Ramsey King Montana's funky fashion sense might be a bit overwhelming for some parents who sign their children up for his family music classes. He wears checkered pantaloons, a fierce studded leather belt, a pierced earring that belonged to his mother (a Blackfoot Indian) and braids in his beard.

This class is equally unique. His students, ranging from preschool age to junior high school level, all have learning disabilities. But that does nothing to dampen the eagerness with which they and their parents alike dash toward the closet to pull out the bongos. One father has even brought along his own drum set.

Montana beats out a rhythm on his waist-high kunga drums -- tall, thin drums made of tropical wood, popular on his father's island country of Barbados in the Caribbean -- and pauses for a reaction. There is a stir in the room: A child dances, a mother claps, a father picks up an electric guitar and strums along. And when Montana starts chanting his students' names to a Creole beat, their faces light up. This is when you get your first inkling that Montana is not just a mesmerizing musician, but also a great teacher who knows his audience.