One day, when teacher Chad Lemons was observing a high school band practice, a group of students with disabilities stopped by for a few minutes. He realized that was their only exposure to music class.
The moment inspired Lemons, who now teaches music at Mead Elementary School in northern Colorado and previously worked as the band director at Mead High School, to start an inclusive drum group that brings together high school students with intellectual disabilities and typical students who serve as mentors.