I once had a colleague complain to me about the disparities in quality among those organizations providing services to schools. Some programs were great; others were terrible. Some artists where thoughtfully developed and supported to work in schools; others were simply booked into the gig. Some organizations spent a great deal of time on reflective practice; others did … [Read more...] about The Sweet Spot for Schools and Cultural Organzations
Archives for January 2010
Oh NCLB, Where Art Thou?
On January 20th, the USDOE is hosting an information session for arts education constituents concerning the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), otherwise known during the Bush administration as No Child Left Behind.In regards to the arts, I know no one who holds the view that NCLB was anything but bad legislation. In a GAO report last year, it … [Read more...] about Oh NCLB, Where Art Thou?
The Integration of the Arts: Composer/Performers Reach Back to the Silent Film Era
There are a few composer performers who are have associated themselves with silent film greats and other great iconic comedians. The first grouping I want to point out is Bill Frisell and Buster Keaton. Then there's Don Byron and Ernie Kovacs. And, there's Dave Douglas and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. There are others, most notably composers who have written new scores to major … [Read more...] about The Integration of the Arts: Composer/Performers Reach Back to the Silent Film Era
Fight On: Proposed Elimination of LAUSD’s Elementary Arts Education Program
The Los Angeles Unified School District is proposing to eliminate funding for its elementary grades arts education program by the end of 2011.Here's the budget document from LAUSD. Here's the online petition against the cuts.Here's the action center of Arts for LA.According to the online petition, LAUSD is the only large urban district in the United States that provides an … [Read more...] about Fight On: Proposed Elimination of LAUSD’s Elementary Arts Education Program
The Times They Are A-Changin’: National Funding for Arts Education
Those who have been around the block a few times will probably see this as just another instance of the vicissitudes of funding. We've seen any number of large scale funding initiatives come and go; any number of major funders for arts education come and go. Once upon a time there was the JDR 3rd Fund, The GE Fund, The Annenberg Foundation, and others.Nevertheless, the general … [Read more...] about The Times They Are A-Changin’: National Funding for Arts Education