The new music video that MC ZiLL and Katie Ann created, We're Teaching, is headlining news all across New York State and beyond because of it's controversial message about the Common Core Learning Standards. This anti Common Core rap video is well on it's way to viral status.
Watch the music video for We're Teaching here: http://youth.be/FqYQNvP7OTI
The music video was created in Buffalo, better known as the Queen City, which is located in Western New York. MC ZiLL wrote the song with production assistance from his fiancee, Katie Ann and Buffalo Music Hall of Fame artist, Eric Crittenden. The song was mixed and mastered by AJ Hury and videography was done by Jacob Payne.
MC ZiLL and Katie Ann are engaged to be married in 2016. Besides being recording artists, they are also teachers who are fed up with the government's implementation of the Common Core and Race to the Top initiatives. They channeled their frustrations to the recording studio. There, they created the song which ultimately led to their music video to further express their feelings.
We're Teaching was first premiered privately at a Premiere Party (#PremierePartyKZ) at Savoy in Buffalo, NY on Saturday, January 24th 2015. Little did the couple know that on Monday night, January 26th 2015, they were about to release a beast and become the talk of Western New York over night.
Read the article here: http://www.dailypublic.com/ articles/01272015/buffalo- teacher-raps-against-common- core
Within the first 24 hours of the public music video release, "We're Teaching" had thousands of views on Youtube. Over the next several days, their social media accounts were flooded with positive feedback, likes, comments, shares, and requests for interviews with various media outlets. A news article was written within the first 15 hours of the music video's release on Youtube.
The following afternoon, a local news station released the story on their website. It ended up being the most talked about story on their website. The story was shared by over 400 people and subsequently made the evening news that same night.
Read WKBW's Channel 7 news article here: http://www.wkbw.com/news/ buffalo-teacher-makes-anti- common-core-rap-video
Time Warner Cable wanted to have an interview about the music video within 48 hours of the release.
Watch the Time Warner Cable interview here: http://www.twcnews.com/nys/ buffalo/news/2015/01/29/anti- common-core-music-video-.html
WKBW's Channel 7 news received so much feedback from their original article, over 1300 shares in less than 48 hours, that they wanted to do a follow up story with the couple. MC ZiLL and Katie Ann were headlining news once again.
Watch WKBW's Channel 7 news follow up story here: http://www.wkbw.com/news/ common-core-rap-hear-from-the- teacher-behind-the-music
MC ZiLL is fighting against the closing of several Buffalo public schools, including his own Bennett High School. Several private charter schools have expressed an interest in taking over his school and have stated that they would not want any current Bennett students to remain at the school. Bennett High School has a long history as being a successful high school and it wasn't until Common Core was implemented that it is now considered a "failing school." MC ZiLL and many others in his community are livid. How many other schools across the nation are facing the same problem?
The release of the music video We're Teaching had such a powerful effect on the community and was a contributing factor that forced the Buffalo Board of Education to delay the voting to close Bennett High School and the rest of the schools on the chopping block because so many community members are in favor of keeping the schools for public education. The Board is slated to vote at the next Board of Education meeting, which is scheduled for Friday, February 13th, 2015 at 5:30pm at Performing Arts High School in Buffalo, NY.
Press release statement from MC ZiLL:
"My mission with releasing my music video is pretty simple and straightforward. I want to inform all educators, teachers, parents, students, and other taxpayers from our communities about the harsh impacts that high-stakes standardized testing is having in our public school system. It is my goal to personally meet with local, state, and eventually federal politicians and policy makers to inform them of my message in order to revise current educational policies.
Because of low tests scores on high-stakes standardized tests, public schools across our communities, state, and country are being labeled as "low performing," causing a disturbing trend of the shutting down of these schools. I believe this is a gross misrepresentation of what's really going on.
All students are being tested the same (given the same tests and are expected to achieve at the same results) regardless of their abilities. What results is that students with learning and emotional disabilities, ELL (English Language Learners), and students who are simply behind in basic skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic are being subjected and held to the same learning outcomes as our regularly abled students. This high level of accountability has been negatively impacting our public schools since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2002.
Additional federal policies such as the Race to the Top initiative (a contest in education) in which funding is directly connected with school districts' compliance on implementing the Common Core Learning Standards and accompanying high-stakes standardized tests, only compounds the problem. We need to have serious conversations about these policies and make the necessary changes accordingly in order to save public education."
Please join the fight to make public education better, more successful, and equal for all students.
Please share this music video with everyone you know and join the movement to fix or end the Common Core.
Here is the music video link to copy, paste and share: http://youtu.be/FqYQNvP7OTI
If you would like to contact MC ZiLL and Katie Ann regarding booking, interviews, and other media opportunities please email: jeffrey.grossi@gmail.com
Thank you for your support.
***We're Teaching is available to download at: http://www.katieannlkproductions.com/shop/
Stay connected:
Like and share my facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/KatieAnnLKProductions
https://www.facebook.com/MCZill
ITUNES PROFILE- https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/katie-ann/id523585318
twitter- https://twitter.com/LadykKatie
myspace- https://myspace.com/ladyk_rhymes
google + www.google.com/+KatieAnnTheRide
MUSIC PLAYLIST:
VIDEO SUBSCRIPTION: