From CBS 4 TV in Miami:MIAMI BEACH -- Miami Beach High teacher Doug Burris (pictured) has been educating students for decades, and he hasn't let his condition prevent him from letting the music play.
The music serves as the background for a group of teenagers who practice at a Miami Beach high school.
They take center stage but it's the man behind the music who helps them become rock stars.
Doug Burris began the Rock Ensemble at Miami Beach Senior High school back in 1972.
"The idea came from when I was in high school, and I was learning how to play," Burris told CBS4's Jorge Estevez.
The award winning music teacher has allowed teenagers to experiment with contemporary music and compete nationwide.
"Music is music. It is a drug it is something that makes you feel better," Burris said during rehearsal.
It's also music that gives the 68-year-old the strength to live every day with multiple sclerosis. Over the years, the wheelchair began to confine Doug's body, but not his spirit, thanks in part to the teenagers with whom he spends hours.
"We are like his family, I see him like a father figure. He is really cool," said Natasha Perreira.
They recognize his accomplishments and appreciate his vigilance.
"I am so happy that he is able to pass down his knowledge, his experience and his wisdom," said Jesse Kirkpatrick.
Most importantly they admire him for how he inspires generations of future rock stars.
"I have heard that before, 'He can do it.' I can do it, and that is a very good thing," said Burris, who is trying to raise money to take his band to a national competition in Las Vegas later this month.
