Rachmaninov on Recording

Sergei Rachmaninov had some pretty interesting thoughts and reactions to Gramophone recording capabilities and radio broadcasting in an article he wrote in 1931. To see his thoughts, and to view just how far accessing musical performances have come, check out this article.

A Piano that can speak?!?

Austrian composer Peter Albinger has taken recordings of the human voice, and matched the frequencies to that of a player piano. In effect, we are able to "hear" what the human voice "sounds like" as a piano sound. In the video here, he took a child's recitation of the "Declaration of the International Environmental Criminal Court," written by Laureates Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and the Dalai Lama, and has the sound duplicated on a player piano. The video is in German, but has English subtitles. It is rather amazing...

20 Practice Tips

I think one of the most challenging things to do as a music teacher is to get your students to practice their music outside of class. Most parents would probably agree that their children are not practicing as much as they would like them to. While this doesn't speak of all music students, it does speak of many, especially those who are struggling with a particular piece of music.

In any case, here is a list of 20 practice tips that are important to keep in mind as one schedules out their time during the week and goes about practicing.

Bach in the Forest...

Even though this is a commercial for a limited edition phone (which I couldn't care less about), the actual video is amazing. A group of individuals went through countless hours designing, creating, and assembling this gigantic wooden xylophone in the woods. As you will see, the downward track, with hundreds of wooden blocks, "performs" Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" from Cantata 147 when a wooden ball is released down the track. Invisible Designs Lab's Kenjiro Matsuo is responsible for making the radical idea a reality. Take a look for yourself...

Great Art

I am a firm believer that good art should be shared with people. My brother-in-law posted this link on Facebook a few minutes ago, and I just had to share it. This cellist demonstrates how creative music-making can be. He not only plays this incredible composition, but he also beatboxes an accompaniment. Absolutely amazing... as the video says, he clearly takes the cello to the next level. Check it out here.

The Achievement Gap

Policies such as LIFO are hurting our schools in more ways than we may even recognize. There are increasing studies pointing out the achievement gaps between schools in moderate to high socioeconomic areas versus low socioeconomic areas. The practice of LIFO and non-performance based tenure are deflecting accountability, and perpetuating the status quo and the project of statistics such as young African-American males are more likely to end up in prison than graduate high school. Is education really a basic right in this country? If so, we have a long way to go to guarantee those rights to all. We still have a long way to go to live up to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream. For more about the achievement gap, read this article.

Teacher Absences Affect Student Learning, Too

As teachers, we all know the frustrations of having students that are absent: the lost planning time, the extra time spent helping the student catch up, the extra stress on each end, etc... Yet, studies are showing that a teacher's absence can be just as bad on classroom success and stability. It's not just student performance and consistency at stake... it can be the very safety of our students. For more information, read this article.

Good Theory/Aural Skills Drill Program

For those of you who are teaching theory/aural skills to your students, consider checking out this program. Aquallegro seems to me like an excellent drill and practice program to enhance or provide remediation on skills or concepts discussed in class. The teacher or student can preset what types of questions are contained within each of eleven modules, and keep track of their progress along the way, making the program fully customizable to the individual's needs. And best of all, it's FREE... The program can be downloaded from the link above.

Ways to Encourage Students toward "Obscure" Instruments

Chances are, when you ask a young student interested in playing an instrument which one they want to play, the answer will not be the bassoon. Looking back on my interest in playing in the band while I was in the third grade, I didn't even know what a bassoon was, let alone what it sounded like. Yet, if I could go back in time, I would have chosen the bassoon over the flute. The bassoon is such a unique and versatile instrument, almost like the "cello of the woodwinds".

To inspire some of the younger players to fill some of these "obscure" parts within a band, I think it is important to show them exactly how versatile and interesting these instruments can be... and what better instrument than the bassoon!?

Several of my classmates have posted videos from Eastman School of Music's Bassoon Ensemble, The Breaking Winds (very clever), in their blogs this week. I think some of these videos could be great at building interest in the bassoon... it might even create "too much" interest, if there is such a thing. It would be a great problem for a band teacher to have too much interest in a variety of instruments than to have instruments completely neglected, sitting on the shelves to collect dust. As a firm believer that students being exposed to any kind of music enriches their creativity, using contemporary songs in order to bring a heightened level of interest is paramount at getting the students to internalize certain concepts. I have embedded one of this group's YouTube videos below, and it is a collage of songs from Lady Gaga.

You can also access the group's page on YouTube here.

No more LIFO in Georgia

Georgia has become the latest state to end LIFO, bringing the total number to six. StudentsFirst is really helping to make a difference and start this education reform. Bravo to Georgia policy makers, and hopefully the trend continues in other states. You can read more here.

Arts Advocacy 2011: Kevin Spacey

Actor Kevin Spacey comments at Arts Advocacy 2011 on the importance of arts education. In his speech, he also challenges US policy makers to restore funding to the National Endowment for the Arts. Using his words, "we need to send the elevator back down" to ensure that today's youth can act upon their own inspirations and creativity and enrich their lives through our arts programs.

