400 Years Of Books Teaching You How To Draw

“Until the early 17th century, learning to draw meant entering an artist’s workshop — often as a child — copying the master’s sketches and drawing from plaster casts and live models. Students drew under the supervision and authority of the master. But all of that changed in 1608, when the Italian painter and printmaker Odoardo Fialetti published the first instructional drawing guide.” – Hyperallergic

The #ListenWider Challenge

Want to break out of your algorithmically-determined musical taste? How about being more intentional about what you listen to? Musicology Duck has set up a listening challenge for 2020 that prompts us to listen more outside our usual pathways. There are 30 challenges encouraging you to seek out music you wouldn’t normally encounter. – Musicology Duck

Now In The Public Domain: These Works Came Out Of Copyright This Week

“These works include George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, silent films by Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, and books such as Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, E. M. Forster’s A Passage to India, and A. A. Milne’s When We Were Very Young. These works were supposed to go into the public domain in 2000, after being copyrighted for 75 years. But before this could happen, Congress hit a 20-year pause button and extended their copyright term to 95 years.” – Public Domain Day

Lament For A Shuttered Music School, And For The Too-Rare Opportunity It Offered

“A nonprofit on the East Side that partnered with public schools, the [Turtle Bay Music School] announced in November that it would be forced to close due to a lack of funding. The entire conceit of TBMS, summed up in its ​mission statement​, was that every single person should be able to learn an instrument and enjoy making music. That ‘every single person’ part was key — if you couldn’t afford lessons, tuition assistance could help.” – Gothamist

Dancing While Deaf: What It’s Like To Move To Music You Can’t Hear

“Dance may be a visual art form, but it’s tightly intertwined with sound. Even as the field strives to be more inclusive, learning to dance without two fully functioning ears remains a challenge. But today, dancers with full and partial hearing loss are becoming more visible, thanks to growing opportunities, high-profile role models and even Instagram.” – Dance Magazine