Education
Last Saturday (April 5) marked the premiere of Introductions, a brand-new weekly program on 98.7 WFMT (Saturdays from 11:00am-12:00pm) which features Chicago-area pre-collegiate musicians doing what they love most; playing classical music.
"It's important to reach out specifically to this younger audience which is enthusiastic about classical music, that we hadn't tried to explicitly attract until now," said David Polk, the show's producer. "I'm excited that I get to expand WFMT's reach and pioneer new ways to connect with audiences via the airwaves and also the internet."
Read more about Introductions and Polk in this article in the recent TimeOut! Magazine.
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A good friend of mine who goes by the alias "
Drex Drexler" sent me this article from today's
New York Times, which provides evidence that
Thomas Edison was by no means the first to lay down a track (a recording recently discovered by researchers looks to have beaten Edison to the punch by 20 years).
Check it out: here's the article with audio of the findings.
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Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Thu, 01/31/2008 - 3:23pm.
There has been some nice coverage of a few events that relate to diversity in classical music recently. Last week John von Rhein of the Chicago Tribune wrote an
article about a Chicago Sinfonietta diversity initiative entitled Project Inclusion that we launched on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day. There has been further coverage of this important new initiative in the
Chicago Sun-Times and The Strad Magazine will soon print an article, as well.
The Sphinx Organization, headquartered in Detroit, also made an announcement about a consortium of orchestras they have pulled together (including the Chicago Sinfonietta) that will award a major commission each year to a composer of color. Check out this
article from Crain’s Detroit Business for more details.
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From Louise Frank, fellow Producer at WFMT:
Violinist David Juritz wants to bring music education to the poorest children in the developing world. So, he left his home in London this past June and has been concertizing and busking his way around the globe ever since. His goal is to raise awareness for Muse Quality, the charity he created to fund music projects in places which might not otherwise have them.
David is quite an accomplished musician; Since 1991, he has been the leader of the London Mozart Players, the UK’s longest established chamber orchestra. He was a soloist at the 2006 BBC Promenade concerts. He has led orchestras for film soundtracks, including "The Last King of Scotland," and he recently presented “The Asylum Band,” a BBC 4 radio special about the Orchestra of Norfolk Mental Hospital.
Musequality’s first project involves The Tender Talents Magnet School in Kampala, Uganda. The school, founded in 1999, provides children with piano, guitar, percussion, and music theory lessons, as well as choral training and the opportunity to give public performances. “The engagement and self-belief that these kids find through music is incredible,” Juritz said. “What I find most exciting is that, when you speak to them, they are all aiming high for the future. These are kids who want to become lawyers, economists, psychiatrists, and nurses, and I’ve no doubt that the discipline and self-respect they are developing now will help them to achieve their goals. It's wonderful to see.”
David Juritz comes to Chicago next week on the final leg of his 60,000+ mile world tour. He hopes to meet people who will be inspired by his enthusiasm and who might help him with resources including instruments, supplies, and funding, necessary to establish new projects and support those which are already up and running. Here’s where you can see him perform:
Friday October 12 Concert in Elgin, 8pm Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin 39W830 Highland Ave
Saturday October 13 Chicago Day of Music. David will be playing on Michigan Avenue between 5 and 6 pm, and then in the Symphony Center rotunda after 7p. (If a crowd of children gathers, he will put on a special performance, with narration, of Ferdinand the Bull. Otherwise he will be performing Bach sonatas and partitas.)
This is one of those stories of how one person can do something very worthy on an international scale by combining a creative, altruistic vision with what he does best. I count myself among his many well-wishers.
There’s more here if you’re interested.
-Louise
p.s.
Many thanks to CSO double bassist, Stephen Lester, who called to let us know about David.
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I thought I should use my space on this blog to call attention to a chilling article that anyone who cares about personal freedom and the arts (or just personal freedom) should read. A week ago, the NY Times reported the story of a teacher at Mills College who was denied re-entry into the U.S.:
Nalini Ghuman, an up-and-coming musicologist and expert on the British composer Edward Elgar, was stopped at the San Francisco airport in August last year and, without explanation, told that she was no longer allowed to enter the United States.
Her treatment can only be described as something out of Kafka:
Ms. Ghuman’s descent into the bureaucratic netherworld began on Aug. 8, 2006, when she and Mr. Flight [her fiancee] returned to San Francisco from a research trip to Britain. Armed immigration officers met them at the airplane door and escorted Ms. Ghuman away.
