tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. first up tonight, a conversation about the white between physical inactivity and obesity. dr. toni yancey is all of a new book on how children and adults can benefit from even 10 minutes of exercise. the new book is called "instant recess." also it tonight, dave koz is here. later on, a special performance. we're glad that you have joined us. author dr. toni yancey and dave koz, right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help

with his reading. >> i'm james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and answer, nationwide insurance is happy to help tavis improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: dr. toni yancey is the co-director of the ucla kaiser permanente center of health equity and a professor of health. her book is called "instant

recess." dr. yancey, it could have you back. >> delighted to be with you as always, tavis. tavis: how do we fix this 10 minutes at a time? >> that is the subject of the book. my argument is that most of the ways we have been trying to fix it just mean we are going to fast, too far, too fast. 10 minutes of physical activity is something that just about any organization can fit into its normal routine, either meetings or a certain time of the day. schools can transition kids between things, like moving from lunch to getting the kids to focus. it is a simple solution, but it is something that can help get us to the point where we have the political will to do the hard things, like mass transit reform and getting us to the point that we actually prefer

the individual sports for families compared with pro sports and tax policies. tavis: i want to be clear about what you are saying. me and all the guys i am looking at on the stage, guys and gals, we are supposed to stop what we are doing 10 minutes during the day and get our exercise on, right here in the workplace? >> absolutely. turn on the music. we have created moves based on ethnic dance or sport. we have some new moves that are based on what part of the state that you live then. -- what part of the state that you live in. the point is and can be done literally anywhere, anytime, by anybody, any attire. tavis: the value for us physically i get, but the value for the organization, the reason they would adjust their work

day, is what? >> increased productivity. the ll bean plant in maine stop their assembly line three times per day and they got 100% return on their investment. they measure productivity in hard terms, bags, belts, shoes off the line. tavis: give them a 10-minute break, i will get more out of them? >> yes, and decreased injuries, let's leave taken. -- less we've taken. tavis: in the education debate, there is always this question that some people don't want to wrestle with, which is why we expect our schools, why we expect teachers to teach kids stuff that their parents ought to be teaching them.

we expect the teacher to be the disciplinarian, etc. i raise that to ask why it is that corporate america should be asked, expected, demanded, cajoled into getting their workers to do stuff they ought to be doing for themselves if they care about their health. >> we are all paying for it. the question is do we want to separate the thinking that people should be doing it on their own, when most of the people are voting with their feet. with kids, we have created this situation with kids so that in schools they are not getting the recess that they use to get. by injecting 10 minutes into the school day, we assist teachers. we assist teachers in meeting the expectations that we would like them to make in terms of test scores, better academic

performance, better disciplined. regardless of the organizational setting, at fame they did a few minutes of activity in each of their three services when they kicked off their let's move district campaign, and people loved it. if we get churches engaged, do you want parishioners invest more in volunteer activities that we need to make in the churches? tavis: the part i never understand, and you have said it twice, we know we have a major childhood obesity problem in this country. we have talked about this. kids are overweight. at the same time, we have schools that are cutting physical education programs. that seems stuck on stupid. i don't get how we have kids who

we visually see they are overweight, too many school programs cutting the physical activity. i don't understand. >> this goes back to a fundamental issue, we don't value physical activity. we see physical education teachers as less than others. it was easy to cut. it was easy to say it was superfluous, like music and art. those are some of the things that keep kids going to school. they have cut them out. this also has to do with boys. we know that boys tend to be more active learners. and if you look at what has happened over the last 20, 30 years since we started cutting out physical education, the boys have started doing worse. in college, we have 70/30 ratio of young women to young men. i cannot say for sure, i am just looking to do this research in collaboration with educators,

but you have to say, wait a minute, why are these kids struggling so much? whoever thought that physical education and physical activity was not a key part of how kids learn? it is necessary for brain development. tavis: how does your focus and commitment to this issue, why doesn't this get more traction politically? >> i think it has been always viewed in that individual responsibility compared with collective kind of thing. again, i think we need to look at it differently. we can frame this as an entitlement. there is an emerging field of interactive physiology. even if you got 30 minutes per day, you still might have these prolonged times of sitting that are messing up your metabolism. in fact, if we coop people up at

their desk eight hours, even with bathroom breaks, we're still doing them a disservice. those of us in high-level positions, we get up and move around. why should somebody who was punching the time clock have to sit there and not get their opportunity to be healthy? tavis: what is the target audience for the book? the american workforce, the decision makers? and what is the message you want them to get from the text? >> the target audience is decision makers across the board. it is corporations and corporate decision makers, school decisionmakers, school principals, school boards. i want them to get the message that it is in your organizational best interest to incorporate 10 minutes of physical activity at least each day as part of the normal organizational routine. and what is good for the waistline is, in fact, good for

the bottom line. tavis: the book is called "instant recess," written by dr. toni yancey. all my guys on the floor, are you ready? 10 minutes, and good to have you on the program. up next, grammy-winning jazz artist dave koz. stay with us. dave koz is a six-time grammy nominee who is celebrating 20 years in the music business with the release of his latest project, "hello tomorrow." in just a few minutes, he will perform a song, but first, good to have it on the program. >> it is great to see you. i have to say to your audience, we may not know about tavis is he is a bad-ass singer.

