Sydney Ring, junior, is involved in a band that has a little more diversity outside of other high school students.

Ring is a part of Eddie’s Munsters, a band led by Matthew Edmundson, music teacher at Wild Horse Elementary, and composed of other students from Rockwood elementary and middle schools.

Edmundson started the band to raise money for various charities and to perform at Wild Horse at the end of the school year. He approached Ring to join the band when she was attending Crestview in eighth grade, and she’s been the band’s drummer ever since.

“We play mostly alternative music,” Ring said. “We play a lot of Twenty One Pilots. We also have a couple originals that we’re working on now.”

The band has played a variety of venues around the St. Louis area.

“We play wherever we can really,” Ring said.

The band has played venues such as Fubar, the Firebird, the Demo, Blueberry Hill, Cicero’s, and Sky Music Lounge a couple times.

Ring said the band generally plays one show every few months, but it tends to vary. The band also practices once a week.

“Practices are mostly relaxed,” she said. “Right now we’re working on some new stuff, so we’re trying to get that down.”

But the band’s energy really shines through during live shows, Ring said.

“It’s really fun,” she said. “[Edmundson] gets some of his elementary schoolers to sing or play instruments, and he gets the whole crowd engaged. We’re all really animated.”

Jordan Shatto, junior, sometimes performs guest vocals or opens for the band.

“I’m there about half the time,” Shatto said. “Matt used to be my voice coach, so he invites me to most of the shows.”

Shatto has exerted an influence on the band’s sound. In fact, the band’s affinity for covering Twenty-One Pilots was acquired when Shatto introduced Edmundson to their music.

Shatto said that she appreciates the way the band affects the community, as well as the act of simply performing for other people.

“It’s really fun to see how much people love it,” she said. ”The kids, the parents, they all love it so much. It’s such a positive environment, and it’s obviously very good for the community. It’s such a positive atmosphere.”