In a written account of the next eight hours that she prepared for her lawyer, Ms. Ghuman said that officers tore up her H-1B visa, which was valid through May 2008, defaced her British passport, and seemed suspicious of everything from her music cassettes to the fact that she had listed Welsh as a language she speaks. A redacted government report about the episode obtained by her lawyer under the Freedom of Information Act erroneously described her as “Hispanic.”
Held incommunicado in a room in the airport, she was groped during a body search, she said, and was warned that if she moved, she would be considered to be attacking her armed female searcher. After questioning her for hours, the officers told her that she had been ruled inadmissible, she said, and threatened to transfer her to a detention center in Santa Clara, Calif., unless she left on a flight to London that night.
Outside, Mr. Flight made frantic calls for help. He said the British Consulate tried to get through to the immigration officials in charge, to no avail. And Ms. Ghuman said her demands to speak to the British consul were rebuffed.
Despite numerous appeals on her behalf, over 13 months later, nothing has changed for Ms. Ghuman. For all the gory details please read the whole article.
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Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Wed, 09/19/2007 - 10:03am.
I have just finished reading Daniel J. Levitin’s interesting book, This Is Your Brain on Music. There are chapters on the physiology of how our brains work (or in my case, don’t), what sections of our brains are involved when we listen to, or 
perform music, and a bit about the evolutionary evidence of whether music was a survival trait or not.
The section that caught my interest was about whether musical talent is genetically-based or developed. It’s the old nature versus nurture discussion. Levitin cites research that suggests that to do anything – music, sports, writing, etc. – at an advanced level one needs to invest 10,000 hours of practice.
I have put in at least 20,000 hours on the practice tee and the golf course over the last 15 years, and this summer’s results have proven that Tiger Woods has absolutely nothing to worry about from me (unless he’s on the fairway next to me and I am teeing off). On the other hand, as a young guitarist, I made significant strides as a musician with far less than the suggested number of practice hours logged.
As a music teacher for many years, it was always my opinion that musical ability was innate to certain people. I could usually tell after 5-10 minutes if someone was going to be a good player or not. True, lots of practice could make anyone better than they were. But no amount of practice could make certain people play at my level or above.
We have a good number of musicians who visit this site. What are your thoughts about musical ability?
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Submitted by Jon Weber on Thu, 09/06/2007 - 5:08pm.
This is the first in a series of profiles of Chicago's community music schools According to Bob Fiedler, Executive Director of the People's Music School, "there are nearly half a million students enrolled in the Chicago Public Schools who don't have access to significant musical training at school. This is our role, to address that need." People's Music School, one of about a dozen community music schools in the Chicago area, approaches this need in an amazing way, by offering free instruction in a community of predominantly low-income immigrants and ethnic minorities.
I had a chance to speak with Fiedler and Vincent Centeno, the school's Director of Music and Programs, last week. According to Centeno, many of school's students are realizing a dream that their parents deferred. Centeno is himself an example, having emigrated from the Philippines to Uptown when he was nine. Although he had studied piano as a child, his family could not afford a piano in the United States.
At that time, People's Music School had not yet been founded; however, after a short stint at a Chicago Park District music program where he was asked to play trumpet, Vincent continued to study piano with an aunt and, later, with a music student from Northwestern University. In college-Centeno studied piano at DePaul University with the late Melody Lord and long-time CSO member Mary Sauer-he began to hear about People's from friends who were hired as faculty. After meeting founder Rita Simo, Vincent was attracted to the school's philosophy (students are required to take one full term of music theory classes before beginning instrumental instruction) and the amazing sense of community. People's Music School offered him a great opportunity to give back.
Centeno's story is beautiful, but NOT unique in such a wonderful place as People's Music School. In exchange for free access to music instruction, students and parents are expected to contribute time doing a variety of administrative tasks. In addition to providing vital logistical support, this involvement gives every child and parent a feeling of ownership and belonging. They commit their time (traveling to and from classes or lessons, practicing, volunteering) and invest their energy in the school because they benefit immensely from the support it offers them and their community. Each student and parent understands that their community is stronger because they work together.
A true People's Music School success story is Victor Marin. As a child, Victor was drawn to the guitar, yet his family could not afford the cost of the instrument or instruction. After learning about Peoples' Music School in his church bulletin, he began a journey that would change his life. He began taking guitar lessons in 1982. After four years at People's Music School, Victor attended Roosevelt University to continue his training. In 1989, Victor was invited by Simo to return to the school to teach guitar.
