How Teaching To The Test Snuffs Out Children’s Creativity

“Imagine the future actress, who is told there’s no time to play in the dress-up area because she has to learn all her letters and memorize 25 sight words at the age of five. Imagine the up-and-coming Picasso who is chastised for turning in a picture of a blue cat eating a potato when the assignment had been to draw a self-portrait. Not realistic enough! Follow directions!”

Europe Experiments With Book Scanning

“On Wednesday, Google announced that it will scan ancient Italian texts … as part of the Internet company’s first publishing partnership with a national government.” Norway’s “national library last year signed a deal with a group representing all of the Scandinavian country’s publishers and authors to put 50,000 copyrighted books online that can be read for free.”

How Do You Win That Orchestra Spot? Get In The Minivan

Facing a 26-hour drive from Winnipeg to his D.C. audition with the National Symphony Orchestra, timpanist Jauvon Gilliam “called up timpanists in major American orchestras along the way and asked if he could play for them. He wanted to get used to playing nervous, in unfamiliar situations. … [B]y the time he got to Washington, he was in great form.”

The Surprising Success Of Spain’s New Classical Ballet Company

Angel Corella: “I thought the company was very necessary for Spanish dancers who wanted to have their career in their country. So it’s been many years of work and, now, a few years of double the work, but also the double the success. It’s amazing. We had five days of Swan Lake and all the tickets were sold out in less than two hours. It was a little bit scary.”