A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
This isn't how protests normally sound.
(SOUNDBITE OF BRASS BAND PLAYING)
MARTÍNEZ: But in Minneapolis, where thousands of voices are protesting the surge of federal immigration activity, one community band has become part of the soundtrack of resistance. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf has our story.
KAT LONSDORF, BYLINE: Sixty-five-year-old Ray Kirk Johnson (ph) walks into a room in a community space in South Minneapolis. He's carrying a tambourine in one hand and a megaphone in the other, wearing a black bucket hat and heart-shaped sunglasses.
RAY KIRK JOHNSON: I was born in the Civil Rights era, and I'm still doing that.
LONSDORF: Around him, other musicians unpack their instruments, mostly brass - trombones, trumpets.
(SOUNDBITE OF TRUMPET PLAYING)
LONSDORF: Johnson moved to Minneapolis back in 2020, right as the city became embroiled in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin. On the day Chauvin was sentenced, Johnson went down to what has now become George Floyd Square.
JOHNSON: And I started playing violin. And then other musicians came from out of nowhere, and we all started jamming together.
LONSDORF: That's pretty much how this community band called Brass Solidarity was formed. Basically, ever since, they've come together in that same place on Monday nights to play.
JOHNSON: Music is a healing mechanism.
LONSDORF: Then, earlier this month, Renee Macklin Good was killed by a federal immigration agent just blocks from George Floyd Square. The next week, the band was at her memorial site, playing for people gathered there.
DANIEL GOLDSCHMIDT: It was really interesting 'cause there was a lot of mournfulness coming in, but then people were rocking with us and jamming with us.
LONSDORF: That's Daniel Goldschmidt (ph), another member of the band.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BRASS SOLIDARITY: (Singing) People all over the world, join hands.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: What are you going to do?
LONSDORF: In this video the band posted to their Instagram, the crowd joyfully dances in a long train around the piles of flowers and candles left in Good's memory.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BRASS SOLIDARITY: (Singing) And start a love train, love train.
LONSDORF: Goldschmidt says a lot of people reached out afterwards telling the band how grateful they were that the band showed up. Since then, Brass Solidarity has been showing up to more protests and updated their repertoire a bit, too...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Singing) I ain't gonna let no scared ICE agent turn me 'round.
LONSDORF: ...Singing about standing up to ICE. Goldschmidt, a practicing music therapist, says the music isn't just about bringing joy. It also helps calm people down at a time when many here are angry.
GOLDSCHMIDT: Street band music has the ability to bring down the temperature in spicy situations on the street during protests.
LONSDORF: Which is something local leaders in Minneapolis have been urging as President Trump threatens to deploy the military to the city.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Hello, hello, everyone. Welcome, welcome. Let's circle up. And let's do our check in.
LONSDORF: On the day we visit the band, they're holding their weekly practice inside at a local theater. It's one degree outside, and brass and woodwind instruments don't work well in the cold. They're talking about a big march planned for this Friday...
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: No work, no school...
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #6: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: Boycot the system.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: ...No shopping
LONSDORF: ...Which the band hopes to attend.
ALSE BRUNO: (Singing) Oh, I believe in music...
LONSDORF: As the band practices, Alse Bruno (ph), a singer, belts songs into the bullhorn.
BRUNO: What Brass Solidarity represents to this community is a promise, not just for the folks we've lost, but for us, the living, the neighbors.
LONSDORF: And in here, tucked out of the cold between tubas, saxophones and drums, the music does, indeed, make you feel alive. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Minneapolis.
BRASS SOLIDARITY: (Singing) I said, let's protect our neighbors with our lives (ph).
(Singing) Stand on freedom.
(Singing) Hey, hey, let's protect our neighbors with our lives.
(Singing) Stand on freedom.
(Singing) Hallelu.
(Singing) Hallelu.
(Singing) Hallelu.
(Singing) Hallelu.
(Singing) Hallelujah. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.