Free Website Content » Arts » Music Articles

Hip Hop and Education -- Educating Through Music

"Hip hop is inherently political, the language is political. It uses language as a weapon -- not a weapon to violate or not a weapon to offend, but a weapon that pushes the envelope that provokes people, makes people think." - Todd Boyd, Professor University of Southern California's School of Cinema-television

It's true what they say about music -- it is a universal language. Regardless of where people are from or what language they speak, music that has universal appeal can do more than entertain. It can bring people together, get people to think and some cases provide a soundtrack for change. Never has his become more present than in the music of hip hop that went from an expressive combination of lyrics and rhythm to a lifestyle and culture that has permeated popular society.

More than just a beat

As stated above the "hip hop" professor, Todd Boyd, hip hop is far more than just clever rhymes and banging beats. It has the potential to educate. Boyd is one of the many educators blazing the trail that of bringing hip hop to education purporting that as a learning tool, it's very powerful. Take for example the organization H2ED (Hip Hop Education). Their formula of T.O.P.S.Y (teachers, organizations, parents, social workers and youth) seeks to involve the adults and leaders in the community to band together focus educating the youth using things that they can relate to.

This Is How They Do It

According to their mission, "H2Ed is to serve as a resource for educators and those committed to helping children succeed in school by using the power of hip-hop culture as a learning tool. This is achieved by compiling and maintaining a comprehensive list of educational resources, products and services available for educators. By providing important networking opportunities and by advocating on both the institutional and grassroots levels for educational reform." (About H2ED, www.h2ed.net)

The common misunderstanding or misconception is that you walk into a classroom and there is a hip hop beat blaring while a teacher attempts to rhyme the key points of American history. While that my seem like a clever and entertaining idea for Hollywood films it's a hackneyed attempt at best to incorporate what hip hop can teach. Consider the basic tenets of recording, producing and distributing an independently produced hip hop CD. Within this one projecct.

* Basic Business Training
* Project Follow Through
* Problem Solving
* Social skills necessary for meeting goals
* Team Building
* Marketing
* Sales
(The DJ Project, By Dave Kim, Bay Guardian, San Francisco)

Involving youth in a project of this nature is exactly the goal of initiatives like San Francisco's DJ Project. Much like H2ED, the DJ project uses hip-hop culture to reach out to urban youths for which this music has become an integral part of their lives. It would seem that the old perception of this music being a bad influence and having no redeeming qualities has actually been changed and is now perceived as music that can actually create a sense of empowerment for many kids.

For the Colorado Hip Hop Coalition (CHHC) founded in 1979 they take this empowerment to another level by:

* Creating a cultural connection between hip hop Culture that and kids
* Giving youth a stronger voice in the creation of programs suited to their needs and interests
* Developing a community network of hip hop artists and entrepreneurs that work collectively to create community economic opportunity

The Future Is Bright

The next time you hear people bemoaning the negative influence of hip hop, think about these pioneers in education and how they have looked beyond the negativity and embraced the potential and common bond between hip hop, kids and education.

Author Bio
HIPHOPDX - The premier spot for all things Hip Hop, Rap and R&B culture, what'chu know 'bout that?

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Related Music Articles

What You Need to Know About Canadian Music and Musicians
Canadian musicians have lots to offer the world in terms of exciting and fresh music. I would like to offer a few suggestions in various categories, you'll discover like I did that Canada has more to offer than a few tasty brews.

Greatest Underrated Guitar Players
Ask anybody who the greatest guitar players in the history of rock music are, and you'll likely get the standard answers. If you would put forth names like Elliot Easton and Andy Summers, you might be likely to get a blank stare in return.

How to Make Your Own Free MP3 Ringtones
Learn how to make your own mp3 ringtone and never buy ringtones again. I will teach you how to make free mp3 ringtones from your own music database. The price for a ringtone range between $2.5 to $3.5, so why spend when you can get them 100% free.

Music occupies an important place in our life
Music occupies an important place in our life. We can't live without it. Actually people have different musical tastes depending on their age, education and even mood.

MP3 Player Download
Today, MP3 players are highly versatile. They can be hooked into car stereos, CD players, computer hard drives, and simply as a standalone player with its own music collection. There are many sites that offer software-based MP3 player downloads.

Make Money With Your Music In Films Just By Talking To People
You can start to make money by licensing your music to film and TV. You just need to know who to talk to and how to find them!

Satellite radio quality and content
There are two important characteristics that recommend satellite radio as a service most people would like to have in their vehicles or homes: quality and content.