Production & Theory

My first idea would be an expose on modern day segregation in education today. As my teacher for Leadership for Social Change said, there are actually more segregated schools today than during Brown v. Board of Ed. I believe that we need to start seeing unequal education as a cause of poverty and not so much a cause of it. From my experiences I have gathered that this topic is very ignored during discussions of education especially in my home state of California. However, this issue has affected countless friends of mine and has the power to determine the financial success of an individual for the rest of their lives.

My other idea would be to do a profile of a so-called extremist group such as the Black Panther Party and find out how public opinion of them has changed over time. It woul be interesting to find out how much of modern opinion on the BPP is due to media influence. These projects are both interesting to me but I would much prefer the first one because I plan to make it to some extent my life’s work.

Leadership Through Music: The Story of Daniel Yellin

At brown, some of the first things we have been taught have been the definitions of leadership. The first definition is loosely defined as the power or ability to influence others. In this particular case, the influence is inspiration, and that inspiration comes through music. The transformative power of music is well known, but for proof one needs to look no further than Daniel Yellin. An Atlanta native, Daniel grew up in a musical environment. The facts that his father was an experienced drummer and his brother played the piano made his decision during the summer of 7^th grade to take up guitar hardly anomalous. At this point music was still a hobby, and Daniel still had inhibitions about being on stage or performing in front of audiences. But one night, the inspirational capacity of music incapacitated those inhibitions.

The occasion was a Carlos Santana concert. Daniel had acquired tickets through a friend whose family owned the venue. Because of this he was placed in the second row, one of the best seats at the concert. As he finished eating dinner and listened to the opening act, the famous Los Lonely Boys, Daniel anticipated the arrival of Santana. When Santana finally took the stage, Daniel had no idea that he would follow in Santana’s footsteps just minutes later.

With about twenty minutes left in the show, Daniel found himself caught in the music. Moved by the melodious licks of Santana’s guitar, Daniel began to dance uncontrollably. Then, in a split second, he looked up to find his eyes lock with those of the famed guitarist. It was then that, with a quick nod to his security guard, Santana brought Daniel up on stage. According to Daniel, the first thing he did when he got on stage was look up at the big screen, only to see his own back facing the audience. He was handed a tambourine and, in that very moment, let go of his inhibitions. Any remnant of stage fright that might have once appeared was washed away in the waves of sound he and the band created and has yet to return.

Daniel’s experience inspired him to start to create his own music. He considers himself in the singer/songwriter genre and likens his music to that of famous artists such as Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz. He is currently planning to visit a recording studio and record one cover (he doesn’t know what song yet) and one original song. Daniel believes that “sincerity and emotion are more important” to his music than pure “musical genius” or talent. He also stresses the importance of individuality in music and hopes that his music can have a similar inspirational effect on others.

In conclusion, Daniel is a prime example of the astounding power of inspiration. Whether it is through music, sports, or documentary film, inspiration can inspire people to join a cause, pick up a new hobby, or even change their lives. Daniel Yellin is planning to take the gift that was given to him by Santana and pass it on to others. As he fittingly puts it, “Music can change other people’s lives because it did for me.”