Middle School Kids Play A Led Zeppelin Medley... on Xylophones

Watch Middle School Kids Play A Led Zeppelin Medley ... On Xylophones
February 24, 2015
by Robin Hilton

Today marks the fortieth anniversary of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, a phenomenal double album that included, among other songs "Houses Of The Holy," "In The Light" and, of course, the monumental "Kashmir."

Tomorrow we'll have an interview up with Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, who tells us all about how the album came together. But in the meantime, we can't think of a better way to mark the milestone than with this genuinely incredible performance of "Kashmir," along with a medley of "The Ocean" and "Immigrant Song," by the Louisville Leopard Percussionists, a group of about 60 seven to 12-year-olds from several different schools in Kentucky. The group, which must have the coolest band director on the planet, originally recorded the performance last fall, but Page himself recently posted it to his personal Facebook page, saying it's "too good not to share!"

We agree.

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Young Louisville Percussionists Love Led Zeppelin — And Jimmy Page Loves Them
NPR STAFF
March 01, 2015 5:19 PM ET

"Too good not to share," Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page wrote Feb. 20 on his Facebook page. "Have a rocking weekend!"

He was referring to this YouTube video of the Louisville Leopard Percussionists, an ensemble of 7 to 12-year-olds playing a medley of Zeppelin hits. That video, originally uploaded last November, has received more than 3 million views since Page shared it.

The Zeppelin medley was the brainchild of Diane Downs, a teacher who runs the Percussionists after school and on weekends.

Her young musicians play marimbas, vibes, timbales, congas, xylophones and, of course, drums. And they don't just perform rock music — they also play jazz, classical and pop.

The new-found attention for the small group is "pretty cool," Downs tells NPR.

"I want them to feel like rock stars. I want them to realize, 'Oh, this is why we work so hard in rehearsal.' I tell them that when you're presenting something to the public, you don't want it to be okay — you want it to be great," she says. "So hopefully they're going to carry that over into their lives once they grow up, too."

David Williams (in the leopard hat) and Jonas Gordon (at right) play their xylophones with the rest of Kentucky's Louisville Leopard Percussionists. Courtesy Tricia Williams

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