Sometimes It’s Difficult To See The Low Hanging Fruit
Wed, Oct 10, 2015
by Drew McManus
Since launching Venture Arts Incubator* last July, a number of applicants have discovered that coming up with solid idea is sometimes harder than they initially imagined. At the same time, there have been some genuinely inspired ideas as well but some recent conversations with colleagues have inspired me to begin compiling a list of business
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back For Musicians And Airports
Tue, Oct 10, 2015
by Drew McManus
Just when it looked like it might be safe to dip a toe in the waters of airline travel, a recent incident involving the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and flutist Jessica Schmitz at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport should bring some old fashioned Jaws level anxiety back to the process. Norman Lebrecht detailed Schmitz’s account in
Florida Orchestra and Milwaukee Symphony Settle
Mon, Oct 10, 2015
by Drew McManus
We have two new entries in our list of mid to large budget orchestras with expired agreements that managed to ratify a new contract without resorting to a work stoppage: The Florida Orchestra and Milwaukee Symphony. Florida Orchestra A new three-year agreement begins reversing several rounds of concessionary agreements with annual improvements in base musician
Chicago Settles
Thu, Oct 10, 2015
by Drew McManus
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) becomes the latest group from our list of mid to large budget orchestras with expired agreements to reach a settlement. The rumor mill was rife with fodder about a potential showdown over the musicians’ defined benefit pension but when the dust settled, the retirement benefit ended up with an improvement.
Get Into A Co-Author Groove
Wed, Sep 9, 2015
by Drew McManus
It took them long enough but the folks in Redmond have finally made real-time co-author editing part of Microsoft Word. If you’re an Office 365 user and haven’t upgraded to Office 2016, you should hop on that ASAP and if you’re not a subscription user, then this feature alone is worth the cost of an
I’ve Got Good News And Bad News About Flying With Instruments
Tue, Sep 9, 2015
by Drew McManus
First, the good news: Air Canada recently announced a new program that provides musicians with discounted fares for purchasing an extra seat for an instrument along with advance boarding in order to facilitate finding room in the overhead for carry-on size instrument cases. The details are available at the AirCanda.com website but here are the
Dallas Ratifies A Two Year Agreement, Maintains Substitute Parity
Mon, Sep 9, 2015
by Drew McManus
The latest group to settle from our list of mid to large budget orchestras with expired agreements is the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO). Their two-year agreement contains three percent increases in base musician wages in each year along with a one-time $750 payment to each musician at the onset of the agreement’s term. And like
An Email Summary Subscription To Help Get Out From Under The Weather
Fri, Sep 9, 2015
by Drew McManus
I’m taking a sick day, but when you’re self-employed that simply means a regular working day but with a few cold-med-inspired combat naps thrown into the mix. Consequently, this is the perfect opportunity to remind readers about Adaptistration’s Weekly Email Summary Subscription. It’s one of those things that has been so wildly successful yet runs silently
Who Says The Arts Aren’t Influential?
Thu, Sep 9, 2015
by Drew McManus
Sure, our field does a fine job at handing out recognition awards internally but it is always good to see when groups outside the field identify arts administrators for recognition. To that end, Palm Beach Opera Director of Communications and ArtsHacker contributor Ceci Dadisman has been nominated as a 2015 Movers & Shakers of Palm
Your Acoustics Reconnaissance Mission, Should You Accept It…