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.