Antoine Miller is the founder and band director of The Sounds of Success Community Marching band based in Florida. In our recent interview, Antoine Miller speaks on his music life and more!
Give us some background into how you got into music and playing instruments.
My love and passion for music and playing instruments came from watching my older brother play drums in the middle school marching band. Before my brother started playing in the middle school marching band, I did not know much about them. I loved going to the band’s rehearsals and watching them practice. When I entered the sixth grade, I joined the same marching band at John F Kennedy Middle School in Riviera Beach, Florida. I was also hired for my first teaching job at this school.
How was it being a part of the FAMU marching band?
My decision to attend FAMU was solely based on my desire to be in the band. I wanted to be in the first and best band (referring to FAMU) – the originators. Being a part of the FAMU marching band was a fun experience and a very hardworking task because we rehearsed a lot! FAMU is the prototype for HBCUs and, overall, collegiate marching bands. It is also the first traditional marching band, so all the styles that everyone sees, from Bethune-Cookman University to Southern University to Jackson State University, all the HBCU styles, started with FAMU. William P. Foster, born in 1919, taught at Tuskegee University and Fort Valley State University before teaching at FAMU. He was one of the first African-American Band directors at that time. He started that style. Being in the FAMU marching band was also the most time I have traveled. I met most of my friends, originally from California and Atlanta, Georgia, at FAMU. Overall, it was a great experience.
Was it difficult creating the after-school music program at Somerset Lakes Academy?
Most definitely. Any program that you start will be a challenge. However, creating an after-school music program at Somerset Lakes Academy was challenging because the student population was predominantly Hispanic. Initially, the students needed to understand the culture of a traditional marching band. However, once the students learned it, they did very well. Everything in my life has prepared me for where I am now. When I was establishing Somerset Lakes Academy’s after-school music program during its opening year, I had no idea that I would also establish a community marching band a few years later. Although establishing The Sounds of Success Community Marching Band was still a challenge, the process was also easier because I already knew what to do through my experience at Somerset Lakes Academy. Similarly, I drove the buses for The School District of Palm Beach County, not knowing I would own a bus company one day.
You credit your success to your determination. What’s the mantra you live by?
The mantra I live by is the essence of all matters is sound waves. You must be careful about what you say because the universe has to abide by it. For those who believe in God, the book of Genesis states God did not touch anything when He created the earth. Everything was spoken and manifested. The earth’s creation shows the power of the tongue. I always teach my students that if they wake up and say to themselves that they are going to have a bad day or if they are in a bad mood, then they will have a bad day because they said it and because of their state of mind. Everything is about what you say and what you believe. You will have a victorious life if you have strong faith and strong beliefs.
Why did you create your Nonprofit, The Sounds of Success Community Marching Band aka The SOS Warriors?
I established The SOS Warriors to engage the community positively. It already had positive enrichment after-school programs, but the community needs a marching band. I also knew the marching band phenomenon was big within Riviera Beach, Florida. Although the city has middle and high school marching bands still, eventually, students leave to attend college and be a part of a collegiate marching band at FAMU or Bethune-Cookman University. Because I am an educator, I know that only some children will attend college. Many crimes are committed by young adults who are not attending college. From kindergarten to 12th grade, most students enjoy participating in after-school programs. However, once the student graduates, there is nothing to do for those who do not go to college. These are the individuals who become troubled. I wanted to create a program for these individuals. Initially, The SOS Warriors was an adult community program. However, in 2019, I converted the band into an intergenerational program for youth ages 5 to 22.
I saw from your website that your band staff are all African American. Did you want your nonprofit to be minority focused?
We have a Hispanic staff member named Nicole Chui. To answer the questions, no, I do not want THE SOS Warriors to be minority focused. I think people from other cultures are intimidated by our program because of our location and because we are a minority group. However, I do want people from different cultures to join the band. The SOS Warriors is a community-based band, so community means everyone.
What’s the best part of being the Band Director of The SOS Warriors?
The best part of being the Band Director of The SOS Warriors is giving students and parents an experience they have never had before. I am referring to how much we travel. The parents can share how much fun they have traveling with us. Through the band, we are positively uniting the community. We are also the leading role model of excellence for marching bands in Palm Beach County, Florida. I believe this is why we are the only community band that is performing in London Band Week 2023. We have created a You Help page to raise $500,000 to ensure each children’s trip to London will not be burdensome to their families. Thus far, we have raised over $60,000.
