The Muzic Train

Music heavily influences different areas in our lives, particularly with our youth. The music we listen to affects how we dress, how we dance, what concert we attend and what hobbies we maintain; singing, rapping, dancing, playing instruments. Music has evolved throughout hundreds of years into countless forms today. Young people across the nation are fans of completely different types of music. For instance, we all have the option to listen to Hip Hop, Rock, Country, Latin, Classical and Opera, along with many others. These categories then go on and even branch off into their own smaller groups. With so many types of music we can imagine how unique and different we are, and how our ways of life also differ. However, instead of judging and opposing each other’s differences, we should embrace our diverse cultures. As I grew up in the South Bronx, it so happened that I became accustomed to a specific style of music; Hip Hop. The community that I became familiar with as a youth was predominantly full of minorities. According to percentages calculated on city-data.com, as of last year, approximately eighty percent of the South Bronx population is considered minority (“Minority Population in South Bronx”). It so happened that many of my associates, who were also minorities, only had an ear for Hip Hop as well. It was not until I moved into a different environment and resided in a less diverse community, that I realized people can be stereotyped and discriminated through music. At age seventeen I moved from the South Bronx to Patchogue, New York. Moving to Long Island, a suburban location, from an urban one was a dramatic change for me. The youth in my new community lived much differently from the way I was use to. My peers were interested into different music, dressed differently, talked differently, danced differently, had different hobbies, partied in different ways and had different talents. Though Long Island and the inner city are within driving distance, there still was a lack of diversity. Long Island is still today one of the most segregated suburban areas in the United States. According to a New York Times article written by Bruce Lambert, Long Island continues to be one of the most segregated suburbs in America with eighty four percent of whites living in mainly white neighborhoods with non-white concentrated in other neighborhoods (Lambert). With so much segregation, integrating is easier said than done. It is difficult to understand each other’s cultures when we are so close, but yet so far from each other. This makes room for misconceptions and acts of violence. Recently, a tragic murder has sparked a rude awakening from Long Island to South America. Evening of November 8th, 2008, 37 year old Ecuadorian, Marcerlo Lucero was fatally stabbed by a group of seven students from Patchogue-Medford High School. According to a Daily News article by associated press, the students were in pursuit to assault Hispanics and were being charged with a hate crime (“Teens await grand jury edict in immigrant killing”). This example is one out of many other acts that could be prevented if we took a chance to accept different races, cultures and backgrounds. On Long Island this is an issue that I see and that I continue to take on. Music is not the answer to stop racism and discrimination, but I know it is a way that we can learn from one another. The more we learn about each other, different type of people, different races, different cultures and their way of life, the more we can accept it all. When I go to school I see so many different groups amongst my peers. Some are preppy, others are emo, others are jocks, others are gangsters, some are nerds, some are popular and the list goes on. I grew up in an environment where there were mainly minorities and we mostly listened to Hip Hop. When I moved to a different environment I was forced to combine that with the majority in my new community. At first I disliked the different music, the different clothes and the different way of life. Taking the time out to learn about different people and their way of life has helped me to become more open minded and grow as an individual. Music is a universal language that has helped me connect with different people of different backgrounds and cultures. If we understand each other’s music, we’ll understand each other. I began The Muzic Train to create a home for everyone all of all races, cultures and backgrounds, so we can connect and communicate with each other through the universal language of music. It is important to me to start with the youth because they are our future generations that will shape out the future. They also hold within them so many talents with music that are fascinating to learn about. At The Muzic Train not only will young people in the community be able to display their musical talents and pursue their dreams, but we will also be learning about each other’s backgrounds and ways of life; breaking stereotypes and discrimination. Works Cited "Minority Population in South Bronx." city-data.com. 7 Sept. 2008. Google. 12 Dec. 2008 . "Population Overview, Bronx, NY." Epodunk The Power of Place. 2007. Ancestry.com. 12 Dec. 2008 . "Study Calls L.I. Most Segregated Suburb." N.Y Times. 25 June 2002. 12 Dec. 2008 . "Teens await grand jury edict in immigrant killing." Daily News. 14 Nov. 2008. Yahoo. 12 Dec. 2008 .