“As tertiary music institutions explore ways to increase the social orientation of their curricula, it is important that the student voice be present in research and scholarship. How do students themselves conceive of the notion of a ‘socially engaged’ musician? What social roles do they see for themselves as musicians?” – Music Education Research
‘An Overwhelming Sense Of Truth And Beauty’ — Simon Callow On Oliver Sacks
“This is an unusual boy, one who had, as he puts it, an ‘overwhelming sense of Truth and Beauty’ when at the age of ten he saw a periodic table in the Science Museum and became convinced that ‘these were indeed the elemental building blocks of the universe, that the whole universe was here, in microcosm, in South Kensington.’ … And it becomes increasingly clear that Sacks was that boy to the very end of his days.” – The New York Review of Books
Director Of MASS MoCA To Face Vehicular Homicide Charge
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Director Joe Thompson will be arraigned on June 19 for a July 2018 incident in which Thompson’s car collided with a motorcycle whose driver was killed. Thompson maintains his innocence, and his attroney says that “the police confirmed he had used no alcohol, was not on his cellphone.” – The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, MA)
On ‘Pose,’ dancing isn’t just about self-expression. It’s a survival skill for trans women.
“The series centers on the trans women and gay men of color in New York’s underground ballroom culture. … The ballroom scene arose from emptiness, dreamed into existence by young people, mostly black and Latino, who had been shunned by their biological families and faced homelessness, violence, sex work and disease. They filled the void with fantasies of wealth and magazine-cover beauty and strolling Fifth Avenue like they owned it. Their aspirations took shape at the balls. More important, indulging in the exaggerated femininity of the spins, dips and floor poses of voguing, and practicing a killer runway walk in six-inch heels, were keys to survival.” – The Washington Post
Does Your SmartPhone Add Or Subtract From Your Concert Experience?
The research shows that when we decide to use our phones to check work email, to check up on the kids or any other activities that have nothing to do with the festival, our satisfaction with the experience goes down. When we do use our devices at festivals it doesn’t affect our satisfaction with the event if we are using our phones for festival-related activities like looking at the festival schedule, the venue map or even texting to meet up with friends who are joining us. – The Conversation
The Challenges Facing MoMA When It Reopens This Fall
Roberta Smith: “MoMA’s imminent closing and reopening casts everything now on view in an unusual light. You can see the future bearing down on the museum’s fabulous if blinkered past, which is about to be stretched and rearranged. The question of how profoundly and effectively this will be done should keep us on the edge of our seats all summer.” – The New York Times
A Classic Book Of Japanese American History Gets Reissued By A Major Press – But Who Owns The Copyright?
A University of Washington professor worked hard to get the overlooked and forgotten 1957 book No-No Boy republished through the university press, and it’s become an Asian American literary success story. Then Penguin Classics stepped in. “Dorothea Okada, John Okada’s daughter, said her family was unaware of any issues with their claim to the copyright, and that the family wasn’t contacted by Penguin before the new edition was published.” – The New York Times
Major Generational Change At Paul Taylor Dance
They have been the face of the company for years — or, rather, the faces. Mr. Taylor picked his dancers for their individuality, both in looks and in spirit. And now they’re moving on… – The New York Times
Should You Watch Ron Howard’s New Pavarotti BioPic?
Phil Kennicott: “The best thing about Ron Howard’s polished new documentary, “Pavarotti,” is its compassion for the man, who emerges frail but not hollow, merely human and not the pathetic clown he so often seemed in his last decade.” – Washington Post
Why Play Is Evolutionarily Important (And How It Helps You)
When mammals stalk, hunt, and escape, they find themselves in ever-new situations and environments. Marc Bekoff, a researcher at the University of Colorado and a lifelong student of animal behavior, argues that play broadens an animal’s behavioral repertoire, giving them the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. – Nautilus
A Visit To One Of America’s Dying Rural Radio Stations
“Small-town radio is fizzling nationwide, as stations struggle to attract advertisement dollars. And as station owners are forced to sell, media conglomerates snap up rural frequencies for rock-bottom prices, for the sole purpose of relocating them to urban areas. … With limited frequencies available, larger broadcasters purchase as many as possible – especially those higher on the dial – in a race not dissimilar to a real estate grab.’ A reporter looks in on one of the victims of this phenomenon, KHIL in Willcox, Arizona. – The Guardian
We Equate Physical Beauty With Morality. Of Course This Often Steers Us Wrong
Meet someone you thought was ugly but then decided they were beautiful? Or someone you thought was gorgeous but then were mystified why you ever thought so? Our sense of physical beauty is a complicated dance with our notions of character and morality. – Aeon
A Tribute To Tin House, The Literary Journal For ‘Brilliant Weirdos’
“A quarterly that began publishing in the spring of 1999, [Tin House] quickly set itself apart, injecting the staid world of literary magazines with humor, adventurous design and an expansive editorial mission that mixed risky work by new and established writers. This month, Tin House will publish its 80th and final issue.” Nicole Rudick looks at what made the journal so special and talks with the people who made it happen. – The New York Times
Protests Against Drag Queen Story Hour Spread To Brooklyn (Brooklyn?)
