yo...music is probably the best thing a student can have in school. not only is it shown that students in band, orchestra, or choir perform better on tests and overall in school, but it adds something to school that no one can take from you. being in a music program allows you to focus your time into ish outside of institutional walls. sure, there may be things you HAVE TO attend or practices that are mandatory to perform...but what does that bring? responsibility. i personally know many kids my age that could've turned into a drop out...but they stuck it out because the music program gave them a reason to be in school. i came from a poor ass community in west texas that was filled with your everyday "gangstas". cats were droppin out left and right....and the majority wound up in jail. but the only one's who weren't...were those involved some how in music. i can assure you that if i wasn't involved with music in schoo...i wouldn't be typin this shit up...because i wouldn't have any of the benefits i have now from continuing school. but you may ask what that has to do with school performance. the thing is...if you wanna be a part of the performances...you gotta keep the grades up to be eligible. not to mention...you have 180 other kids depending on you to be a part of the performances. so you step it up and make the grades. music means so much more than being able to play by ear. those that can are just gifted. but music offers so much to your life. it may look worthless at a particular level...but once older and wiser...people appreciate so much how the music programs were able to help their lives. getting rid of yet another area in school is not the answer...you're only limiting a student's imagination and conforming everyone to be the same. if anything...bring in MORE music into schools...maybe some big band jazz, some acoustic guitar lessons...anything you'd like. because the more you teach a child...the more opportunities open up for them to realize what they really want to do. if john coltrane didn't have his saxophone...would you even know about him? hell naw...cuz he probably could've died 20 years before from drug overdoses. and then you might ask...where would hip hop be without that HUGE jazz influence. where would hip hop go if schools stopped teaching music? there wouldn't be shit...because those same cats rippin the mics would be somewhere else...and you'd have no music to nod your head to. hmmm.....then what? we'd all be insane mofos cuz we wouldn't have that musical release of hip hop to guide us through life and inspire us. damn...not such a pretty place without music is it? music is just another door for our people to express themselves and maybe make a dollar off of it. music is opportunity. so don't take opportunity from our people. peace and humptiness forever....

move.rwk...also known as mayhem

========words i live by day after day===========
"mentally I live lavishly/I cherish the heredity/That's preparin me to be a/ REVOLUTIONARY TILL THEY BURY ME" - talib kweli

"and let your light keep shinin and remember the past/ BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY, WE'LL BE FREE AT LAST!" - gift of gab

"cuz my street style/ and intelligence level/ make me more than just an angry rebel" - guru

"i just want to innovate and stimulate minds/travel the world and penetrate the times/ESCAPE THROUGH RHYTHMS IN SEARCH OF PEACE AND WISDOM" - common

"can i get a response from all the REVOLUTIONARIES up in this piece?" - talib kweli
================end quotes here===================