In August, a telephone conference was held between White House representatives, representatives from the National Endowment of the Arts and up and coming artists, musicians and marketers. The call, led by former NEA communications director Yosi Sergant, was coined as "inappropriate" as Sergant aimed to encourage artists to create and publicize art that promotes the United We Serve initiative--each artist was asked to focus their art on health care, education or the environment
The phone call was recorded in a blog by filmmaker, marketer and art community consultant, Patrick Courrielche, who, as an invitee to the call, decided the content of the call was worth public discussion. Reportedly, by Courrielche and later by other news sources, Sergant's aim of the conversation was to motivate this community to further the political agenda of the president--a task the NEA is not responsible for by its mission. Because this group of artists, promoters, filmmakers, organizers, musicians, actors, writers and just "cool people" had done a remarkable job on the Obama campaign, (Shepard Fairey, the creator of the "Hope" painting included), Sergant felt that their abilities to use "art for positive change" would represent the White House accordingly. Courrielche unveiled the quote that frightened him the most,
“This is just the beginning. This is the first telephone call of a brand new conversation. We are just now learning how to really bring this community together to speak with the government. What that looks like legally?…bare with us as we learn the language so that we can speak to each other safely…"
Now throughout this, many of the call invitees were perplexed by Sergant's requests for a focus of their art, including visual arts blogger, Lee Rosenbaum (aka CultureGrrl), who was a part of a second call of different artists, aimed at the same goal. She was "creeped out" by the idea of "enlisting artists for a political adventure....even though, like many on the call, I supported and (with reservations) still support the agenda of the new president."
So begins the controversy.
Courrielche's blog probed a response from Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to write an open letter to the president explaining that the goals of the NEA does not include using the art community to further political agendas. To make a long story short, Sergant, as of Sept. 22, according to ABC News, has been reassigned, and the White House has issued an apology, promising to make serious steps so such calls will never happen again.
Meanwhile, the White House failed at trying to redefine the NEA--thank goodness. Courrielche, along with the Texas Senator and Culturegrrl reiterated in their accounts that the NEA's mission is "supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education" according to the NEA website.
The government is supposed to work for the NEA to fund well-deserving artists and organizations, the vise versa scenario is simply unAmerican. As a student who has studied music with an NEA medal winning composer, I see the NEA as an agency that has made and honored beautiful art. To corrupt that ideal is frightening, which is why the call, though only encouraging conference attendees to volunteer, made them fear that the NEA might simply become another government tool.
Although many of the artists were a part of the Obama campaign and support the United We Serve initiative, to be probed by officials to "choose one of the four key areas" to focus their passion and inspiration sounds a bit like a high school art contest--not to mention, it's against the NEA mission, ideals and artist freedom. I am no political junkie, but I am interested in the state of art in America, and I completely support the mission behind the NEA; it pleases me to know that such a loaded phone call could accurately be pinned, by the White House, reporters and the artists themselves, as corrupt use of the arts.
On another exciting note, the story is also indicative of the influence of blogging on making social change. Courrielche, in addition to writing a brilliant blog critiquing and questioning the call, sneakily recorded the call in its entirety as well as posted a full transcript on his blog, which can be found here. It's creepy, pre-Halloween treat.
They say, when you're dating, if you like 90 percent of your potential partner, then keep him. Coach, is that true the social bookmarking dating world too? I've had luck finding valuable sites from educators regarding music education on delicious, but then I find that the bulk of their bookmarks are about smartboards or lesson plans. I also found a few useful and hip arts advocacy sites also, which I hope to discuss in later posts. I liked ten to 15 percent--not enough to keep.
Nevertheless, I found a soulmate that fit the "90 percent" criteria. After scavenging through what look to be her personal sites, (email, googlereader, etc), I found that the remainder of mezzamoah's bookmarks were relevant, but more importantly, interesting.
Mezzamoah has a whopping 59 bookmarks, but she has 79 tags--well organized to boot. This makes it incredibly easy to navigate her bookmarks. I was able to find several websites regarding classical music, popular music, music reviews as well as avante-garde music. Unfortunately, she lacks articles regarding education, but from my research, it seems to be a different demographic. Her activity is recent, although I was unable to figure out whether or not she commented often, which may be indicative of my inexperience with this social bookmarking dating system. (Or perhaps a fault of only using delicious without Diigo as a supplementary tool).
