For those who are familiar to the San Francisco State University campus, they know how ethnically and culturally diverse it is. One would expect classes on campus to be as diverse as their students, but with each passing year, the Ethnic Studies classes are being reduced due to budget cuts. Another class in the Ethnic Studies department is being threatened. The class, Kulintang has been taught at San Francisco State University for almost 5 years and hundreds of students have had the opportunity to take it, learning pre-colonial music that has many Filipino Americans eager to learn more about this dying but beautiful tradition in their culture. Taught by Artist-in-Residence, Danongan Kalanduyan, also known as Danny or Master K, is a master in all aspects of Kulintang Music. Born in a little village near Cotobato, Mindanao, Master K began learning about this music at a very young age. With no formal training, he was able to master this music over the years and in 1995 he earned the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. There are only a handful of Filipino classes that cater to the vast population of Filipino American students at San Francisco State University. There are also only a handful of Filipino Professors. Cutting this class would be a devastating blow for the students at SF State, Filipino or not. Having access to an extraordinarily talented man, whom only teaches two classes (SF State University and Skyline College) substantially benefits not only his students, but the Filipino Community in the Bay Area. In 2005, the administration threatened to cut this class, but because of the realization of students, staff and faculty of it\'s historical, cultural and musical significance, many rose to the occasion to save it. We AGAIN appeal to all of you to sign this petition to help music continue to enlighten those within the musical community and more Filipino Americans for semesters to come. Thank You.

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