Urban Prom Music

When you think about Urban American music and the impact it has on education, the parallels are extremely significant. Most of us learn vicariously and subconsciously through music. It is something that is installed and programmed in our brain as a form of learning, from early on in life. A universal example of this is our alphabet. Often we learn the alphabet song before we know the actual letters in the alphabet. (I can recall listening to my young family members singing their alphabet and when they got to "L, M, N, O, P", they often mumble the letters while still harmonizing the melody, instead of saying the actual letters.) Most American children grew up watching various children’s programs that teach us basic information through music. This creates a foundation at a young age, which in turn creates people and generations who consciously and subconsciously learns through music.

Artist use various strategies to get to our youth as they understand the power of music. Ad-lives and background sounds are consistent in the music so our youth can subconsciously begin to become familiar with the voice. Oj da Juice Man is a good example of an artists who is doing it as we speak (hey...ok). Young Jeezy did it in the past (Yeaaaah) as well as numerous other artists. My issues becomes once they have our youths' attention, the lack of balance that comes from the music and the messages that they pass along to them.

It is sad but youth really believe in the artist and their music. I had a child ready to fight me as he was trying to defend the reputation of T.I. as if he was his right hand man. And the artists and media today do not speak or play enough music our youth and our community need to hear. We need a balance in our music. We need music that will make us want to read as much as we club. We need things that will reinforce community and selflessness as much as we hear about individual accomplishments and economic status. " I have an I-Pod full of songs that get me ready for games (sports), sex and fighting," one of my youth told me. So I ask him (because students can carry electronics in schools for some strange reason) who or what do you listen to when it’s time to learn? Who can you throw on your I-Pod right before class to help you get ready to receive this information I have for you? Of course he had no reply.

I believe you are what you take in. If I eat junk food and snacks all day what will happen to me inside? Will I be healthy? Will it affect me? Music is the same way. Our youth and community believe that this music does not affect them and it does. I watch students walk through the halls with their swagger on 100, zoned out, listening to the music of their choice, floating through the halls with an “ora” like Rick James on the Chapelle Show. Then there are the relationships and the drama with that. You have the sexuality issues and the drama with that. Of course you have you traditional fights and groups against one another as well. At the end of the day, you begin to wonder who woke up this morning and came to school to learn. What or who keeps you coming here everyday and what do you do while you here? You come late, leave early and get mad when you're asked to do some work. Who came to school thinking "I can't wait to see my favorite teacher and learn something new?" It seems like everyday is Prom!