An example of a fascinating website mezzamoah revealed to me is indabamusic--a venue for artists to collaborate and produce music entirely over the internet. Artists create profiles, find each other online, hold recording sessions and publish their music to the public via the website. Once the music is public, users can comment on eachother's creations. Many of the users are jazz musicians and students. Musicians, especially in college, love to experiment; music is always changing! This is a fantastic invention for musicians to collaborate with people from all over the country. Although I am recently introduced to the concept, it appears to have been a hit for some time: the website also features contests where musicians compete to collaborate with professionals like John Legend, The Roots and Yo-Yo Ma. The homepage shows promotional quotes from Stephen Colbert, ABC News and Wired.
As far as classical music, her bookmarks are mainly music critic blogs and new music websites. Music critic for The New Yorker, author and avid blogger, Alex Ross, has a great blog about opera, symphony and other classical music happenings around New York. He also posts his collegues's as well as his own articles from the magazine. Some of his posts include books or playlists of music he recommends. There don't seem to be any free downloads, but the cultural influence is always appreciated, right? And even though mezzamoah's bookmarks doesn't provide me with to many education and advocacy sites, Ross's blogroll definitely does.
For my readers, mezzamoah and the sites she bookmarks can be helpful on two accounts. 1) Although her bookmarks may not be completely devoted to classical music, they seem to be innovative and thought provoking sites, (like this and this). 2) She is a person interested in the avante-garde, rock and roll and classical--relatively common and admirable interests for all well-bred musicians.
Because she seems to be on top of the evolutions of contemporary rock, classical and popular music critique, as well as music-making inventions, her bookmarks will be helpful in fulfilling my desire to be "cutting edge" as well as thoughtful in my blog. My mother's friend once told me, "If a relationship makes it to the six month mark, then it's going to be long term." I have high hopes for my relationship with mezzamoah and in order to broaden my spectrum of topics, I hope the feelings are mutual!
The banner shown above is one of many that decorates the entire campus this year. I am so happy Thornton is finally getting the school-wide recognition it deserves--we're not brainless musicians, really.
This year marks the 125th birthday of the USC Thornton School of Music. The USC School of Music was the first professional school at the University of California in 1884, and in 1999, philanthropist Flora L. Thornton became the schools benefactor. It has evolved as one of the top music schools in the country; not only does it have a storied tradition in classical performance studies of all major instruments, but the music industry, recording science, jazz studies, popular music, and scoring for motion pictures and television degrees are some of the most innovative in higher level music education.
Last week was one of the first events of the celebratory year at Thornton. The opening gala, followed by a rousing performance of Berlioz's Symphony Fantastique made for quite a party.
As a current student of the Thornton School, I feel so honored to be a part of this magical time for our school. In many well-reputed music conservatories, the traditional classical music training is the single most important aspect of music, and their world is filled with ruthless competition, burnt out passions and emotionally unstable soloists. Not only does USC foster classical musicians to develop their skills and passion for music, it also has adapted to the evolving nature of the art form.
The story in the LA Times "Culture Monster" blog, reporter David Ng mentions the various gifts given to the Thornton school, which are to be used for student scholarships, in addition to one special gift: a piano that belonged to Jascha Heifetz.
There will be more events throughout the year--the next being a special concert by the classic rock legends, the Steve Miller Band, which will be a benefit for the school.
The most exciting part about blogging is the concept that a person—any person—can voice their feelings, opinions, passions and inspirations to the world. Although this blog has been created as a requirement for a class, I can’t help but be thrilled to welcome the blogging world into MY world—the world of music.
I am a music student at the USC Thornton School of Music studying for my Bachelors of Music degree in Oboe Performance. I am witnessing the changes in the classical music world in Los Angeles and across America—people are becoming less interested in classical music and more interested in MTV, and the validity of that world. (Don’t take me for a pretentious traditionalist; I love BEP and Taylor, but not at the loss of classical music). In addition, there have been significant changes (and cuts) to music education in America.
