TAMPA, Fla. — When her parents' church needed a drummer, Crystal Langston kept the beat.
When Blake High School needed a star percussionist, this upbeat star marched with the band.
"Our gifts are ours to share with others," she said.
Crystal Langston is now an officer with the Tampa Police Department, but she's still using her musical talent to lift up others.
Langston is a school resource office at Adams Middle School.
Her main job is keeping kids safe at a school where many of the students are high needs.
"I wanted a different way to engage with the students," she said. "A way for them to see me in a different light. Some of them still get nervous that I'm a police officer."
In her spare time, Officer Langston now teaches percussion to a small group of drummers who meet in a small music room.
In just a few short months, these students — many of whom are new to drumming — are already sounding sublime and playing for crowds at school assemblies.
"It makes my heart so full," the drum teacher said. "I tell them I'm at a loss for words."
