Arts Education Research

Hong Kong to Launch Creative Economy Office

From the "what do they know that we don't" category:

HONG KONG, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- A previously announced dedicated office for nurturing creative industries under the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government will come in the middle of this year, a senior official said Wednesday. Delivering an annual budget speech, Financial Secretary John Tsang said the office will integrate existing government resources to effectively support the sector.

Official: HK's creative economy office to come in mid-year_English_Xinhua

September 11th - What I Wrote Then

On September 11, 2001, I was at my desk in Manhattan tending to the start of the day. Would would transpire over the next 19 hours is something I will never forget. At the time, I sat down and wrote about what had happened on the day as I experieenced it. I shared it with my family and friends. Today, in memory of this solemn day, I felt it would be appropriate to share it with all of you. It was written on September 12, 2001 and appears exactly as it was then... errors and all! ---

Hi Everyone! First of all, I am fine and the family is fine. I appreciate all of the calls of concern and your thoughts for our safety and well being. Needless to say this was a day I will never forget. Like most epic tragedies there are golden tales of the incredible quality of the human spirit and the spirit of our country. I was able to witness a few of them and I thought I would share them with all of you.

I'm Back!

I know... I have been gone a long while. Things have been a little crazy with work, our ongoing research and the one thing that has set me back the most, the passing of my father. Just after my last post my father was admitted to an ICU unit in Connecticut for the latest battle with cancer. As he battled for his life it became clear he would not recover and all we could do was be to find a way to make him comfortable for his final days/weeks. We brought him to a hospice facility near my house in late May. He died on June 21st... the day after my birthday. Everyone goes through loss at one point in time in their life or another. Everyone deals with it differently. I found that for myself, I need to immerse myself with my family. Stay focused on accomplishing my responsibilities at work and, as a result, to the broader arts education community. But, my writing had to take a back seat. As everyone comes back from summer vacation and prepares for the new school year, I too am returning from my hiatus to take care of my family with a renewed sense of what we all need to accomplish. I do not have the answers... yet... but I do know the questions to ask. So to my loyal blog readers (and those not so loyal)... Ready or not... here I come!

Spring Break!

Spring has finally sprung so we are off for the next few days. We will reurn the week of 4/9!

Happy Holidays from Music for All

Music Community Loses Another Giant

The music community loses another warrior for music and music education. And Music for All loses another friend.

Musical Instrument Industry Mourns the Passing of Fender's Legendary William 'Bill' Schultz William "Bill" Schultz, the man best known for his legendary business turnaround of the iconic Fender(R) brand name, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Sept. 21, at his Scottsdale, Ariz., home in the presence of his loving family. In 1985, Schultz led an employee leveraged buyout of Fender Musical Instruments from then-owner CBS Inc. The company, whose products include the Stratocaster(R), Telecaster(R) and Precision Bass(R) guitars that have been played by musicians from around the world for more than 60 years, was in steady decline under CBS management. Schultz and his team set out to restore the company's former glory, and in the 20 years under his direction, they had taken it from a small general office and warehouse in Brea, Calif., to its current position as the global industry leader, with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in two countries and offices around the world. Schultz also served as chairman of the board for Fender Musical Instruments Corp. ("FMIC"). In the days to come, the FMIC board of directors will name a successor. Said William Mendello, the current CEO of Fender and long-time friend of Schultz, "It is hard to imagine where Fender would be without the vision, passion and belief of Bill Schultz. He led one of the greatest turnarounds in American business history, and I will always be inspired by his leadership, his role as a guiding force in the success of Fender, and his unwavering friendship throughout the years."

Musical Instrument Industry Mourns the Passing of Fender's Legendary William 'Bill' Schultz

Merger: What People are Saying

Here are some of the comments we are receiving about the merger: “The merger of Music for All and Bands of America is a highly significant development for music education in America,” notes Sir Ken Robinson, well-known author and one of the world’s foremost authorities on creativity. “I know, through my own work and collaboration with Music for All, just what a powerful force it has become for music in schools. Under the driving leadership of Bob Morrison, it has combined vision and passion with a hard headed approach to effective research and informed advocacy. Bands of America has a distinguished record in supporting and promoting music practice throughout the United States. The merging of these two proven agencies into a single united force is very good news for students, educators and musicians across the country and for education as a whole.” “In spite of most people instinctively knowing the benefits of music, far too often music programs are the first to be cut when schools have budget problems,” notes Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, past chairman and current board member of the National Governor’s Association and the Education Commission of the States. “That’s why I am excited that Music for All and Bands of America have united under the label Music for All, Inc. The merger of these two outstanding organizations will create one of the largest organizations in America engaged in making music,” adds Huckabee, a long time music and arts education champion. “Music for All, Inc. will provide a mechanism to connect those who develop policy with those who will implement that policy on a large scale. With the outreach capabilities of this new ‘policy meets practice’ organization, music programs should never again be on the chopping blocks in our schools.” “We have worked closely with both organizations in the past,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM, the International Music Products Association, “and we fully support this merger and the strong leadership of Scott McCormick and Bob Morrison.”

