But at 3:15, the room promptly fills with bak-ih-tah's and boom ba da ba da boom's -- no doubt sounds descendant of Afro-Caribe music. The beats don't stop until school's out at 3:55 p.m.

Getting into the groove

Every other Monday or Wednesday, these fifth- and sixth-grade students are pulled out of their last regular class period to practice, but at least

13 students put in the extra time. Each of Hawthorne's 626 third- through sixth-grade students spent four weeks at the beginning of the year getting a feel for what Elkhart Community Schools have called the "Drum 2 Change" program, and around 172 of them decided to participate in the regular elective program. The 13 in Roots of Rhythm were hand-picked.

The students of Roots of Rhythm, Ashton and her mother-assistant Ruth Ann are fresh off a busy drumming season that took the group everywhere from Hawthorne student assemblies to the Indiana Music Educators Association meeting in Indianapolis last month. In Indy, the students performed, sat down with music teachers throughout the state and taught them a routine.

For fifth-grader Victoria Martinez, traveling is the best perk about being in the performance group.

"We get to go other places," Victoria said. "It's not skipping school. It's just performing at new places."

Drummers can join either group only if they sign a joint contract with their parents and Ashton. They only get to stay in if their grades are up and other school assignments are kept under control.

"I think it's hard to be in this group," fifth-grader Uriel Chairez said. "You have to get your grades up and you can't miss a lot of days."

If it sounds like a tough program, that's because it is.

Beating the ISTEP+

Along one of Ashton's classroom walls are colorful posters featuring words such as "match," "teamwork," "focus" and "respect." Besides new ensembles, Ashton stresses over the deeper message of the drumming program.

"I worry more about am I teaching these actual life skills than am I teaching a song," Ashton said. "Those are the things that translate into their regular school classes."

So far, the rhythm seems right for Drum 2 Change. Ashton said she's noticed a big difference in her students as far as their willingness to help each other, not to mention an increased feeling of confidence in their abilities.

Drumming is also resulting in higher test scores. Since the program first began at Roosevelt Elementary -- subsequently switching to Hawthorne as the schools were restructured two years ago -- student drummers' ISTEP+ scores are surpassing those of other students their age both at Hawthorne and in the rest of the school district.

Sixth-graders with a four-year history in the program have outperformed all other groups in the school and within the district for each of those years, according to data supplied by John Hill, ECS director of curriculum and instruction.

One of those students, sixth-grader Monica Campos, affirms the data by stating simply what she knows to be true about drumming:

"It helps you think better on tests."

Each of the 172 drummers "are outperforming all of Hawthorne and all of Elkhart Community Schools" in pass rates of 80 to 100 percent, Hill said.

But he insists that boosting ISTEP+ scores isn't as important to teachers and administrators as it is to give students a chance to develop talent.

"It's a tremendous thing for a young person to recognize when you get a chance just to show them how talented they are," Hill said. "Dawn is not sacrificing the integrity of this as a musical experience in order to get academic gain elsewhere."

Fun and funding

The Hawthorne drumming program is the largest of its kind in Indiana. Once funding Drum 2 Change largely through grants, ECS is now shouldering the cost for both performance and regular drumming classes as part of the music curriculum.

Costs for trips and a summer drumming camp, however, are being negotiated through grant applications not yet answered.

"Several applications are out there," Hill said.

Either way, Ashton won't give up.

"The future is 'do what extent do you continue for these kids,'" Ashton said, "but I want them to continue and I want them to succeed. They're learning all these little things that they have to learn to survive."

The beat's catching on in other areas of the district, too. Another drumming group is currently in its infancy at Beck Elementary, Hill said. Funded by a 21st Century Community Learning grant, the after-school program just received its first set of drums.