tavis: don't start that. >> we did a gig in syracuse, and sheila e. called you up on stage. you went up there and she was doing some prince jam, and you rocked the house. i will not perform without you singing. tavis: yeah, whatever. i said before we came on the air, we should: a private plane. i will pay about $500. -- we should go on a private plane. i will pay about 500 ellis. >> i was the one who was coming up with $500. tavis: i have been doing quarterly prime-time specials, and the last one for the year in december, we met a conductor from the l.a. philharmonic.

he started a program in venezuela, and they believe every kid has some kind of gift, some kind of talent, and they believe music is the key to social change. i raise that only because i know is a child, your mother, against your will, force you to play piano. so your mother was right. she was old school. >> she was right. my mother piano, and i hated it. i rebelled, played the drums. i remember my dad picking me up from my drum lesson and the teacher taking my dad as side. within earshot of me he said, you might like to think about sports because it is not happening with music. i picked up the saxophone. music, the saxophone specifically, became my best friend and saving grace. in many ways, i think it's saved

my life because i poured all of my emotions that i could not get out through words through the horn and it allowed me the opportunity to get to know myself. it is so painful to see the opportunity i had not be available to young people around the country with music programs going out. tavis: what is the price we pay for abandoning music education with kids? >> it is huge. specifically, music has the ability to stir the soul in other ways we cannot. young people, we have seen a terrible things happening. kids not knowing who they are, not having the tools to come to grips with what ever is that is going on in their lives. music and arts in general become much more important to a kid growing up, to be able to have access to an instrument or school play, just be able to have the socialization skills in

reached in other ways that are not possible. -- enriched in other ways that not possible. tavis: i played saxophone as a kid. i was second chair, at one point i was a first chair, two weeks. the first chair was out sick a couple weeks. i took piano lessons at couple years. i do not know a single adult, i have never met a single adult who played an instrument as a young person and stopped who does not now regret it. >> yep, that is what i hear every day. i played the saxophone in high school a year, something like that, which i kept it up. it is an interesting time in our business, and that is what this album is about, the future. after 20 years of being a musician, traveling the world, i woke up one day and said, my god, my life looks so different.

so many people are waking up in 2010 and sang my life looks so different, -- and saying my life looks so different. right now, the velocity and frequency of change, myself included, i was dealing with it, and that is what came out, the chance for me to embrace all of these unfamiliar things in my life and find comfort in the discomfort. that is the world that music plays, providing inspiration for anybody on their path to enlightenment. that is what it did for me and it came out on the other side. tavis: i like that, comfort in the discomfort. there is something there to work with. i want to make room for your performance. tell me about the cd. are you singing? >> i am. we're trying to get people to buy the cd. tavis: i saw you in concert. you said you are going to sing i

said, dave is going to sing? you killed it. you were really very good. you have been holding back. >> people have known me as a saxophone player, and i will stick with that, but there was one song called "this guy's in love with you." i was going to play it on the saxophone, and i brought it to my producer and he said, you are singing this. i said, i am not a singer, and he said, neither was he and it was a big hit. this is not one of those songs that needs to be popular. just to get his blessing, i sent it to my mentor in music and all the philanthropy he did. herb said, first of all, you have my blessing, and i would like to play on it as well. he is playing on this version of the song that he made famous

some years ago, which was really a "hello tomorrow" moment. so many musicians, herb, sheila e., christian scott, a phenomenal young trumpet player. it is a celebration of music. in this era when there is a lot of negative stuff, this is a very positive reflection on these very unfamiliar times. that is what it did for me. i worked through it, wrote through it, and i came out in a different area. i hope that people will listen to it. tavis: i am sure they will. his name is dave koz. his new cd is called a " hello tomorrow." we will make room for a special performance from dave koz coming up.

>> we will start with a little bit of a song from the last peace and we will end with the current single. that a special just for you, tavis. tavis: what ever you have it, i'll take it. at that and feel free to jump in any time. -- >> and feel free to jump in any time. tavis: i will stay right here. from his new c.d. "hello tomorrow," serious dave koz performing "with the top down." ♪

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[applause] >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for our conversation with former president jimmy carter on his years in the white house. that is next time. we will see you then. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading.

>> i'm james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> garrison keillor: toi

derricotte grew up outside detroit. with the poet cornelius eady, she cofounded cave canem, an organization committed to cultivating and supporting the work of african american poets. she says, "truth telling in my art is also a way to separate myself from what i have been taught to believe about myself-- the degrading stereotypes about black women." >> blackbottom. when relatives came from out of town, we would drive down to blackbottom. drive slowly down the congested main streets-- beaubien and hastings-- trapped in the mesh of saturday night. we were freshly escaped, black middle class. we snickered and were proud; the louder the streets, the prouder. we laughed at the bright clothes

of a prostitute; a man sitting on a curb with a bottle in his hand. we smelled barbecue cooking in dented washtubs and our mouths watered. as much as we wanted it, we couldn't take the chance. rhythm and blues came from the windows, the throaty voice of a woman lost in the bass, in the drums, in the dirty down and out-- the grind. ♪"i love to see a funeral, then i know it ain't mine." ♪ we rolled our windows down so that the waves rolled over us like blood. we hoped to pass invisibly, knowing on monday we would return safely to our jobs, the post office, and classroom. we wanted our sufferings to be

offered up as tender meat, and our triumphs to be belted out in raucous song. we had lost our voice in the suburbs, in conant gardens, where each brick house delineated a fence of silence; we had lost the right to sing in the street and damn creation. we returned to wash our hands of them; to smell them whose very existence tore us down to the human. ( applause ) thanks so much.