After 25 years at People's Music School, Victor hopes to inspire in his students a lasting enjoyment of music and encourage the development of discipline. Just as the people were incredibly influential and motivating during his study at People's, Vincent is himself a great role model for the benefits of music education and community involvement.
When asked what means the most, Marin offered the following: "giving back what was given to me makes me very proud."
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I always enjoy asking what people consider are the benefits of music education. Inevitably, I hear something new, colored by each person's own experience and the challenges that he or she faces every day. Of course, Fiedler mentioned the connections between music, creativity and analytical learning. But what I've held onto most is his idea that music offers an opportunity to tap into joy and self-confidence, natural byproducts of an ongoing musical experience.
After study and individual practice, students are encouraged to perform. At People's Music School the annual Performathon offers a chance to show off what the student has learned; it gives friends, family, and peers the opportunity to celebrate the year's accomplishments and share in the joy of hearing live music. The student can't help but feel proud and motivated to continue; the audience can't help but feel inspired to listen again or to participate themselves!
Another related benefit, although much larger scale, was described in a 1999 PBS program titled Seeking Solutions. Citing a 1995 study of Chicago neighborhoods, the program revealed that despite the circumstance of the neighborhood, Uptown had half the crime rate of other city communities. Credit was given to the strengths of the cultural, social service, and neighborhood institutions-including People's Music School.
(More recent statistics, obtained from the 2005 City of Chicago Police Department Murder Analysis, states that the murder rate in the district surrounding People's Music School (23rd District) is the second lowest in the entire city at 2.1 victims per 100,000 residents!)
During a time when there is serious concern about the continued, long-term viability of classical music in our culture, when school music programs are hanging by a thread, the story of People's Music School offers hope to those who lack access to a meaningful, musical experience in their community. 350 students at a time, People's is nurturing the next generation of musicians and audience members. Their stories are beautiful examples of what is possible anywhere.
For those who are conscious of a need to build stronger communities and nurture positive values and skills among the youth in our city (discipline, hard work, respect, self-pride, critical thinking, active listening, poise), an easy way to begin is by playing an instrument! People's Music School is nurturing the development of strong citizens, 350 at a time.
People's offers instruction on 13 instruments and voice, music theory, and opportunities to perform in ensembles or solo. Enrollment is open to anyone over the age of four, on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please visit the school website. For a listing of other Chicago-area community music schools, visit here.
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Today’s blog is written by Angela Golden, age 22. She is working for the Chicago Sinfonietta as an intern but hopes to run her own not-for-profit organization someday.
I just graduated from Indiana University in May 2007 with a degree in Trumpet Performance. A lot of people were surprised or excited when I told them what I studied in college. I even got to hear a few jokes like this one…
“What do you say to a trumpet player at your door?”
“How much for the pizza?”
Ultimately, I don’t really pay attention to jokes like that. I’ve got a lot of things to think about other than jokes about poor musicians.
I want to make a difference. Everybody says that, but I mean it. 
Things must change. With technology today and easy access to entertainment, saving live music is a huge necessity.
When I see a ten year old with a new cell phone in one hand and an iPod in the other, listening to Lil’ John or Pink or some newly packaged Hollywood-party-girl-turned-singer I have to wonder: when did kids grow up so fast? Can we really expect them to give live music, let alone classical music a chance when they aren’t exposed to it and are already at the age of 10 living in a fast-paced world with instant gratification?
Kids and people in general, are not going to willingly walk into a concert with a bunch of “stuffed penguins” on stage playing Mozart. Music – just like everything else, has to be promoted in a new way. It has got to have a hook that catches someone’s attention.
I want to tell you about an old black and white movie from the 1940’s called “Going My Way”. I bet a lot of people today haven’t heard of the movie and I bet some haven’t heard of Bing Crosby or even heard him sing. And I bet a lot of people probably don’t know that in his prime, he was a lot bigger than Elvis.
There is something about this movie that is wonderful. It has good music, it has warmth, it has comedy, it has heart and character- it has innocence. It reflects a different time. A time we can still possess in today’s day and age.
The movie is about a different kind of Father/Priest, played by Bing Crosby who leads a boy’s church choir. He leads them to sing and they end up becoming quite good. They aren’t interested in singing at first, but they come to realize how fun it is. The absolute best song in the movie is “Swingin’ on a Star.” The expressions and humor of the singing kids are priceless. I could watch that scene over and over again. Kids are seen for what they are - funny, bright, happy people who are not yet embittered or cynical from the relentless stresses of life.
