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Rock Bands Tour Nebraska and Teach Students Lessons in Personal Finance

Rock Bands Tour Nebraska and Teach Students Lessons in Personal Finance
Weaving a high-energy, live rock performance with testimony of the artists’ life lessons on finance, two bands, GOODING and Carter Hulsey with the band Me Like Bees, visit Nebraska August 27-31 to share with students how financial literacy and being purposeful enable them to make dreams realities. The Nebraska Council on Economic Education (NCEE) coordinates and secures sponsors for the bands to visit eight Nebraska schools.
 
Jennifer Davidson, president of the NCEE and assistant professor of practice in economics, explained why the bands’ music and message are a win-win for young people.
 
“Partnering with Funding the Future and nationally known musicians has been the most fun and engaging way to bring the important financial literacy message to today’s students. The rock concert catches the students off guard and they are paying attention. Once the musicians establish their cool factor, the financial literacy medicine goes down and students are open to the message,” she said.
 
After the concert, the band talks to students about the importance of saving, how compound interest works, why to stay away from payday lenders and how making wise financial decisions can help a person fulfill one’s dreams.
 
The NCEE has partnered with Funding the Future, a nonprofit committed to teaching financial literacy to students through music, on this initiative since 2015. More than 12,000 students at 22 Nebraska schools attended these performances to hear the financial lessons. The musicians’ message resonates with students because they openly discuss financial misconceptions that impacted them early in their careers.
 
Jennifer Davidson with the GOODING band.
Jennifer Davidson with the GOODING band.
“These financial principles are things I wasn’t taught in school growing up, and I am thankful and excited to be able to share this message with young people. Playing music is a great avenue to break the ice and then begin a conversation about financial literacy,” said Hulsey, who made a name for himself touring around the country for the last 10 years on the Vans Warped tour, Bamboozle Road show and with bands like Third Eye Blind, Good Charlotte, Hanson and many more.
 
"Some people think rock ’n’ roll and financial literacy don't have much to do with each other, but they actually do," said Gooding, the lead singer of the band GOODING. "It wasn't until I saw what we do as a business that it began allowing us the freedom to do what we wanted. We're on our own music label now, so we play what we want to play and tour how we want to tour. We wouldn't be able to do it if we weren't investing in ourselves."
 
GOODING’s music has been featured in "CSI," "Criminal Minds," "The Daily Show," "Iron Man 2," "Walk the Line" and "Suicide Squad." Inspired by their work with Quincy Jones as part of Operation HOPE, they helped create Funding the Future, which launched their tours across the country in support of financial literacy.
 
Local financial literacy concerts include:
Performances by GOODING:
  • Monday, August 27 at 2 p.m. – Millard West High School, Omaha
  • Tuesday, August 28 at 2 p.m.  – North Platte High School, North Platte
  • Wednesday, August 29 at 10:30 a.m. – multi school event at Keya Paha High School, Springview, with students from Ainsworth, Cody-Kilgore, Rock County and Valentine
  • Thursday, August 30 at 9 a.m. – multi school event at Fillmore Central High School, Geneva with students from Shickley and Exeter-Milligan
 
Performances by Carter Hulsey and the band Me Like Bees:
  • Tuesday, August 28 at 9 a.m. – Centura High School, Cairo
  • Thursday, August 30 at 9 a.m. – Adams Central High School, Hastings
  • Thursday, August 30 at 2 p.m. – Wilcox Hildreth Public School, Wilcox
  • Friday, August 31at 9:30 a.m. – Plattsmouth High School, Plattsmouth
 
Published: August 23, 2018