The purpose of the performance was to find a way to create a celebration that would bring students, teachers, community members and various others together for a common cause.

What better way than to bring teachers to Japan, give them experiences interacting with students and teachers and the community, and adding a little sightseeing?

The addition of strings and keyboard percussion was yet another layer added there that seemed to really enhance the drama of the speech.

Ideally, the piece will continue to grow in the future and be performed at more and more universities - as a communal commemoration of King.

The Reverend reads the speech, makes it his own and it takes on a feel that is both modern and rings of the past. The message of the speech still carries weight today and is complimented by the unified funk grooves the drums bring.

The inspiration for putting the piece together was essentially a feeling the holiday was not really taken seriously.