This movie is almost a microcosm of what needs to happen today. Kids need to discover the joys of music. They need to know that it is out there and that it can bring fulfillment and peace.
I have hope for the future. I know that kids can respond to see the different side of life- they just have to see it.
I read a very interesting and worthwhile commencement address for Stanford University by Mr. Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
He wrote. “Art is an irreplaceable way of understanding and expressing the world—equal to but distinct from scientific and conceptual methods. Art addresses us in the fullness of our being—simultaneously speaking to our intellect, emotions, intuition, imagination, memory and physical senses. There are some truths about life that can be expressed only as stories or songs or images.”
Nowadays, pop culture and the general entertainment marketplace put a price on everything. Art must go beyond that.
Kids must know about the arts. And I hope that soon, we can all help expose them to it.
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Submitted by Jon Weber on Thu, 08/02/2007 - 11:45am.
For me, summer at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association is full of season-end reports and preparations for next season, and combined with a lull in imminent deadlines and an inbox that seems to grow at a snail's pace, I am happy to have some time to reflect on the effectiveness of our programs and think about opportunities for growth and improvement.
I recently received the season evaluation of our Music Activity Partnership (MAP) program, currently in the middle of a three-year partnership with select classrooms at 10 select Chicago public elementary schools.
MAP works with classroom teachers (most without any previous musical training), integrating musical activities into their repertoire of teaching techniques. Participating classrooms are given access to an exceptional array of opportunities, including Teaching Artist visits, in-school performances, and a trip to a Chicago Symphony Orchestra Youth Concert. (For a more thorough description of the MAP program, visit here).
In the words of one participating teacher, MAP is "a jewel of a program...it's so holistic. So many angles to getting music in the classroom."
As the season's evaluation supports, participating students made large strides in understanding and enjoying music. Considering the quality of the experiences offered by MAP, these results should not be a surprise. But what is the difference between the students who participate in the MAP program and CSO audience members, amateur instrumentalists, or classical music enthusiasts?
The very short answer is "More." More exposure and access, and the consistent involvement of individuals-teachers, parents, and others-who take on the responsibility of nurturing the growing interest.
The longer answer is enhanced, I think, by one of my favorite models of human behavior: Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The Hierarchy, shown below, is a visual representation of the order in which we are innately drawn towards fulfilling different personal needs.
At the bottom are basic, survival elements (food, water, safety and shelter). As these are obtained, there are natural urges for emotional stability (belongingness, self-esteem, social acceptance) and, finally, complex understanding (beauty, justice, realizing one's full potential).
Can this model be translated to illustrate levels of MUSICAL need? Does this enlighten our understanding of responsibility to provide those needs?
I should pause to note that several bloggers have recently written about the benefits of a prolonged musical experience (Cincinnati pianist Joshua Nemith, Chicago bassist Jason Heath), based on a recent study by NAMM. There is also a great page on the MENC Advocacy website with statistics and facts supporting the benefits of musical education on a variety of skills. Needless to say that there is a growing body of solid support here.
A hierarchy of musical needs
Musical "needs" are not tied to physical survival, however, evidence from any of the above sources (and from my own experience as a musician and teacher) supports the many ways that music enables the fulfillment of Maslow's higher-level needs, specifically esteem, aesthetic and cognitive needs, self-actualization. So I insist on the use of the word "needs" in this transposed model.
Exposure to music and music education is one common denominator among successful, satisfied, articulate people and should be a guaranteed opportunity for every child. Moreover, an ongoing musical experience (ideally begun at a young age) is the answer to concerns about the stability of orchestras and arts organizations. Although it will not sell tickets now, it is an investment in a future generation of musically-literate patrons and participants.
Below is a reinvention of this hierarchy, with musical needs parallel to human needs. (In my diagram, the hierarchy is presented upside-down.)
