Stax Music Academy's Teen Students Mark 25th Anniversary, Black History Month With Concert

The Memphis music studio where some of America's most recognizable songs were recorded decades ago is now a museum. But next door, trumpets blare, drums boom, and singers craft the soulful sounds of Stax Records' biggest hits.

At Stax Music Academy , young musicians rehearse the unmistakable intro to "Theme from Shaft," the Isaac Hayes tour de force that won an Oscar in 1972 and tantalizes listeners with its pulsating bass line, crisp hi-hat and funky guitar. There's an air of professionalism among the students as their teacher hands out sheets of music and words of wisdom.

"Here we go. Read the ink that's on the paper. From the top, one, two, ready and -," says Sam Franklin IV, the academy's music director. When they finish, Franklin says, "Hey y'all, that was good."

Under the guidance of Franklin and other instructors, the students are practicing for three concerts in Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday to celebrate Black History Month and the academy's 25th anniversary. Created in 2000, the academy is an after-school program for teens that teaches them to sing, dance and play instruments. Some pay nothing to attend.

The academy has graduated more than 4,000 students since it started in the working-class neighborhood of Soulsville, where Stax Records produced soul and RB classics in the 1960s and 1970s. Since 2008, every high school senior has been accepted to a college or university, many on full scholarships. The academy has performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the Kennedy Center in Washington, and in Europe and Australia.