[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 5, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2496]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING CARNEGIE HALL'S CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM

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                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 5, 2007

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring 
attention to a very special occasion that will take place in New York's 
14th Congressional District this week. Eight New York City high 
schools, including the Life Sciences Secondary School and Company High 
School for Theatre Art, will participate in a musical and cultural 
exchange event at New York City's world-renowned Carnegie Hall on 
December 5, 2007.
  Carnegie Hall's cultural exchange program will bring together a 
select group of eight classrooms in New York City and an equal number 
in Istanbul, Turkey. Students in both countries have worked in their 
respective classrooms for the past ten weeks to learn about each 
other's nation and culture. On Wednesday, students and teachers will 
meet face to face via teleconferencing technology to share a real-time 
cultural exchange using music as the common language. American and 
Turkish teachers and students in the program will continue to 
communicate with one another on a dedicated internet space for the 
duration of the school year. Carnegie Hall has developed this unique 
exchange program in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, and 
I am pleased that this public-private partnership will produce a 
meaningful, enriching and lasting experience for students in New York 
City and Istanbul.
  Music is a universal language through which improved understanding 
among our Nation's respective citizenry can be found. I commend 
Carnegie Hall, the U.S. Department of State, and the private sector 
sponsors of this program. Most importantly, I congratulate the young 
men and women participating in this program and add my encouragement 
for their continued pursuit of improved cultural understanding through 
music and the arts.

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