Maslow's Heirarchy | Hierarchy of Musical Needs |
Physiological needs: | Food and drink | Primary musical competence: | the ability to listen; understanding the musical language (rhythm and pitch) |
Safety needs: | Security and physiological safety | Musical "safety": | continued experience and access prevents a threat to primary musical competence |
Belongingness and love needs: | Affiliation, acceptance, affection | Musical socialization: | Everyone shares the ability to participate in music (as a listener or performer). |
Esteem needs: | Competence, approval, recognition | Esteem needs provided through musical participation: | Musical participation provides an opportunity to meet these needs. |
Aesthetic and cognitive needs: | Knowledge, understanding, goodness, justice, beauty, order, symmetry | The musical aesthetic: | Ongoing musical study offers the opportunity to understand and participate in artistic creation. |
Cognitive enhancement through music: | There are countless parallel academic, professional, and social skills that music helps to develop. |
Self-actualization | Realizing one's full potential | Musical self-actualization | Continuing a life-long relationship with music; using musical experience and skills to build a satisfying life. |
Increasing levels of this hierarchy do NOT have to be commensurate with musical performance skills. That is to say that fulfillment is not limited to Juilliard Students or American Idols. Musical participation and achievement IS available to everyone, and it is possible to begin at any point in life.
In Maslow's Hierarchy, needs are achieved along a flexible continuum. As life circumstances change, a person may move backwards, to a lower level of need. By contrast, intellectual musical achievement is permanent.
Consider this response from a student attending one of this season's CSO Very Special Promenade concerts (for children in kindergarten through 3rd grade) as motivation for pursuing these needs. When asked to describe how hearing the concert made him feel, he drew the picture below.
And, in a way, Maslow underscores this idea. He includes creative abilities among the instinctual self-actualizing potentials, that is, among the skills that allow humans to be the best that they can be. Creativity is given the same altitude as reason, problem solving, morality, and objectivity. If creativity--at the core of musical participation--is among the few truly human traits, shouldn't these skills be nurtured at the primary levels of need?
How should these needs be ensured? Please share your thoughts.
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Submitted by Jon Weber on Fri, 06/29/2007 - 11:58am.
I am one of eight staff members who administer educational and access-building programming for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, reaching over 100,000 individuals annually!
We occupy a privileged and highly visible position in the city's cultural life, not without great expectations. (All the implications of such a profiled position--benefits and stresses--are another discussion altogether that I will approach later this summer.)
But for today's conversation: every Chicagoan should have access to an in-depth and personally relevant arts education experience. As remarkable as the CSOA's programs' reach may be, approximately 2,700,000 city residents are left out. Even together with other major arts organizations--including those who participate in this website--we lack a mechanism for delivery that can potentially reach every household in the city.
Thankfully, there are a group of organizations who make great inroads to this objective: our community music schools.
(Granted, I am overlooking public and private school music programs, obviously a vital partner and a great contributor. The effectiveness of the public school music programs in particular is, again, another future topic.)
Community music schools are as diverse as the neighborhoods they serve, from the tuition-free People's Music School in Uptown, to the Hyde Park Suzuki Institute, and the West Loop's Merit School of Music, to name a few.
They vary in size, in constituency, in mission, and in programs offered. But they share a commitment to encouraging a meaningful and life-changing involvement with music, one student at a time, and catering to the needs of the surrounding community.
- Each school boasts an accomplished faculty that brings their own energy and experience into a personalized mentoring relationship with a young musician.
- Each school offers programs that meet students where they are, regardless of age or prior experience.
- Each school offers performance opportunities: for students to show of their skills in progress and to understand the joy of sharing music with an audience and for faculty and guests to perform for the school community.
- Each school encourages life-long learning and offers a nurturing extra-curricular environment where, in some cases, one may not exist.
- Many offer some form of tuition assistance to extend these opportunities to those who do not have the resources to do so.
These remarkable places bring vitality into the lives of their students and, by encouraging the exploration of musical opportunities in their wider community, connect them with kindred spirits.
Our research tells us that an individual is more likely to buy a ticket to a Chicago Symphony concert if he or she has experience playing an instrument or singing in a choir. Certainly, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has a vested interest in the success of our community music schools as a method of audience development. But my experience with our recent Silk Road event, The Stone Horse, brings new interest and urgency.
(I may sound like a broken record these days, in the way that I find endless connections to and results from the Silk Road experience. But there is important connective tissue.)
Anyone who attended that performance knows what amazing things are possible by bringing people together to share music. Two months' intensive experience generated an outpouring of joy and enthusiasm from participating students that gave me chills, not to mention a quality of performance that exceeded all expectations.
Imagine what might happen if more in our communities were to participate in music. Our community music schools make this happen!
Later this summer, I will begin to profile several of these organizations, in particular focusing on the specific niche that they fill in their communities.
In the meantime, I would like to welcome readers to share comments and ideas about their own community music experiences: what it has meant to you, how it has brought enjoyment to you as a participant and an audience member, how it has changed your outlook on your community, etc.
A listing of local community music schools can be found here.
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