OXFORD, AL — Oxford High School Jacket Media students received red-carpet treatment Thursday, Sept. 17, as students and instructors gathered at the Oxford Performing Arts Center to celebrate the upcoming Alabama Public Television premiere of their documentary, “Rubato: Behind the Keys.”
The 90-minute documentary will premiere on Alabama Public Television at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20. Oxford Mayor Alton Craft proclaimed the date “Oxford High School Jacket Media Day” in recognition of the students’ work.
“Rubato: Behind the Keys” follows competitors during the 2025 finals of the Rubato International Piano Competition in Classical and Jazz at the Oxford Performing Arts Center. According to event organizers, the project marks the first time Alabama Public Television has asked a high school media department to produce a program for its network. The documentary will also be made available to public television stations across the country.
The mayor’s proclamation was presented as part of a red-carpet premiere held Thursday in The Studio at OPAC. A reception catered by Hubbard’s Off Main preceded the screening and a series of presentations recognizing the Jacket Media students and instructors.
Julio Barreto, OPAC director of music education and founder of the Rubato International Piano Competition, discussed the competition’s development and international reach during the event.
“We have an international reach, artistic extension, investment in our young artists and local students, and a strong cultural impact for our region,” Barreto said. “We are known for many things such as Talladega and Cheaha, but when you go to these prestigious schools of music such as Julliard, Berkley, and conservatories in Spain and Paris, they know Oxford, Calhoun County, and Alabama because of this international piano competition.”
Oxford City Schools Superintendent Dr. Todd Haynie also recognized the students for their work on the documentary.
“We are so very proud of our film students at Oxford High School and all of their hard work in the production of this documentary,” Haynie said. “We are very thankful for you all.”
Barreto and Oxford City Schools Board of Education President Dr. Tony Bolten presented commemorative plaques to members of the production team and their instructors, who walked the red carpet to receive the recognition.
Shea Snider Miller, representing U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, presented a framed copy of the Congressional Record containing remarks Rogers delivered to the U.S. House of Representatives recognizing the Jacket Media students.
“I join Mayor Craft and the Oxford City Council in celebrating September 20, 2026, as Oxford High School Jacket Media Day and encourage all our citizens to tune in and support the work of these young people,” the citation reads. “Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing and celebrating the extraordinary dedication and work of the Oxford High School Jacket Media.”
State Sen. Keith Kelley also spoke during the event and presented a resolution from the Alabama State Senate recognizing Sept. 20 as Oxford High School Jacket Media Day throughout Alabama.
“We thank you for your talents,” Kelley said. “It’s really exciting what you guys have put together.”
The Senate resolution recognizes Jacket Media “for the positive impact it has made on this community.”
Jacket Media instructors Candace Harper and Rebecca Mason Murphy were also recognized during the program. Harper credited the students with making the documentary possible and said she and Murphy approach the media program as a professional workplace.
“This was a pleasure to work on,” Harper said. “Mrs. Murphy and I treat our program like a workplace. Those kids right there are not our students, they are our colleagues. This documentary would not have happened without this particular group of students.”
Harper also thanked the students’ parents and said the experience would provide students with professional work they can include on their resumes.
“Without their grit and creativity, this would not have happened,” Harper said. “Thank you to the parents for the young adults you have raised. You have done a fantastic job and Mrs. Murphy and I cannot wait to see what they do. I am so grateful for this opportunity and how this will look on their resumes.”
“Rubato: Behind the Keys” premieres Sunday, Sept. 20, at 4 p.m. on Alabama Public Television.