Mind you, this wasn’t in Williamsburg or Park Slope; it happened at the library branch in the somewhat remote neighborhood of Gerritsen Beach. Even so, about 40 people protesting the reading by Angel Elektra were met by more than 50 counter-protesters. “One side played church hymns from a loudspeaker, the other played Lady Gaga and Ke$ha from phones.” – Brooklyn Eagle
Los Angeles To Redesign La Brea Tar Pits
“Officials from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the entity that manages the site, announced the selection of three architectural firms that will develop separate proposals for a new master plan for the 12-acre site, which includes the tar pits, the George C. Page Museum and surrounding parkland — home to the iconic Los Angeles sight of a mammoth clinging to life along the edge of a tar lake.” – Los Angeles Times
T-Rex And Robots And Toons, Oh My! Smithsonian’s Fossil Hall Reopens After Five-Year Renovation
Yes, “the Nation’s T. rex” still has pride of place in the hall at the National Museum of Natural History. “But there’s much more here than one awe-inspiring dinosaur. The hall, restored to its Beaux-Arts glory, offers a fresh view of the fossil record and the evolution of life. It looks at the impact of climate change — caused both by man and by natural sources — and mass-extinction events. The exhibition demonstrates what scientists can learn from seemingly innocuous marks on a fossil, uses a cartoon of an ancient sea creature to show why your brain is located in your skull, and lets visitors get up close and personal with giant bronze insects.” – The Washington Post
$55 Million — Philadelphia Orchestra Gets Largest Gift In Its History
“The donation, by a couple wishing to remain anonymous, places $50 million into the orchestra’s endowment plus $5 million for general operating costs.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer
Board Exodus At Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre
Thirteen out of 34 members of the board of directors, including chairman John Svoboda, resigned this week following a disagreement with Roosevelt University, which owns the building, over the hiring of a new CEO. – Crain’s Chicago Business
Dr. John, New Orleans Musical Icon, Dead At 77
“[Malcolm John] Rebennack, in his younger years, was gangsta to a degree that would likely shock Lil Wayne. But over the course of a remarkable life and career, he evolved. From addiction to three decades of sobriety. From sordid escapades as a dealer and pimp to Disney soundtracks and the model for sleepy-eyed, jive-talking Muppet musician Dr. Teeth. From hometown outcast to one of its most outspoken advocates and beloved characters.” – The New Orleans Advocate
Edinburgh Festivals Lobby UK Gov’t To Stop Making Artist Visas So Difficult
“A delegation from the festivals has this week met with Caroline Nokes, the Minister of State for Immigration, in a bid to ease the apparent clampdown on visiting artists to the UK … [that led to] the visa crisis experienced by artists at last year’s festival.” – The Herald (Scotland)
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Artistic Director To Step Down After 22 Years
“Terrence S. Orr … will retire next June after the ballet company concludes its 50th anniversary season. Under his leadership, Mr. Orr expanded the company’s repertory with more than 20 new commissions and dozens of acquisitions … [and] the company has grown its ticket sales, school enrollment and campus.” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Why Customers Are Returning To Small Bookstores
When one small bookstore owner tells customers they could buy it cheaper if they ordered it themselves, she says they tell her: “Amazon doesn’t play with my kids; Amazon doesn’t bring authors to Bedford; Amazon doesn’t recommend books when my child is going through hell and needs something to lift them up.” – The Guardian
Arts Professionals Need To Stop Fleeing From The Merest Whiff Of Failure
Leila Jancovich: “When managing the [2002] Commonwealth Games cultural programme in Manchester, both myself and our independent evaluator were asked to remove learning points from our reports for fear they might appear negative. Instead, we were encouraged to focus on celebratory facts and figures. But I strongly believed then – and believe now – that we learn more from failure than success. ” – Arts Professional
Shifts at Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: Wilsey Steps Down, Controversy Ramps Up
Notwithstanding Dede Wilsey’s megadonor status and her 21-year tenure in the board’s top spot, her future value to FAMSF could be compromised by an eyebrow-raising opinion piece published Tuesday by the San Francisco Examiner — “Questions Emerge about Legitimacy of Museum Leadership”. – Lee Rosenbaum