“Children as young as five will be expected to learn and recite poetry by heart in a major overhaul of the national curriculum for schools in England. The education secretary, Michael Gove, will promise a new focus on the traditional virtues of spelling and grammar when he sets out his plans for the teaching of English in primary schools later this week. At the same time, Gove will put forward proposals to make learning a foreign language compulsory for pupils from the age of seven.”
Tag: 06.10.12
Do Innovative Orchestras = Better Orchestras?
Two of the more exciting indie classical orchestras just released new CDs that show that a different operating model doesn’t diminish the music’s quality. Still, if orchestras like this are going to innovate on the operational side — more power to ’em! — I wish they’d also include more innovative and contemporary music in their programs.
NY Phil Flutist’s Instruments Stolen, Then Recovered
Alexandra Sopp was carrying a leather bag containing her instruments — worth more than $40,000 — only to notice the bag missing about 3 a.m. Her $25,000, 14-karat gold-plated flute — with an $8,000 one-of-kind headpiece — and $8,000 wooden piccolo had been snatched.
Founder Of Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers Dies
“Rachel Browne founded Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers in 1964 and was its artistic director, resident choreographer and teacher for more than 20 years. Brent Lott, the company’s current artistic director, called Browne the matriarch of modern dance in Canada.”
“Once” Steals Tonys Show
“The bittersweet musical “Once” captured the hearts of Tony Award voters on Sunday night, winning eight trophies and earning bragging rights as the top musical on Broadway, even as most shows came away with at least something to crow about.”
Jay McInerney: How “Great Gatsby” Defined An Age
“At that time, Gatsby seemed like the relic of an age most wanted to forget. In the succeeding years, Fitzgerald’s slim tale of the jazz age became the most celebrated and beloved novel in the American canon. It’s more than an American classic; it’s become a defining document of the national psyche, a creation myth, the Rosetta Stone of the American dream. And yet all the attempts to adapt it to stage and screen have only served to illustrate its fragility and its flaws.”
How Free Digital Music Has Changed The Culture Of Music
“Commerce starts at the point where people are happy with paying for something – and the fact that technology now allows people to choose to not pay for music has turned music culture into a service culture.”
Kansas Arts Groups Cheer As State Arts Funding Resumes
“I mean, this was thousands of advocates who worked really hard over the last year and a half to explain why the arts were important in their communities, to explain what this meant in their lives. And I really believe that that voice was heard by the governor and by legislators.”
Broadway’s Record Season (And A Few Tony Predictions)
“Forty shows opened (14 musicals, 23 plays and 3 special events) to a total gross of $1.14 billion and an audience of 12.33 million. Actual attendance was down by 200,000 people, but then last season was kind of a leap season: there were 53 playing weeks. Despite that dip in the behinds-in-seats tally, total box-office receipts leapt by about $600,000 this season.”
Handicapping This Year’s Tony Awards
“The 2012 awards ceremony, the biggest night of honors for the Broadway industry, offers something even more fun than singing missionaries and pint-size ballerinas: competition.”