While some in recovery opt for yoga or prayer groups, the group that chooses to connect with Kentucky’s musical heritage is doing well. “The art of crafting an instrument by hand requires keen focus, attention to detail and commitment to a goal — qualities that can help during recovery, in concert with therapy, peer-support groups and other rehabilitation work, experts say.” – The New York Times
Tag: sj1
Popular Songs , Social Justice, and the Will to Change with Brad Schreiber
Author Brad Schreiber joins S.T. Patrick to discuss his new book Music is Power: Popular Songs, Social Justice, and the Will to Change. For two hours, Schreiber and Patrick discuss the impact of protest music (or more aptly, socially conscious music) on the culture and on their lives (while playing many of the songs discussed). Some of the topics discussed are the qualities that make up a socially conscious song, if American and British popular music working bottom-up made socially conscious music more plentiful, the Vietnam era, the misuse of Bruce Springsteen songs, what “This Land Is Your Land” really means, The Man in Black, The Dixie Chicks versus “W,” the impact of “the end of the Sixties,” Marvin Gaye in 1970, whether the music of the 1980s is underrated as socially conscious music, and much more. – Midnight Writers News
Class, control, and classical music
“Something that has increasingly bothered me over 20 years as a practitioner and educator, is that “music education” as we conceive it (right down to state/county/national syllabi/standards) is not really for everyone, even if it’s supposed to be. … [Anna] Bull’s Class, Control, and Classical Music is a book for our time, especially for those of us who went through classical music training (even just school-age instrumental lessons or choir/chorus rehearsals), loved or loathed it, and would like to point a critical lens to that part of our lives.” – James Humberstone
At The Jacob’s Pillow Gala This Summer, One Patron Was Subjected To Humiliating Racist Treatment By Some Other Patrons. Here’s How The Director Handled It.
“After hearing about this, I couldn’t stay silent. I wrote an op-ed for our regional paper, The Berkshire Eagle, describing how Jacob’s Pillow, like many cultural institutions, is working to create a climate of inclusiveness. ‘We can diversify the artists … we celebrate onstage, the dancers we teach in our school, and the representation of people of color on our board and staff,’ I wrote. ‘What can we do to evolve our audiences so that our institution is truly inclusive?” I invited readers to share their thoughts.” Pamela Tatge writes about what has happened as a result. – Dance Magazine
Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Leads New MFA Program For Artist-Activists
Patrisse Cullors, a performance artist who recently completed a master’s degree at USC with a concentration on performance and activism, designed the new two-year online program, called Social and Environmental Arts Practice, with and for Prescott College in Arizona. – Los Angeles Times
Detroit Symphony To Give Free Instrument And Lessons To Any Detroit Child Who Wants Them
“Detroit Harmony, as the project is called, represents a bid to dramatically expand music education throughout the city, one that hopefully will generate demand for an entirely new workforce of music teachers and craftsmen to repair and refurbish used instruments. … [The program] will be open to any K-12 student in public, private and charter schools throughout the city.” – The Detroit News
Tyshawn Sorey And The Dawning Of Musical Consciousness
“Besides the physical notation, the sheet of paper or whatever, there’s also the psychological notation. That should also be there—where you can deal with the music on a real level. Whether it’s notated on paper or not. You’re still in the room and you’re still in the music.” – NewMusicBox
Do Arts Organizations Understand The Difference Between Inspiration And Impact?
“On some level, you’ve got to ask your arts organization a really hard question: If there’s no positive impact you can measure, why hang your hat on the idea? After all, inspiring change is not about the “inspiring” — it’s about the “change,” no? When arts nonprofits focus on inspiration — that is, inspiration instead of change — they’re complicit in creating an escape hatch, a counterfeit way to gauge their existence.” – Clyde Fitch Report
Finally, The Met Will Stage An Opera By A Black Composer
The chosen work is Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones, with a libretto by Kasi Lemmons based on the memoir by New York Times columnist Charles Blow, premiered this past summer at Opera Theater of St. Louis. When will it arrive in New York? That hasn’t been worked out yet. – The New York Times
Eight Operas About The Black American Experience That Are By Black Composers
“Though they’ve been ignored or underheard, African-American composers have long been crafting ambitious music dramas. Some of the works cited below exist in complete editions, ready to be programmed. Others are still emerging, thanks to the work of scholars reversing decades of neglect.” – The New York Times