Having read the recent postings by Drew, and Joe regarding the booming music/arts school enrollments, I decided to do some digging. There is a body that is at least partially responsible for this, an association that accredits schools to be completely autonomous i.e accreditation for proving that you are doing whatever you want to do……the ultimate “unregulatory” body (apart from the SEC!)……
Challenge=Opp
Taking a bow and then shooting across it!….
On our summer trip last year, I was amused when we drove across “Nameless Creek” Indiana because by calling it that, it actually gave it a name! Just as ironic was to read that the CEO and President of the Grand Rapids Symphony Peter Kjome had “no comment” when asked a pertinent question relating to their staff salary cuts and how it would impact the musician’s agreement, and then he promptly commented!……
SCHUBERT!!! WE SHOULD BE PLAYING SCHUBERT!!!
Strangely, I have lately run across a certain mentality in the orchestra business that I thought was heading into extinction. Silly me.
Peoria Symphony – Where the walls come tumbling up!
I’ll never forget watching a NBA post game news conference when the winning coach was asked what made him think to put the ball in the hands of a rookie who then scored seemingly at will to win the game. His response and I paraphrase:
I didn’t, the guy thought we were in trouble and he stepped up to help the team, he led the leaders and we won the game!
The Peoria Symphony needs someone like that to step up to save their team…well someone has tried and failed, so now someone else needs to ……Time for some Schock treatment!……not a misspelling I assure you…..
Meshugass in Michigan!….
Pssst…paging Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA), you might not have heard this but the economy is in the “tank” right now, so using the economic impact of the arts to convince the governor to not eliminate arts funding might not be the best tactic! It might make the arts go the way of the Sphinx…wait!…in fact Sphinx is actually the way you should go…..
ConnectiCUTS Deep and both ways! An Irreversable Immolation!
A famous incident took place in a performance of Tosca when Maria Callas drew blood from Tito Gobbi when the retractable knife didn’t cooperate (it was only a minor injury). In another performance (in the same scene) Callas getting too close to the candles set her hair on fire, only to be rescued by the Gobbi smothering the flames (she reportedly said thank you before stabbing him!). Well Connecticut Opera just stabbed their audience to death, and then burnt themselves to the ground!…..
When the whole is NOT greater than the sum of its (p)Arts
A Secretary of the Arts? I have been reading about this idea and I think we are way ahead of ourselves, crossing the finish line before running the race! Building from the top down doesn’t work. The Arts have plenty of cheerleaders and advocates, we do not need an advocate in chief. That might be a feel good idea, but if the arts are truly to become a part of our nation’s narrative, we have to think much bigger….
Dear President Obama…..
Congratulations….to us! So many have tried to define you, to put you in a box so that they may find it easy to corner you, and yet you surprise all of us at every turn….