You may notice, as I expose more and more of my stories on this blog, that a large part of my musical life and passion comes from my ardent belief that music education is an agent of social change and a venue for which concert music--professional orchestras, master chorales and opera--can be saved. I hope to discuss developments of professional music, music education, their collaboration and any exciting events that are furthering this artistic world.
Like the professional music world, music education in the US is dwindling. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 led many school districts to cut funding to their music programs.
But, hope has not been lost. There are several good arguments why music education cannot be lost in the economic crises, or any other crises for that matter. One of them includes my new favorite story of change:
Recently, an example has been made of the Jose Abreu's El Sistema in Venezuela--a program that consists of 125 youth orchestras and training programs throughout the country that has absolutely changed the nation. Many of the students of this program have formerly been involved in gangs, crime or originate from extremely impoverished areas. The El Sistema has produced hundreds of professional musicians since it's conception in the 1970s, including conducting prodigy Gustavo Dudamel--the newly appointed conductor of the LA Philharmonic.
Here is a video for an upcoming documentary about the El Sistema:
Is it coincidence? That the product of the most notable music program in the world is coming to Los Angeles--home of a school district that projects a complete cut of all of its public school music programs within the next ten years. I hope not.
My ramblings of passion, inspiration, teamwork and dedication might seem farfetched, but I hope to somehow portray how I came to be such a zealous advocate through the entries in this blog. I am so excited to share my thoughts about the importance of this beautiful art with the world!
Profile Blog
The music education world, as large a spectrum music itself covers, is quite small. Generally, the most skilled and inspiring public school music teacher is no celebrity, and often, its legends are not aquainted with the blogishpere. Like many classical musicians/enthusiasts, it's all about the music, not about social networking--on the internet no less. This does not mean that music educators shouldn't keep up with technological advancements. In fact, even with the detrimental budget cuts, technology is continuing to find ways of changing music education.
Evan Tobias is Instructor of Music Education at Arizona State University. In my "blog search," I have found that his blog is most comprehensive in terms of combining new technological elements of music education, advocacy and the contributions of the "outside world" to music education. Tobias's blog, Catalysts and Connections, not only provides detailed information on various music ed. conferences throughout the country, but also provides thought provoking stories on how music is changing the world (through education). His entries are professional and academic as he often discusses the most effective ways to work with music students from a more pedagogical stand point. At the same time, he avoids the pretentiousness that comes with being a music critic or expert.
With the start of school in the fall, he has begun writing new blog posts, which should excite his readers who are mainly music teachers--public school or university level. He also receives comments from arts advocacy organizations.
In one article, he discusses how the music of T-Pain and Bjork can be used in the classroom to demonstrate different ways to portray and use the human voice. This is not only be an aid to teaching voice production, but also to exposing students to world music. As a member of the "teeny-bopper/pop culture music generation," I find that adding a bit of pop culture to a lesson plan is so applicable. It is still music and it helps rid the stereotype of what music education is--orch-dorks, band geeks, you get the picture.
Another article demonstrates how music contributes to history: Tobias congratulates the Lesbian and Gay Band Association and provides a bit of a feature on the group as they were invited to march in the inaugural parade back in January. What an incredible advocacy tool--music in school is not like a history class, but a class that could help you, the student, make history.
Tobias speaks of the importance of bringing music to students in need also. He wrote in early 2007 about the importance of high school marching band to students whose programs suffered from Hurricane Katrina. He makes reference to an article in the New York Times that featured a band that marched in the first Mardi Gras parade since the hurricane and "proved they could do something positive in such devastated surroundings." The article said this about one student:
Joshua Phipps had been thinking about basketball, but the band changed his life, he said. “At my first band practice, I just fell in love with the sound,” he said. “I practiced a whole lot, every day, and it was like a hidden talent I didn’t know I had.
I enjoy eTobias's stories because they reveal the magic of music in schools. In my blog, I hope to feature more discussions of advocacy and the state of the arts budget throughout the country, and less pedagogical teaching methods, as valuable as they are. This blog can definitely be an aid to my research and I am excited to start the magic!
