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February 17, 2006
Music for All Enters the Wonderful World of Podcasting
I must admit, I was intrigued by the idea the first time I heard of podcasts a little less than a year ago. When Apple brought podcasting to the public’s attention in June I became even more interested in the idea. I do a lot of writing (for this blog, for magazines, for other projects) and our news services force me to stay on top of all the music and arts education news from around the country. I have lots of material at my fingertips.
But the technology to create a decent podcast seemed to be out to be just out of reach. Not because of money… it was more ignorance.
GarageBand 3 changed all that. It made it easy to unleashed the caged podcaster within!
So, keeping the same name as my magazine columns we have launched From the Trenches a bi-weekly audio magazine covering the news headlines, news events, and newsmakers impacting the music arts education world.
In our first episode we look at:
President Bushes FY2007 budget and the impact on arts educationWe explore what issue is literally weighing on the minds of arts educators in Texas
Rant about a Denver Post Editorial supports the elimination of arts programs in DPS Public schoolsAnd in our feature story we look at the California $100 million proposal that could change the landscape for arts education in California public schools and across the nations.
Take a listen!
To subscribe to the podcast follow your software’s instructions (iTunes, etc,) and use the url
http://music-for-all.org/trenches.xml
To download the complete show (an 8 MG - MPEG4 File) click here!
We would love to know what you think!
Posted by musicforall at 7:55 AM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2006
School Performance of Grease Ignites Culture War
It appears that the a high school performance of the musical Grease has ignited a culture war:
When Wendy DeVore, the drama teacher at Fulton High here, staged the musical "Grease," about high school students in the 1950's, she carefully changed the script to avoid causing offense in this small town.She softened the language, substituting slang for profanity in places. Instead of smoking "weed," the teenagers duck out for a cigarette. She rated the production PG-13, advising parents it was not suitable for small children.
But a month after the performances in November, three letters arrived on the desk of Mark Enderle, Fulton's superintendent of schools. Although the letters did not say so, the three writers were members of a small group linked by e-mail, all members of the same congregation, Callaway Christian Church.
Each criticized the show, complaining that scenes of drinking, smoking and a couple kissing went too far, and glorified conduct that the community tries to discourage. One letter, from someone who had not seen the show but only heard about it, criticized "immoral behavior veiled behind the excuse of acting out a play."
If this is too much for the community... what would be appropriate?
In Small Town, 'Grease' Ignites a Culture War - New York Times
Posted by musicforall at 4:19 PM
February 2, 2006
Sound of Music in New Brunswick
When everyone works well together great things can happen for our students. The collaboration in New Bruswick to restore music and arts education is a great case in point!
During the two decades New Brunswick was remaking itself into a celebrated cultural hub, the music program in its public high school kept getting cut back until there was nothing. No chorus, no marching band, no orchestra.But with the help of the city's arts institutions, the district is rebuilding its music program, beginning with fourth- and fifth-graders. The goal is to prepare the younger students for the visual and performing arts institute planned for the new high school expected to open in 2009.
Posted by musicforall at 1:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Music Teachers on Strike!
It seems things have gotten a little out of control at Midori and Friends, a non-profit music education organization that provides music instruction in several New York City Public Schools.
While not taking sides (other than to say we agree with Midori's comment that this strike is not serving the kids who benefit from this program) it brings up a much more important point... are we doing a disservice to our children by "out sourcing" the music program from the public school to begin with?
I am not sure I know the answer... but I would suspect the schools would be better served by having a program as part of the regular curriculum... after all it is the responsibility of our schools to provide this instruction for our children. has the school system absolved themselves of this responsibility by contracting with an outside group. What happens when a strike like this occurs. What recourse does the school have? What does the teachers union (AFT) think about the musicians union (AFM) organizing teaching artists? Are we now looking at Music Education as a program that needs to be externally funded by private donors? What does this say about music education as being part of the basic curriculum? Is this model economically viable for the long term?
Midori and Friends have done some great work over the years this. But this strike now brings forward a whole host of issues that are bigger than Midori and Friends and the teaching artists who are on strike against them.
From the New York Times via the Strike Website:
Music teachers who carry out the work of the foundation established by the violinist Midori went on strike on Thursday, denouncing what they said were a lack of raises, unfair pay and attempts to limit pensions. The foundation countered that the teachers were making unreasonable demands on an organization created to do good.Several dozen musicians, mostly freelancers who teach in New York City schools on behalf of the foundation, Midori & Friends, have laid down their bows and horns after a strike deadline passed on Wednesday night, said Brenda Vincent, a violin teacher.
"We can't make enough of a living to survive," she said. "We need to be able to eat and pay our bills."
...
The musicians, represented by Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians, said they had been without a contract for six months. They said the foundation had refused to raise starting salaries, which have remained at $40 an hour for the last seven years. Veterans make only a few dollars more an hour. In addition, the union said, the foundation is seeking to delay paying into a pension fund until after a teacher's first year.
Ms. Vincent said that while the hourly wage might seem large, teachers were sometimes given only two classes a day at a school and might have to travel hours to get to the jobs. For many, the teaching is just one piece of the puzzle they put together to make a livelihood. Ms. Vincent, for example, said she earned $12,000 a year from the teaching, supplemented by freelance jobs.
The foundation's chairman, Alan Fischer, said that new teachers were offered a 7.5 percent increase but that the union demanded 25 percent at the last minute. He said that it was reasonable to withhold pension payments during a one-year probationary period and that pay was comparable with that of other organizations of the same size.
"We want to serve the kids," Mr. Fischer said. "We want to do right by the teachers. We're a do-good organization."
Midori issued a statement saying she was "surprised and disappointed" by the position taken by the union. In a telephone interview, she said she had not been involved in the negotiations but that "it has always been the intention to really behave fairly." She added, "I'm actually quite disappointed, in fact, that right now our children are not receiving musical instruction."
Midori and Friends Music Teachers On Strike!: Striking Teaching Artists in the New York Times