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