The girls live in the same housing project and are all dedicated members of the Jackie Robinson Steppers, a community marching band that holds daily rehearsals in a local parking lot.

This is what I wanted to do.”[4] The Jackie Robinson Steppers were not in the original script, but McKay wrote them in after he saw them perform and realized "what being in a band meant to the kids in that neighborhood.

The website's critical consensus reads: "Graced with such a realistic feel that it resembles a documentary, Our Song is a sensitive portrayal of three teenage girls.

[8] Dennis Harvey of Variety called it a "finely observed, modestly scaled look at the current realities of low-income female adolescence".

Scott of The New York Times also praised the film, writing it "is so unlike most Hollywood coming-of-age stories as to seem downright revolutionary.

"[10] Scott added, "'Our Song' steers clear of the condescension and sentimentality that color most contemporary cinematic portrayals of female adolescence.

"[10] TV Guide wrote, "this coming-of-age slice of life is sometimes a bit too languid, and the band sequences, while kickin', don't mesh seamlessly with either plot or theme...Yet the movie sticks with you as few do: It's rewardingly authentic and emotionally real.