\nAmazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), Pharrell Williams\u2019 education equity nonprofit YELLOW<\/a>, and the Georgia Institute of Technology today announced<\/a> a new educational collaboration called \u201cYour Voice is Power\u201d to encourage middle and high school students to share their voice on equity while learning to code new music remixes. The \u201cYour Voice is Power\u201d<\/a> collaboration includes five teaching modules with lesson plans that teach coding while kick-starting meaningful conversations among students and their teachers about the importance of racial justice. This collaboration concludes with a competition for students to share their own voices through remixing Pharrell\u2019s new song \u201cEntrepreneur\u201d using computer code on Georgia Tech\u2019s learn-to-code-through-music platform, EarSketch<\/a>. \u201cYour Voice is Power\u201d is the latest initiative between Amazon Future Engineer<\/a>, Amazon Music, and Georgia Tech to expand computer science education to more students from underserved communities and groups currently underrepresented in tech. \u201cYour Voice Is Power\u201d is hoping to attract upwards of 100,000 students as a way to add unique, meaningful, and entrepreneurial-minded content to their current virtual learning experiences.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe need for high quality computer science education is more important than ever, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that from 2014 to 2024, the market for computer science professionals will grow twice as fast as the rest of the labor market. BLS research also shows that in 2019, the median annual salary for computer science occupations was approximately $48,000 greater than the median wage for all occupations in the U.S. What\u2019s more, while the number of Black students obtaining STEM degrees has increased over the last two decades, Black professionals remain underrepresented within American science and engineering enterprises. The National Science Board (NSB) estimates that the number of Black professionals in science and engineering must more than double to be representative of Black people in the U.S. population in 2030.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThis collaboration between YELLOW, Amazon, and Georgia Tech is a celebration of Black creators and change-makers,\u201d said Pharrell. \u201cYELLOW at its core believes that education is a pathway to success. Teaching kids future-ready skills like coding, especially those kids for whom opportunities like this have not been equally distributed, is how we prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYELLOW\u2019s mission is to even the odds for kids through education. We\u2019re teaching for the future,\u201d said Mike McGalliard, CEO of YELLOW. \u201cGeorgia Tech\u2019s EarSketch platform is a powerful tool for kids to explore the connection between coding and creativity. In working alongside Amazon to give kids access to platforms like this, we can help them bring their ideas to life.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYour Voice is Power” introduces students to real-world computer science-based careers held by people of color. Through this program, students will meet professionals who use music and computer science to fight for racial justice\u2014people including Mike Larson, Pharrell\u2019s audio engineer; Chalece DeLaCoudray, a music technologist and Georgia Tech alumna; and Joycelyn Wilson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Hip Hop Studies and Digital Media at Georgia Tech. \u201cYour Voice is Power” will also encourage students to channel their learning into an original remix of Pharrell\u2019s new song \u2018Entrepreneur\u2019 \u2013 a celebration of Black culture \u2013 using Python computer code. Specifically, they will use looping (repeating) to extend the length of their song, use strings to create new beats, create custom functions representing different song sections, and learn to upload their own sounds to the EarSketch library.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019re honored to join Amazon Future Engineer, and together build further awareness and enlist more artists to join this program that will break down barriers for students from underrepresented communities,\u201d said Ryan Redington, VP of Music Industry at Amazon Music. \u201cThe more we support the next generation of artists and creators, the better the future of music will be. We are proud to work alongside Pharrell, a respected, visionary voice in promoting racial justice and helping students achieve long-term success.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAcross 13 research studies with over 1000 participants, Georgia Tech has shown that students who learn to code through music using EarSketch have a higher intention to persist in studying and pursuing careers in computing \u2013 especially BLNA students and women,\u201d said Jason Freeman, Professor and Chair of the School of Music and the co-creator of EarSketch.\n<\/p>\n
