Changing an Orchestra Program to Meet the Needs of All Students, Part III: Insights from Members of the Chamber Orchestra

In Part I and Part II, I examined the circumstances under which the Richmond County Orchestra (RCO) was expanded with the addition of a Chamber Orchestra, comprised of the top 20 students in the program. In my own voice, I discussed how it was conceived by Trent Henderson and Philip Rhodes and how they, along with the current Symphony Orchestra Director Amy Ellington, shaped the program over the years. Now I will step aside and allow the members of the orchestra themselves to explain how being a part of it made a difference, if any, in their lives after high school. In a sort of round-table discussion (thank goodness for the internet, as these young adults and I cover at least three cities in two states), I asked them to be completely honest with me about their experiences. On a personal note, I was thrilled to hear from these former students of mine and am delighted to share their observations with you.

Philanthropists to the Rescue: Should We Save European Arts the American Way?

I was somewhat surprised to see the New York Times article this week examining how the global recession has created a significant decline in public financing for arts in Eurozone countries. Maybe I should clarify; it’s not surprising to see this cause and effect scenario played out, rather that the American media all of a sudden realized that this is worthy of our attention. But can the American arts funding model be an answer to European woes?

Changing an Orchestra Program to Meet the Needs of All Students Part II: Birth of a Chamber Orchestra

In my last post, I addressed the circumstances facing the Richmond County Orchestra (RCO) high school directors Trent Henderson and Philip Rhodes in the spring of 2003. Directing a large orchestra with a wide gap between the most accomplished musicians (who were ready to master music on GMEA* level V and beyond) and the less experienced ones (who may have been struggling to play GMEA* level IV) inspired them to try something unprecedented; they created a new orchestra on a temporary, invitation-only basis for the remaining couple of months of the school year. Eventually this group became the Richmond County High School Chamber Orchestra.

“Create a new orchestra? Is there room for that? Do we have the time to carve out of our already hectic schedules for that? What will the other faculty members think?”

Ideas and Trends that are Changing our Lives

Innovation around the web: Creative insights combining business and spirituality…

Click for video from the Wisdom 2.0 Conference.   Latest Fast Company list of 50 most innovative companies, Economist Article: Jeff Bezos and long term innovation, Forbes Article: Your Mental Model of Innovation, 

For more on creativity from Adam, use search field (top left) or click on keywords (bottom right) on his Innovation on my Mind blog.

A recent issue of Time Magazine explored the breakthrough, game-changing phenomenon of YouTube, where 60 hours of video are now uploaded every single minute.  That’s 10 years of video every day. We all have a sense that new technology is changing us as people–both as individual beings and how we connect with others, but we’re not sure how.  Is it okay that we talk with and see each other less despite having more “friends”?  Is it good that we have so much information–some of it outdated or biased or amateurish–at our fingertips? Are we happier and are our lives more fulfilling compared to life before YouTube or smart phones or the Internet or answering machines or word processors?

Changing an Orchestra Program to Meet the Needs of All Students, Part I: When Teaching to the Middle No Longer Works

            Imagine you are back in your high school orchestra. (Or band. Or chorus.)

I know, I know. I shouldn’t put you through that again. If you’re like me you’d rather not revisit your high school self. Just bear with me. You’re back in the orchestra and you are bored out of your mind, frustrated with the music selections, the rehearsal process, and even your fellow orchestra members.

Ten Lessons Musicians Can Learn from Fishers

Dennis Stauffer of Innovator Mindset posted an excellent piece titled Ten Lessons Innovators Can Learn from Fishers on 2/27/2012.  I immediately saw the relevance of this post for musicians and have adapted it here.

There are a number of important lessons about music teaching and performing that can be taken from fishing, lessons like:

1)      To be successful, you have to keep putting your line in the water. Whether you’re trolling for fish or working out a technical passage or trying to find a new strategy for reaching a student, you’re not likely to get there on the first attempt, and if you do it’s likely due as much to luck as to skill. You’re going to have to make multiple attempts if you expect to land the big one.

Onwards and (Back) Upwards: Classical Music and the Everyday

The movement of classical music into non-traditional venues has been a major trend over the past few decades — initiated by groups like the Kronos Quartet and accelerated by Classical Revolution, Knight Arts, and, somewhat famously, members of the Cleveland Orchestra. Chloe Veltman’s latest ArtsJournal.com blog post points out that, at least in San Francisco, these have become “run of the mill.” Exciting! Maybe San Fran and other cultural epicenters are finally driving a collective, societal shift towards a more expansive display of classical music.

Janice Whaley’s New Model of Music-Making (Annual Reflections Part 2 of 2)

(for those you whose devices are not flash enabled, the above music can be heard here)
(for those of you unfamiliar with the music of the Smiths, a brief overview can be found here)

Keeping in mind Monday’s thoughts regarding the need to honor the talents, skills, and resources we already have at our disposal, I’d like to share with you the music of Janice Whaley, a new artist who, I think, presents a powerful model of music making that will be of interest to many of us here in the IPAP community. To my mind, it is a blueprint for what classically-informed performance can be in the twenty-first century.

Set Your Goals, Set Your Life

“In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.”

– Robert Heinlein

I think this is a brilliant quote – so obvious and yet, how many of us get caught up in the minutiae of day-to-day living saying we wish we could do this or that or go here or there or get this or that done, but it never happens?  Then we look around and suddenly 5 years have gone by?

This is Your Brain on Music

I usually don’t pay attention to fitness magazines, but I flipped through this one the other day and came across some information I thought would be good to share.  This came from Self Magazine September 2011 and is copied verbatim.