Yes we are brother. Well said. In the age of sampling and cuts in public school music programs it doesn't bode well for the notion of the legacy of these giants being passed onto another generation.

 

Asalaam alaikum,

Thank you.

You mentioned school budget cuts. What is truly ironic is that those budget cuts are, in a very real sense, utterly irrelevant. Let me explain. There have been many musicians who employed, shall we say, unorthodox methods to acquire their musical education. Take me: I never learned anything about music in school. Nothing. Sure, I had private teachers here and there, but when I made the decision to learn music, I went for it and didn't care how I got it. When I was in high school, I used to cut classes so I could go to the library!

And now its all much easier than in my day. The internet alone gives anyone with a computer and internet access absolutely ANY knowledge of music. At the touch of a button.

Perhaps it was because I grew up as such a rebellious person; confrontational and highly individualistic (not to mention my phobia about owing thousands of dollars to a bank for a student loan), that I went it alone. But if my example, and the example of many greats, teaches us anything, it is this: we really don't need hand outs, or help. We already have everything we need.

We have each other. And yes, we're losing the giants. So the ones to take up the torch must be us. If we want to see who the masters of tomorrow are, all we really need is a mirror.

The ultimate natural resource is human imagination. Never forget that.

Ma'a Salaam,
Dawoud