When Does a Musical Note Become A Religious Symbol?

I first wrote about the holiday controversies over religious music when a local school district and the supervisor of fine arts Nick Santoro became vilified (the school district deserved it... Nick did not) for the banning of certain music deemed to be religious during the Christmas/Hananuka/Kwanza/Rhamadan/Comsumer Holiday period that runs... oh say... from the third week in September until sometime during the first quarter of a new year. Hey... there are folks in my neighborhood that STILL have their Christmas (or are the kwanza) lights up... AND IT IS JULY 11th... but I digress. Here is what I wrote in 2004:

When Does a Musical Note Become A Religious Symbol? Is it when words are attached that infer religious meaning? If the words are detached from the music does the music retain the meaning of the words? If music programs cannot perform instrumental versions of any music that may have religious lyrics... is it possible to divorce the music and lyrics to any song? Should we no longer use the Star-Spangled Banner as our national anthem because the original words were tied to the consumption of alcohol? Can the Messiah no longer be seen as a great work of art. Read full commentary

(Yes... I know I need to convert my 120 articles from the old blog to this blog) So... just when you thought it might be safe to bring out those instrumental favorites another superintendent... clearly afraid of her own shadow... bans the performance of "Ave Maria" at the high school commencement. SO what is the next logical step in this story?

Teen sues district after "Ave Maria" silenced By David Bowermaster For years, seniors in the wind ensemble at Henry M. Jackson High School have selected a favorite piece of music to play during commencement. For last month's ceremonies, the 17 students chose an instrumental version of "Ave Maria," which they had performed at a school concert in December 2004. But their choice was vetoed by Dr. Carol Whitehead, superintendent of the Everett School District. Instead, the ensemble played a selection by British composer Gustav Holst. Now Kathryn Nurre, an 18-year-old who played alto saxophone in the ensemble before graduating, is suing Whitehead, claiming the decision violated her First Amendment right to freedom of speech. She believes "Ave Maria" was nixed by Whitehead because she felt the song was too religious for a school-sanctioned event.

The full story is: The Seattle Times: Local News: Teen sues district after "Ave Maria" silenced But my FAVORITE part is the readers reaction. Take a look!

Losing a Friend: Mike Kovins

As I can back in from my son's baseball practice there was a message on my answering machine. "Bob, it's Jim. I calling to see if you know anything about Mike. I just heard he died. Call me back." click. And just like that I learned that Mike Kovins, a person who has played an important role in my life and my career, has died. Very Sad. Mike had been suffering with Leukemia... for seven years. None of his friends knew. He kept it private. I thought it would be interesting to allow people who knew Mike to post comments here. I am still gathering all my thoughts before sharing. So, if you knew Mike and want to share a story or a comment... just click below and share your thoughts. To Mike... Thanks!

Stanford Prez: Arts a Priority

Looks like we are going to need a bigger bandwagon! In his annual speech to the Academic Council last Thursday, President John Hennessy addressed the role of the arts at Stanford, including the goal of making the arts an integral component of the university's educational mission. This is not because of some warm and fuzzy support for the arts. Nope... there is a method to this approach. One that focuses on the way the arts spur creativity and lead to innovation. Things one would hope our universities would see as valuable. Skills our business need in this new economy.

"I believe the arts offer an expanded tool set for learning and understanding, which can enhance creative thinking skills," Hennessy said. "But this will also require facilitating more cross-disciplinary collaboration between the arts and other fields." In his remarks, Hennessy presented a mixed picture of the current state of arts education at Stanford. Although the arts and humanities have been an essential part of the university since its founding, and many outstanding arts programs exist on campus, Hennessy repeated an earlier assertion that the quantity and depth of the university's offerings in the arts "are not up to the level of a great university like Stanford." The fact that the arts have lagged behind is "not the primary reason for us to seek to build stronger programs," the president said. "The primary reason is what such programs can do to enhance the ability of our students to think creatively and to contribute in novel ways."

For more context, check out my interview with Sir Ken Robinson(PDF File). Looks like the beginning of a trend! Arts essential to multidisciplinary research, teaching