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StoryCorps: A man who loves music remembers how drumming changed his life

Tony Royster and the Positive Movement Drumline at the Bronx Halloween Parade in the Bronx, New York, in October 2021.
Courtesy of Tony Royster.
Tony Royster and the Positive Movement Drumline at the Bronx Halloween Parade in the Bronx, New York, in October 2021.

In Philadelphia, the rhythm and energy of drumlines can be heard throughout the streets during birthday parties and other events.

For more than a decade, Tony Royster has led his own drumline through the neighborhoods of Philly. He came to StoryCorps to remember how drumming changed his life.

This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Originally aired September 13, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.