Barry Shaw, 46, a correctional officer, says the band hopes when kids hear the original tunes on their radios or iPods after a Street Heat show, they’ll remember the Street Heat versions. Maybe, he says, “it will make them think about the anti-drug message we put out.”

One of the most effective ways to measure the band’s success is through the feedback after a performance—sometimes years after. It’s not uncommon for the group to hear from former students, now adults, who say hearing Street Heat had a positive impact on their lives. “I don’t remember much of my middle school years,” says Montez Davis, 27, of Louisville, who saw Street Heat in the early 1990s. “But I remember Street Heat. Hearing how to be responsible, how not to get caught up in peer pressure, to respect your elders, to stay in school and to just be a good person—it stuck with me.”

The message also seems to be sticking with kids like South Laurel seventh-grader Kyle Smith. “I liked the music,” says Smith, “and the whole point of it was good, too—don’t do drugs.”

Brooke Butler, an eighth-grader at Louisville’s Farnsley Middle School, says Street Heat’s music encourages kids not to follow the crowd. “You should just say no to drugs and drinking and smoking, instead of trying to fit in with other people,” Butler says. “Let them try to fit in with you.”

Firefighter and bass guitarist Gerald Shively, 43, says the members of Street Heat believe they’re indeed making a difference, which is why the group has stayed together for so long.

“You hope that what we’re doing does have an impact,” he says. “That’s why we put our hearts into it.”

Call Lt. Col. Carl Yates with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department at (502) 558-1049 for more information.

Pam Windsor is a writer in Louisville, Ky.

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