\nAll middle and high school students around the United States and Canada can participate in \u201cYour Voice is Power.\u201d The first round of the competition will run from January 19<\/b> through March 12<\/b>. The second round of the competition will run from March 15<\/b> through June 4<\/b>. Students who submit their remixes to the competition will be judged by a panel of Amazon engineers, Amazon Music team members, and music industry professionals. Winners will be chosen based on the quality of music, complexity and organization of their code, and their inclusion of thoughtful messaging and calls to action about the importance of racial justice. Teachers and students can visit AmazonFutureEngineer.com<\/a> to get started, and for a full list of rules, prizes, scoring guidelines, and accompanying curriculum.\n<\/p>\n \nBeyond this competition and throughout 2021, Amazon Future Engineer and Amazon Music will work with additional inspiring artists to add their songs to the EarSketch library. Right now, students can also use computer code to remix Ciara\u2019s songs \u201cSet\u201d and \u201cMelanin,\u201d and Common\u2019s \u201cGod is Love\u201d on EarSketch.\n<\/p>\n \nThis partnership is among the latest in Amazon\u2019s ongoing work to support education and racial equality initiatives in communities across the country where its employees live and work. Recently, the company donated $10 million<\/a> to organizations that are working to bring about social justice and improve the lives of Black and African Americans. Recipients\u2014selected with the help of Amazon’s Black Employee Network (BEN)\u2014include groups focused on combating systemic racism through the legal system as well as those dedicated to expanding educational and economic opportunity for Black communities. Amazon followed this initial donation with a hugely successful employee match program that resulted in an additional $17 million going to these organizations for a total of $27 million from the Amazon community.\n<\/p>\n About Amazon<\/b><\/p>\n \nAmazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com\/about<\/a> and follow @AmazonNews<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n About YELLOW<\/b><\/p>\n \nLaunched in 2019 by recording artist, producer, songwriter, philanthropist and entrepreneur, Pharrell Williams, YELLOW is a non-profit working to even the odds for all youth through education. YELLOW\u2019s ecosystem approach puts youth at the center and surrounds them with the supports they need to realize their potential. At the heart of this ecosystem is YELLOW\u2014HAB, offering a highly personalized and immersive education that knits together transformative learning opportunities at school, at home, online, and in the community.\n<\/p>\n About Georgia Tech<\/b><\/p>\n \nThe Georgia Institute of Technology is a top ten public research university with 40,000 students. We offer campuses in Atlanta, Georgia; Lorraine, France; Shenzhen, China; as well as robust distance and online learning programs. Our Engineering and Computing colleges are among the highest-ranked in the nation, along with outstanding programs in Business, Design, Liberal Arts, and Sciences. Our students thrive in technology- and research-driven environments, and we foster a culture rooted in creativity and innovation.\n<\/p>\n \n\u00a0\n<\/p>\n View source version on businesswire.com: <\/span>https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20210119005328\/en\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \nAmazon.com, Inc. KEYWORDS:<\/b> United States North America Washington Georgia<\/p>\n INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:<\/b> University Primary\/Secondary Music Education Technology General Entertainment Entertainment Celebrity Software African-American Consumer<\/p>\n MEDIA:<\/b><\/p>\n Amazon Teams Up with Pharrell Williams\u2019 YELLOW and Georgia Tech to Launch New Music Remix Competition to Inspire Students to Pursue Computer Science \u201cYour Voice is Power\u201d experience featuring Pharrell\u2019s new song, \u201cEntrepreneur,\u201d encourages students to examine racial equity while learning coding SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), Pharrell Williams\u2019 education equity nonprofit YELLOW, and the Georgia Institute of Technology today announced a new educational collaboration called \u201cYour Voice is Power\u201d to encourage middle and high school students to share their voice on equity while learning to code new music remixes. The \u201cYour Voice is Power\u201d collaboration includes five teaching modules with lesson plans that teach coding while kick-starting meaningful conversations among students and their teachers about the importance of racial … <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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