Voice Critique
In my research of music education/classical music blogs to write a "voice critique," about, I realized that many arts critics, educators and even advocates use voices that are more mundane than the chord progression used in an average song by Miley Cyrus. Much of the blogs I found were the daily activities of education conventions, or some non-descript or opinionated activity of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), amongst other things. The blogging "voice" of a few opera critics had potential, especially since their blogs were also the most colorful.
The blog I chose happened to relate to my topic much more closely than I had anticipated.
Deceptively Simpleis written by Marc Geelhoed, the Resound coordinator and administrator for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In his blog, he promotes the arts through his personal experiences, knowledge of classical music along with his knowledge of popular culture.
Last July Geelhoed wrote an entry about the advancements of technology, and how kindles, ipods and other technological items are keeping symphony goers from purchasing CDs, (specifically CDs of the CSO). His blog had definite structure, beginning with how the situation directly relates to him--the sale of CSO paraphenalia and CDs. His argument of using new technology without abandoning an appreciation for bookstores gets more complex, then culminates in a question of whether or not technology will actually make people more cultured. Questions are often commentary in themselves, I suppose. He uses short sentences as well as short transition statements.
"Ephemerality is the enemy. I like stuff that lasts."
Geelhoed prefers the "old-fashioned" ways of buying CDs from Tower Records, making conversation with the sales clerk and fostering the "community" of buying records in a store. His description of the scene reminds me of a mom and pop's store in the 1960s that a child might go to every day after school to buy a bottle of "pop." The scene he creates seems nostalgic, which seems humorous considering CDs are technology that, within 15 years ago, seemed relatively new and inventive, and of course, in my comparative scene, school children aren't allowed to drink sugary sodas anymore either.
"So, if you’re looking for me, you can find this 31-going-on-78-year old in the bookstore, grumbling about kids and their Twindles or Kitters or whatever they’re using these days."
Although he also describes himself as a devoted "abebooks.com" shopper, he ardently claims to have never purchased items recommended by "Amazon.com algorithms." He points out that when he uses the word "browser," he is referring to a shopper, not Internet software. He demonstrates his ironic lifestyle by doing this--being so against internet shopping, but knowing enough to reference websites and terms that online shopper officianados, (who could be in his audience), might recognize.
Other blogs include youtube videos, pictures or references to songs that apply to the topic. One blog entitled "Guns don't kill people; people with guns kill people," is hardly about music at all. He makes a statement about his opinion regarding gun control, and posts a youtube video of a stand-up act by Eddie Izzard.
"But anyway. The more these sort of issues come around, the more I understand the immutable truth that Eddie Izzard has already addressed them, and unearthed logic such that no one can argue. Here’s Eddie on gun control. (NSFW)"
In celebration of Leonard Bernstien's would-be 91st birthday, Geelhold created a playlist of his favorite classical works that were conducted by Bernstein. Each was chosen because it had significance in his life either as inspiring art or as "the first classical CD I ever bought," (Mahler's fifth). This particular post as much musical merit, without the pretentiousness of many classical music critic/junkie bloggers embody, which is actually more annoying than impressive.
"For sheer fun, Bernstein’s never been beaten in Rhapsody in Blue. I’m pretty sure I paid more than the $7.99 Amazon lists it for, too."
This lack of arrogance makes Geelhold's blog easy to read--and trust. The fact that he can describe Bach and Mahler without sounding like a know-it-all adds to his credibility as a person, which, in blogging, is so important. In his youtube-loving, Bach-obsessing and politically knowledgeable frenzy, Simply Deceptive offers a voice that is simple enough to simply appreciate.
