It seems like a long time ago. Phillip Fulmer’s Vols only lost to two teams that year, Auburn (twice) and Notre Dame. Bill Haslam was mayor. I-40 through town was hilly, swervy, and bumpy. And Mike Allen started volunteering at the Joy of Music School.

The year was 2004. “Bones”—a name given him at work by a boss who had five cooks named Michael, and he was the skinny drummer—heard an ad for the School on the radio and he couldn’t ignore it. He knew his single mom worked hard to provide him with paid lessons. He saw volunteering to teach at the School as a way to help kids like himself, and take the pressure off their hardworking moms.

“There is no teacher more enthusiastic about the Joy of Music School than Mike Allen,” says Julie Carter, our director of music education. “He makes us proud in many ways.” Mike, who now works as a real estate agent, has proven himself beyond teaching countless young percussionists. He has organized fundraisers, recruited teachers, and generally led the charge getting the word out about the School. “Every musician in town needs to tell everybody about the Joy of Music School,” he says. “In the early restaurant days, after working long, hard hours, I had to rush to make it to teach lessons. But those unhappy workdays melted away at the School. It’s in the name. It was and is joy for me. It always makes me happy teaching here.”

The hundreds of hours Mike has spent teaching over the years prove that you can give back to help kids who need it. And it comes back in the form of joy. We’re all grateful to Bones for 15 years of adding joy to the School.