RCSD Budget Deeply Cuts Art, Music, Foreign Language

The Superintendent of the Rochester City Schools, Jean Claude Brizard, has released his proposed budget for the Rochester City School District for next year. In his 300-page proposal, he outlines 908 job cuts, which include 46% of the district's music teachers, 42% of their art teachers, 35% of their foreign language teachers, and 19% of their physical education teachers. The evening news is reporting tonight that 88 out of 150 of the district's special education teachers are going to be cut with the proposed budget. The Board of Education votes on the proposed budget in two weeks. You can read more about the proposed cuts here.

As a person who has grown up in the suburbs of Rochester, and continues to reside in the area, this community has always valued the arts. The Eastman School of Music is a major icon for Rochester, and is at the center of the city's musical life. The city sponsors several music festivals throughout the year. I just don't understand how we can claim that we are educating the whole child when we deny them the right to music, art, languages, and physical education. And New York State wonders why people are flocking out of this state... It angers me to no end.

Brizard is not popular among the teachers in the area. In fact, the teachers had an overwhelming no contest vote for Brizard, yet the School Board denies their accusations and refuses to remove him from the position. In the meantime, as the schools continue to fail, and more and more of the city's schools are forced to close, Brizard is pulling in a paycheck of over $220,000. This is sick. The dead weight needs to go. It's time to show that NY cares for its students... yet until we oust the administration that seems hell bent on running the state's education system into the ground, things like this are going to continue and increase in frequency. The same mismanagement is happening with the SUNY/CUNY system. I think it's clear time to say that considering finding employment in Rochester anytime soon is not going to happen... let alone anywhere in New York State.

The One-Armed Pianist's Quest for Success

This article is quite an interesting one that tells of one pianist's quest to overcome physical limitations and continue performing. Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm in a tragic accident, commissioned several works throughout his life, and had an extensive collection of piano repertoire written for the left hand. Completed in 1957 (four years before his death), Wittgenstein's School for the Left Hand consists of 3 volumes, and includes music from the likes of Bach, Brahms, Chopin, Mendelssohn, and Wagner, among others. The article also gives links to audio clips from Wittgenstein performances, and compares them to contemporary performances, and also lists a few other reading sources.

Using Classical Music to Deter Vandalism and Loitering

Oregon has just approved a campaign to play classical music from speakers at all light rail stations in high crime areas in an attempt to deter loiterers and vandals, and surveillance shows it actually works. The primary focus is 18-25 year-olds, for whom classical music "isn't cool". This is not the first time I have heard of such a practice. The train and subway stations in Buffalo, NY have been doing the same thing with similar results. To contradict this, malls around the country like to play classical music like Vivaldi while people shop, for studies show that people actually end up purchasing 20% more in such stores. Television ads often use Classical music to promote high class products and lifestles, such as the Zales Jewelers commercials using Vivaldi's "Spring" from "The Four Seasons". How does this say that today's culture values classical music? Does society value classical music? Is there still value in classical music? If there is, and I believe there definitely is, how do we get others to believe the same?

Promoting Music through License Plates

Tennessee recently unveiled a new state license plate, dubbing it "The State of American Music". Proceeds from the $35 plate go directly to benefit music education in Tennessee led by funding education initiatives through state museums and charities, including the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum and the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum among others. To see the plate, click here. Wouldn't it be nice if other states would follow suit and design plates for the same purpose? Maybe we will see a new trend emerge...

Music vs. the Musician's Personality

Does music reveal a musician's personality, or [does] a musician's personality reveal the music?


This is an interesting question brought about by Mark Wigglesworth in his blog entry on Gramophone.com. He posed the question after being asked not who his favorite composer was, but rather which composer revealed his own personality. The rest of the rather short article is quite interesting as he breaks down what he views the musician's role to be, and the direct connection between music and musician, or music and a musician's individual personality.

Who Said Classical Music is Dying?!?

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra gave a concert at the Sydney Opera House on March 20, 2011. The concert was streamed live around the world, and was viewed by more than 30 million people, which is over three times more views than the famous U2 concert. There were over 3 million streams to mobile devices. Overall, a total of 422 TB of data was transferred, which is the equivalent of sending over 145 million MP3 files around the world. To read more about the event, see pictures from Sydney, or get a link to the symphony's website, check out this link.

William Steinway's Diary

William Steinway ran the famous piano company for most of the second half of the 19th century. Steinway kept a diary for about 36 years, writing about things such as the New York City riots during the Civil War, and the lengths he went to protect the factory, as well as detailing the political machinations behind the drive to bring mass transportation to New York in the 1890s. The Steinway factory cared so much for its employees that it built housing, an amusement park, and a school for them. The Smithsonian Institution, who owns the diary, has now made it available in facsimile and transcription, and it can now be viewed online here. The website conveniently allows you to browse the entire diary or to search for a specific date.