Hi etobias! I'm currently a music performance student (oboe) at USC in California, and I have been enjoying your blog for a couple weeks now. I enjoy your take on the progressions of music education in America--it is certainly changing. Although I am studying the oboe at USC, I am quite interested in the advancement and advocacy of music education in the US. Music inspires students and encourages them to be self-motivated and enthusiastic human beings! I'm sure you know that--you're a music teacher! I was excited to see your latest post about Ellen on American Idol. I haven't watched the show for a few seasons, but I never, even as a young music student, felt the show enhanced or detracted from my musical knowledge. Besides the fact that Randy would tend refer to EVERY vocalist as "pitchy," I always felt that the merit in American Idol was in the charisma and bravery of the contestants, who are "everyday people" that perform to millions each week. It's pure entertainment. EveryFan can judge whether or not they thought a performance was entertaining, right? What they probably can't do is explain exactly what elements made it entertaining--the melismatic differences between the contestant and the original, the use of different instrumentation or different tempos. But our culture does not require EveryFan to do that. In which case, why not have Ellen DeGeneres on the show? She also judged on So You Think You Can Dance this summer, with absolutely no technical dance expertise, and she was funny, kind and great guest. At the same time, it's "pure entertainment" that features music. Any outlet that brings music to our country is worth some merit, right? I was able to look over your "American Idol in the Classroom" blogs, and am impressed by the way you talk about giving "constructive criticism" through American Idol examples. In music education, especially with young students, a student who forms an opinion about the music they are playing, based on their musical knowledge, is a student excited about music, indeed! Although I still feel the musical credibility of American Idol is minimal, I am still an advocate for bringing a bit of pop culture into the music classroom--being a music geek isn't so bad! I see the influence of music in the US, and the world, is certainly changing--USC Thornton School of Music began offering a Bachelors of Music degree in Pop Music this year. As a classical musician, I hope the influx of technology and pop culture into the music world does not completely keep Americans away from the beauty and organic nature of orchestral and choral music. Hopefully, we can look forward to the collaboration between classical music and music education with the "real world." Thanks so much for your blog! Best wishes to you.
On October 3rd, the Los Angeles community, (not to be confused with the wealthy orchestra patrons), will receive a real taste of world-changing music. Thousands of people will attend an outdoor concert for free. Warped tour isn't coming to town this fall. Neither is Coachella. The event held at the Hollywood Bowl will welcome the LA Philharmonic's new music director--an occasion usually reserved for Disney Hall, expensive guests, fur coats and wine.
This is certainly not the case now, because the featured artist, a new classical music rock star by the name of Gustavo Dudamel, would rather reach out to Los Angeles--get to know his surroundings. This new director of the LA Philharmonic shows an admirable combination of the talent of young Mozart, the charisma and vision of Barack Obama and the coaching/teaching ability of Pete Carroll, (our beloved USC Football coach).
Tickets became available to the public, and were to be picked up at the Bowl on the morning of August 1st. People were lined up around the perimeter of the amphitheater camping out from as early as 5 am. A child who stood in line for tickets that morning was quoted as being a "huge fan" of Dudamel--that he had seen his feature on 60 minutes and idolized his curly hair and his strong sense of passion. Watch clips of the feature here and here. It makes sense--the waiting in long lines and the children--Dudamel's hair does resemble that of Nick Jonas.
In all serioussness, though, concert ticket holders have much to be excited about. The first half of the concert will feature local musical giants such as Herbie Hancock, Flea and the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, Alfredo Rodriguez, Ben Harper and others. The second half will be devoted to Dudamel's debut as he will conduct the LA Phil in Beethoven's ninth symphony. The collaboration of the various genres will be inspiring , I'm certain--music lovers in LA, and the rest of the country, need some inspiration.
The recession effected Disney Hall season ticket sales to fall last year by seven percent. In addition, while European orchestras continue to thrive in attendance, the American attendees of Philharmonic concerts are not getting younger. In fact, Dudamel is probably less than half the age of the average LA Phil season ticket holder. The hope is that Dudamel will be the driving force to encourage young people and members of the community to rediscover the power of classical music. It's ambitious. Yes We Can.
Appropriately, Beethoven's final symphony ends with the well known tune of "Ode to Joy."
“The Beethoven Ninth was selected because it has a universal message,” says Borda. “Gustavo thought that it represented his hopes for the musical spirit of our great city and celebrates the human spirit in a way that no other piece does.”
That's exactly what Los Angeles needs. Hope and joy through artistic venues. I love Dudamel because, unlike many entertainment moguls and disillusioned Angelians, he is not afraid to be completely immersed in passion for what he does. Los Angeles, whether we want to believe it or not, is a city that is suffering from money obsession, fast entertainment and self-image. I'm not asking Gustavo Dudamel to single handedly fix the city, but I truly look forward to his music making that will change people's lives, inspire young musicians and help, even remotely, to put this broken city back together.
