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School
Programs

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For over 20 years, I have been a professional musician, composer, arranger, and songwriter. My teaching career began in New York's East Harlem area, with children ranging in age from 5 to 12 years old. My job was to design activities for the educational agency. I conducted musical games such as "Musical Chairs", "Name that Tune" with nursery rhymes, and "Sing the Melody or Play that Rhythm." The student who demonstrated the best melody or pattern would win a prize.

Acceptance of my music program by the Fulton County School Arts Program was a milestone in that it provided me with a gateway to introduce and promote African-American music to all youths. Their recognition of my desire to incorporate this program into the school system demonstrated firm commitment and focus with regard to the youth.

It is my sincere goal to reach as many serious young students as possible to initiate a trend that will, hopefully, catch on and flourish. Music, being one of the unseen forces, is like the air we breathe. We take in air without really appreciating its essential value, because without it we cannot live. The same applies to music. Imagine this world without music. Chaos would have a stronghold on our existence. This is why the quality of music, like the quality of air we breathe, is so vital to our existence.

The youth today are highly influenced by what they hear over the airwaves. Record companies and producers are oftentimes mainly interested in monetary values not cultural values. It is more expedient, monetarily, to push Pop, Rap, and Hard Rock than to push culturally sound and enlightening music because doing so greatly hampers many of the accessories that promote big business throughout the world.

If we can save 10 young students from the traps that are being sprung for them, we then have hope that these 10 will affect their peers and the trend will catch on and flourish.

Charles Marshall

Focus Area Response

There is a strong correlation between community development and individual pride and responsibility. The individual lives and thrives daily in a rather small circumference or area. His or her life is affected by the overall circumstances that occur in that arena.

A seed planted in fertile soil uncontaminated by outside interference such as chemicals and pesticides stands a greater chance of growing to maturity and reaching a healthy status of growth. So, it is with a community that is supplied with a fertile atmosphere that experiences that growth. It feeds on the vital nutrients of respect, care for one another, and productive or wholesome activities and events to stimulate their interests and enhance their development as contributing members of their community as well as society as a whole.

Through my discipline of African-American music and history, I have found that what they learn and what they hear inspire children and adults alike. Our creative approach and entertaining performances are very effective. So as life begins with the individual and grows to family and from the family to community and community to society, the needs have proven to be the same, more or less. It is my desire to reach as many communities as possible to share this special art with any that will listen.