Listen Beyond the Beat

[Music]

[Applause]

music

can give you a voice music can spread a

message

and most importantly music has the power

to change

lives growing up i listen to all types

of music

my dad listens to a lot of rap music and

music from the 80s and 90s

he’s the one who got me into old music

he especially likes to introduce me to

black artists

for example he showed me whitney houston

my mom likes r b music she showed me

mariah carey

i’ve been obsessed with mariah because

of her high notes

it was incredible for me

music with strong messages reminds us

that we should be proud of our

identities

music reminds us that we should be proud

of our differences

my dad listens to me to his music loud

in the car and in the house

my dad said he listens to his music so

he could get a reminder of who he is

and what he’s proud of he likes a song

say it loud

i’m black and i’m proud by james brown

this song means a lot to me even as a

kid

i’m black and i’m proud to be black

black people have

never given up in equality we’re taking

baby steps toward equality but we’re

getting there

music helps people understand their

differences hip hop and rap music is all

about exposing injustice

talking about social issues and getting

people to listen

many black hip-hop artists and rappers

use their music to talk about the

systemic racism

and inequity in their communities

music is powerful in the book when the

beat was born

we learned about dj koherk and the power

of hip-hop music

dj kohlherg moved to the bronx and

started having dj parties

when he grew up the neighborhood gang

stopped their gang violence

and began break dancing instead

music can change the way you think it

could have a positive influence

over even the most violent gangs so why

not the rest of us

music is meant to be shared i want to

spread the power of music to other kids

my age

i want schools to teach kids how to

write songs

kids could learn how to create beats

write song lyrics

and then share their own message through

music

programs like guitars in the classroom

already empower kids through music

the program teaches teachers how to

encourage songwriting as an academic

activity

my dream would to be to create a similar

organization that teaches kids

how to write inverse rhyme and other

hip-hop and rap capone’s

hip-hop and rap is a powerful part of my

life in the black community

our school has a large black community

and a lot of our students connect with

rap

and hip-hop music if kids learn

how to write in verse they can share

their own message

to other people

are messages in all types of music even

the old love songs

which would explain my mariah carey

obsession

when you think about it it’s pretty cool

that the messages in music can change

lives

i encourage you to to pay attention to

the messages in the music that you

listen to listen beyond the beat

you