A Tribute Speech Analysis

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice-President, Senators, State representatives, Ladies, and Gentlemen. I am extremely honored to be allowed to speak to you today. First of all, I would like to thank each and every one of you for the important work you do for our country. Thank you! I would like to begin with a story. Down in the inner-cities of Chicago lives a 10 year-old boy. Robbie lives with his single mother, who works two jobs and his father is absent. His role models are high-school dropouts, gang members, and broken families. Like most 10 year olds, Robbie has a creative mind and a lot of energy. He and his friends are always into some kind of mischief. When he is at school it doesn’t get much better. His teachers think he is a lost cause. They have seen these behaviors before in high school dropouts who then became a burden on society. Now imagine that Robbie’s school had state funding for their fine arts program. Robbie is encouraged and inspired to learn the trumpet, which is offered for free.
A place where they can feel safe and important. Studies show that regardless of socioeconomic status students who participate in high-quality music programs score higher on reading and writing tests. Children who study a musical instrument do better academically and stay in school. Students who are in a school’s music group are less likely to do drugs. Even children with learning disabilities tend to focus better and benefit greatly from music lesson. So if music is shown to improve academics, lower drug use, and make better citizens, why do we not take music education as a serious subject? I appeal to you as leaders of our country to, not only encourage, but make it easier for young people to get a degree in music so they can go on to teach and inspire the next generation of musicians. Let’s put America back on the top tiers of