Perceptive Insight 16

"I occasionally play works by contemporary composers, and for two reasons. First, to discourage the composer from writing any more, and secondly to remind myself how much I appreciate Beethoven." Jascha Heifitz

One way travel

One-way airline tickets & inconsistent travel policies www.nodebtworldtravel.com.

In 1995 I was made to buy a return ticket without ANY questions about my visa or travel plans! Not sure if it was just the French, or they were having a bad day.

The Quotable Stephen P Brown

I want to be a kitten in a loving home.

Perceptive Insight 15

Conductor Sir John Barbirolli equated contemporary music to "three farts and a raspberry, orchestrated." He wasn't far wrong in many cases.

Why music is cut in schools

I've held (since Mr Gingrich & Mr. Holland's Opus) that one of the primary reasons music is usually the first subject cut from education is because the decision makers are usually inexperienced in the benefits of music-making (creativity, social, self-discipline, teamwork, sense of achievement, focus, sense of occasion, etc). Some may have participated in music at some point in their lives, but unless the actual benefits were shared with them, they still consider music as a nice extra (refer to my previous "Perspective Insight" blog post that quoted Isaac Stern: "Playing music in America is like selling a luxury item...")

It's nice to see how a decision-making Principal (Head Teacher) realizes how useful music can be to the development of children/ teenagers. Click here to read one version of the full story - the focus of the story is a reduction in detention/ misbehaviour, but the real benefit is that without class disruption, more students are able learn more.

My two concerns remain using [any] music as a deterrent - instead of inviting students to listen and learn about the incredible language of audible music they get turned off completely - somehow, though, it seems at least being exposed to it will have a positive impact later in life in more people than not. My other concern is using gentle music to lull young children to sleep. Every time they hear a slow movement from a Mozart symphony for the rest of their lives, they will be inclined to fall asleep and completely miss the entire musical journey Mozart created for us. Just a warning, is all.

Perceptive Insight 14

"In 1912, the London Symphony Orchestra was the first British orchestra to visit the United States, only narrowly avoiding travelling on the Titanic."

Brahms? Oh... HIM.

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Do you like the music Brahms wrote? Have you even heard of Brahms? You'll probably recognize some of his music if you heard that, at least. In the growth of 'the symphony' he immediately followed Beethoven, and had a hard time doing so. Brahms' first symphony took 20 years to compose and was often referred to as "Beethoven's 10th" (Beethoven wrote 9 symphonies).

A preview to an LSO concert series last season reveals what orchestral musicians think. In this video find out what Andre Previn considers "insane", and what Tchaikovsky thought of his contemporary! Most revealing:

Seattle Symphony Appoints 17yr old Conductor

A 17 year old has been appointed as an 'assistant' to all the orchestra's performing conductors. What's wrong with this picture? Nothing. Really. To be PC.

http://www.americanorchestras.org/todays_news/index.html

I funded my own conducting 'apprecticeship' with the Halle and BBC Phil (with tremendous thanks to Trevor Green, now in Melbourne) right after college, taking me from a wealthy student (I worked my butt off and earned enough to graduate without any loans and buy a house, too) to penniless (and have barely recovered since!).

A year after I finished my appointment, the BBC Phil then announced a funded 'conducting apprenticeship' where a young conductor would shadow all performing conductors and help them as appropriate/ necessary.

And now the Seattle Symphony announces the latest version of the same program, except this time the young conductor is so young, he's not yet even of college age yet. Wow.

Same happened with my college wind band - I founded the Trinity Students Symphonic Winds (no jokes, please) because there was no such ensemble for wind, brass & percussion players at my college. Although it folded when I left college, it was so popular for the two years I ran it that a full 14 months after I did graduate, there on the college's official new syllabus was a brand new wind band!

I've heard that 'pioneers' and 'trend-setters' rarely benefit (perhaps just commercially) from their innovations because they concentrate so much on their craft that they don't know how to market and legally protect themselves, and earn money at the same time. Well, I guess as I approach the age of 'we-can-take-him-seriously-as-a-conductor-now', I can relate. Of course, there are always exceptions like Philip Dyson and Dean Kamen, but even Howard Shultz (Starbucks) bought an existing coffee company with a great concept but no marketing/legal skills, and look what happened when a businessman took over the innovator's conception! Did you know Bill Gates didn't INVENT the desktop computer OR the operating software known as Windows?

So... as I build an incredible staff of administrative superheroes, who's my markting guru? Are YOU my undiscovered business manager? Anyone can apply - but you must be under college age, willing to work purely on commission, full of mutating hormones and acne, with absolutely no experience at all in the professional music world, love, failure, politics, joy or common sense, please.

At least then I can concentrate just on making music and not on finance, taxes, websites, copyright, contracts, politics, et al. Oh, that's right... I forgot my own motto: There's more to music than music!

WNYC - Soundtracking Surgery

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We all know music has unexplainable benefits/use for our daily lives. This program discussed using music in the surgery room and hospitals:

WNYC - Soundcheck: Soundtracking Surgery (January 08, 2010)

My response:

"Such a fascinating subject. As a conductor of a variety of styles (including some contemporary rock/pop, theater & film music as well as classical), I find it intriguing that music has so far not played a more integral part in all our lives. The psychological, emotional and physical benefits of PARTICIPATING in music (listening as well as performing) far outweigh our understanding... so why don't we embrace it in everyday life? I like that Dr Conrad is formalizing reasons why we should.

"Some of my concerns, however, are not just bad associations (the reason why someone died whilst listening to a particular song could be interpreted a number of different ways) but using music to lull people into unconsciousness - such as Mozart. I'm afraid that we have a generation of children who will fall asleep whenever they hear the slow movement of a Mozart symphony or concerto when, in fact, they are missing out on an incredible aural, emotional & meditative journey! There are also dangers in using music to subdue (or inspire) behaviour as a background medium - in shopping malls, stores, and even public lavatories!

"We should remember: There's more to music than music. Isaac Stern is reported to have said, "Playing music in America you feel like you're selling a luxury item. But in England you're providing a necessity." Maybe he's right - maybe in the USA we should incorporate music into our lives far more than we do. It is obvious that certain music works to everyone's benefit in the hospital environment. Well done!"

Perceptive Insight 13

"Wilberforce knew somebody had detuned a string on his viola. He just couldn't be sure which one."

VOTE & PASS ON!

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Old joke great for the New Year

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(remember similar cartoons?)

Perceptive Insight 12

"If you have an apple and I have an apple, we can exchange apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange ideas, then each of us will have two ideas." George Bernard Shaw