BALTIMORE — To some, Baltimore is known for The Wire, but if you ask the right people, they'll say it's home to some of the best marching bands.
Meet the new Baltimore Twilighters.
They round out at about 100 members. The youngest marcher is five and their youngest drummer is six-years-old.
The group does go up to adulthood, but 95% of them are under the age of 18.
It's under the direction of Chanell Phillips and her husband.
"My husband actually was a drummer in the original Baltimore Twilighters' marching band, that director became ill and could no longer offer the services. So she reached out to my husband and said, 'listen, you guys came up in this program, we don't want to get rid of it, we need somebody to take the responsibility,'" Phillips explained.
The duo took ownership in 2006 and haven't looked back. Since then, they wanted to find a way to use Baltimore's culture to reach the kids.
"We knew that we had a purpose to give back to the community, we knew we had a duty to serve, but we just couldn't figure out what would be the best way to do it," Phillips said.
"It's such a heartwarming feeling when some of the ones that grew up in our program, they were with us when they were teenagers, they're now parents, and they brought their children back to the program," Phillips added.
Ameina Perry is one such example. She grew up in the program and now she watches her daughter do the same thing.
"I just needed her to know to that there's something to do outside of running around the streets. So she has a family, even though she has a family at home, but [an] extended family," Perry said.
There are kids that enter the program with no background in dance or drumming, but Phillips and her husband have the ability to make it happen for everyone.
For anyone looking to join the marching band, it's completely free.
"We don't charge because we don't want to turn anyone away. This is a program that is available to people of all ages. There are some organizations that cater more so towards the adults, we are an organization [and] our biggest focus is the kids," Phillips explained.
They practice throughout the week in a church hall and when they begin, anyone walking by outside the church can hear it.
The hall is filled with dancers practicing their steps in lines, while the sides of the church have the drummers hammering away. Phillips is at the front, directing, giving orders and assignments.
When it comes to designing performances, Phillips says the best part is doing the whole thing with her husband.
The teachings of the program extend beyond marching bands and to everyday life.
"We want people to be great people," Phillips said.
Their work extends out of Baltimore. Sure, they do parades around the city, but they've been all over the country.
Take the Gatlinburg, Tennessee parade for example, a parade on the Fourth of July that starts at midnight.
"It's amazing, we're literally marching, and I'm like, what's gonna be outside at midnight on the Fourth of July, and we're going up this hill, and you don't see anybody at first. And then you go over the hill, you see, like, 1000's of people lined long the streets and they're cheering you on," Phillips said.
These trips allow the kids to experience life outside of Baltimore.
Since there is no fee, the group uses fundraisers to raise money. Selling candy or dinners, they call on the community to support.
There are other bands in Baltimore, but Perry says this one is different.
"We are really like a family. Everything is like family oriented, its no drama," Perry said.
To send the group a donation, send them a message on Instagram.