In this video, American composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein talks about and performs the last section of Beethoven No. 9. Dudamel has been compared to Bernstein, whose first appearance with the New York Philharmonic at age 25 lead him to become America's most charismatic conductor. When Dudamel made his NY Phil debut at age 23, he used Bernstein's old baton, and revealed his own "boundless joy in music making."
In my research of music education/classical music blogs to write a "voice critique," about, I realized that many arts critics, educators and even advocates use voices that are more mundane than the chord progression used in an average song by Miley Cyrus. Much of the blogs I found were the daily activities of education conventions, or some non-descript or opinionated activity of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), amongst other things. The blogging "voice" of a few opera critics had potential, especially since their blogs were also the most colorful.
The blog I chose happened to relate to my topic much more closely than I had anticipated.
Deceptively Simpleis written by Marc Geelhoed, the Resound coordinator and administrator for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In his blog, he promotes the arts through his personal experiences, knowledge of classical music along with his knowledge of popular culture.
Last July Geelhoed wrote an entry about the advancements of technology, and how kindles, ipods and other technological items are keeping symphony goers from purchasing CDs, (specifically CDs of the CSO). His blog had definite structure, beginning with how the situation directly relates to him--the sale of CSO paraphenalia and CDs. His argument of using new technology without abandoning an appreciation for bookstores gets more complex, then culminates in a question of whether or not technology will actually make people more cultured. Questions are often commentary in themselves, I suppose. He uses short sentences as well as short transition statements.
"Ephemerality is the enemy. I like stuff that lasts."
Geelhoed prefers the "old-fashioned" ways of buying CDs from Tower Records, making conversation with the sales clerk and fostering the "community" of buying records in a store. His description of the scene reminds me of a mom and pop's store in the 1960s that a child might go to every day after school to buy a bottle of "pop." The scene he creates seems nostalgic, which seems humorous considering CDs are technology that, within 15 years ago, seemed relatively new and inventive, and of course, in my comparative scene, school children aren't allowed to drink sugary sodas anymore either.
"So, if you’re looking for me, you can find this 31-going-on-78-year old in the bookstore, grumbling about kids and their Twindles or Kitters or whatever they’re using these days."
Although he describes himself as a devoted "abebooks.com" shopper, he ardently claims to have never purchased items recommended by "Amazon.com algorithms." He points out that when he uses the word "browser," he is referring to a shopper, not Internet software. He demonstrates his ironic lifestyle by doing this--being so against internet shopping, but knowing enough to reference websites and terms that online shopper officianados, (who could be in his audience), might recognize.
Other blogs include youtube videos, pictures or references to songs that apply to the topic. One blog entitled "Guns don't kill people; people with guns kill people," is hardly about music at all. He makes a statement about his opinion regarding gun control, and posts a youtube video of a stand-up act by Eddie Izzard.
"But anyway. The more these sort of issues come around, the more I understand the immutable truth that Eddie Izzard has already addressed them, and unearthed logic such that no one can argue. Here’s Eddie on gun control. (NSFW)"
In celebration of Leonard Bernstien's would-be 91st birthday, Geelhold created a playlist of his favorite classical works that were conducted by Bernstein. Each was chosen in having significance in his life either as inspiring art or as "the first classical CD I ever bought," (Mahler's fifth). This particular post as much musical merit, without the pretentiousness of many classical music critic/junkie bloggers embody, which is actually more annoying than impressive.
"For sheer fun, Bernstein’s never been beaten in Rhapsody in Blue. I’m pretty sure I paid more than the $7.99 Amazon lists it for, too."
This lack of arrogance makes Geelhold's blog easy to read--and trust. The fact that he can describe Bach and Mahler without sounding like a know-it-all adds to his credibility as a person, which, in blogging, is so important. In his youtube-loving, Bach-obsessing and politically knowledgeable frenzy, Simply Deceptive offers a voice that is simple enough to simply appreciate.
I am a studying for a Bachelors of Music degree in Oboe Performance at USC Thornton School of Music. This blog was created as part of the required Advanced Writing course for USC undergraduates.
