In 2011, CEO and Executive Director Tyra Hawthorne created the Thunder Squad Drumline. This program went on to become the larger Heartbeat Music & Performing Arts Academy, and has since successfully trained and prepared students ages 12-17 to audition and obtain HBCU music and dance scholarships from schools such as Jackson State University, Clark Atlanta University, and Southern University Baton Rouge. TSD has also gone on to be featured in several national commercials, television shows, and national parades, including the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the Holiday Day Bowl Parade.