Recently, Meredith Monk asked me about my job -- my teaching job. She mentioned that although at least one university invited her, she hasn't held an academic position. There's Philip Glass's story about Mme. Boulanger's offer to write a recommendation letter which, she said, would get him a college position when he got back to the U.S. He declined the letter, he says, because he certainly would have used it! Can you be the best possible … [Read more...]
Where can artists learn?
Where do artists learn best? In the midst of a bucolic landscape -- with no urban distractions? Or, is "natural" beauty distracting? Is there an ideal environment for making art? Perhaps, different arts come from different places? Pianist Russell Sherman writes: "The large cities of the world provide a treasure trove of culture and its artifacts, of concerts, theaters, museums, and libraries nurturing the forces of creation and … [Read more...]