Queens teacher who inspired ‘Soul’ embodies the rhythm and beauty of the borough

Musician and Middle school band teacher Dr. Peter Archer helped inspire the character of Joe Gardener in the film ‘soul.’ Photos courtesy of Dr. Peter Archer

By Rachel Vick

Disney Pixar’s newest film “Soul” explores the depths of human existence and wades into the realities of living in Queens, thanks to an inside view inspired by a local band teacher. 

“Soul” has been hailed by critics and audiences for its deeply emotional subject matter and for centering Black characters without pushing caricatures. Unexpectedly, as a former Queens public school student, I was most moved by the nostalgia of a jazz-inspired life in Queens.

The opening scene sees Joe Gardener, a middle school band teacher with dreams of a career as a jazz musician, inspiring a room of young students whose diversity reflects the borough where the real-life Joe worked.

Joe is based on Dr. Peter Archer, a trumpet player and newly-retired band teacher who taught for more than 30 years at M.S. 74 in Bayside. Archer said that the animated classroom is his, but it could just as easily have been the room at a Corona magnet school 10 miles away where 10-year-old me first picked up an upright bass — and that's where the magic is.

“My students were thrilled to see their band room, but the whole scene gives a lot and brings people back to their days in the band room,” said Archer, a Queens College graduate. “It was powerful in so many ways.”

“It was very special in that it was so realistic,” he added, “[Co-director] Kemp Powers pointed that out.”

The film captures the little things that make our corner of this city beautiful, from the Queens rap albums hanging on a barber shop wall to the mom and pop shops under the 7 (or the N, or the Q) train tracks to seeing a true depiction of the subway experience — the grimy, the unique and the collective.

Scenes of the 7 Train rounding the bend past the Silvercup Studios sign, the fireworks over the East River against the Manhattan skyline and references to the sports teams that have captured our unwavering loyalty prove that here, hope and imagination know no bounds.

“On the level that New Yorkers can relate to especially, it was done so eloquently and accurately; you see the busy streets  and the construction,  so people can relate that way in addition to it being an important message,” Archer said.

The film was almost set in New Orleans, but New York was a better fit and “very satisfying,” Archer said.

Like Joe, he never expected to find himself teaching. 

“My passions were to become an orchestral musician, there was nothing in my desire to pursue a music education career,” he said.

When Archer had the opportunity for an internship that paid for his masters degree in education, he jumped at the opportunity. He was placed in a school and told to come in three days a week. Instead, he showed up every day.

Real-life joe gardener: Peter Archer.

Exposing students to music “helps support the future and they can learn so many things and be inspired on so many different levels,” Archer said. Some schools, like Archer’s, bring students to live performances. 

I’ve experienced the importance of those experiences firsthand.

My schools brought me to Metropolitan Opera dress rehearsals, to Jazz at Lincoln Center and to performances in the backyard of the Louis Armstrong House Museum. 

Armstrong, the most famous trumpet player of all time and my middle school’s namesake, was a natural choice for Archer’s favorite musician to come through Queens. The borough is home to the jazz trail, highlighted by some of history’s greatest creators. Queens remains a home for ambitious dreamers, hustlers and artists with one foot keeping them grounded to reality.

So yes, my track record of accidentally crying at Disney movies remains intact, in large part because of how much I love this city and my native borough.

Here’s to finding meaning in the realities of life, like helping a kid who plays an an instrument badly but happily, taking them to the cultural institutions that make New York City special, or simply bearing witness to the world moving forward around you. Even if that wasn’t your original plan.

“My spark for teaching happened by accident. It's remarkable to see how the kids were so tuned in, so excited by what I was showing them,” Archer said. “The love developed and passion followed.”