Not many teachers get a feature film made about them to honor their work, but Conrad Johnson did. The Houston music educator formed the Kashmere Stage Band, a renowned high school orchestra that broke the color barrier and won a number of awards during its decade-long run from the late 1960s to 1978. In February of 2008, thirty original members of the Kashmere Stage Band, all in their mid-50s, reunited for the first time in over three decades to pay tribute to their legendary leader, Conrad “Prof” Johnson, who was 92 at the time. Prof Johnson passed away just days after his former students staged the celebration in his honor. Thunder Soul, the film honoring his work, is scheduled for release September 23, 2011. Listen to an NPR story from 2005 about the band here. See the film trailer here.
