Last night a small thread emerged on Facebook about the cover for Steve Reich's new CD on Nonesuch Records. The cover is a graphic photo of 9/11, due to the fact the recording features Reich's work WTC 9/11. What do you think? An outrage of something else?? Quickly, the FB consensus is that it is "repulsive." Me, I am not so sure about that. I felt very strongly that … [Read more...] about Steve Reich’s New CD Cover: Is It An Outrage or Not?
Programs for the Untalented and UnGifted
Many, many times, I have been part of formal conversations that made their way around to the question of how we are identifying and supporting the talented and gifted children in the school systems. My response to the question in its many variations has been unwavering: all children are talented. Are all children gifted? Well, define gifted, and for that matter define … [Read more...] about Programs for the Untalented and UnGifted
Saluting Sarah Cunningham as She Departs the NEA
Okay, I've been pretty quiet over the past few weeks. Many have interpreted this to reflect a winding down of Dewey21C as a result of my departure from The Center for Arts Education at the end of this month. Well, that's not the case. There will be no winding down. I am going to continue Dewey21C and expand its focus to life-long learning, including of course, K-12 and … [Read more...] about Saluting Sarah Cunningham as She Departs the NEA
Arts + Education = Butts in the Seats = ?!?
Advocate: It is essential that students experience Shakespeare. School Leader: I never really liked Shakespeare. Anne Midgette is always a good read. First, she's a cracker jack writer. Second, she isn't shy about her opinions. Third, you should hear her talk about food!! When she was writing for The New York Times, she had more than a few very pissed off performers … [Read more...] about Arts + Education = Butts in the Seats = ?!?
Is A Liberal Arts Education Dead Meat?
There are a lot of folks who are taking aim at the liberal arts. Lately, there's been quite a lot of attention paid to a recent speech by Bill Gates at the National Governors Association, where he questioned funding liberal arts programs because the area did not produce enough jobs.For me, this is just a stone's throw form the sort of thinking that relegates the arts to the … [Read more...] about Is A Liberal Arts Education Dead Meat?