It’s All About The Midwest Conference
Thu, Dec 12, 2012
by Drew McManus
The 2012 Midwest Clinic, an international band and orchestra conference, is in full swing here in Chicago. The convention regularly brings somewhere in the neighborhood of 15,000 conventioneers to town to pack Chicago’s cavernous McCormick Place West for a vast array of education related activity. I’ll be at McCormick Place on Friday afternoon/evening catching up
Why Are We Still Calling It Will Call?
Wed, Dec 12, 2012
by Drew McManus
Traditions die hard in this field but one of the more baffling practices is the continued use of the term “will call” as the preferred name for the option of picking prepaid tickets up at the box office upon arriving at venue’s box office. Most newbies don’t know what “will call” means and when I
Now’s Your Chance To Get Happy
Tue, Dec 12, 2012
by Drew McManus
Following up on the article from 11/20/2012 about the potential for improving workplace satisfaction by way of a service called TINYpulse, I entered into a productive conversation with TINYpulse founder David Niu and the two of us have concocted what I believe is the first project in our field solely dedicated to improving workplace satisfaction.
One of the reasons we have violence in the schools is we’ve taken music out of the schools.
Mon, Dec 12, 2012
by Drew McManus
Today’s title is a quote from legendary jazz artist Byard Lancaster who died in 2012 of cancer and in the wake of yet another school shooting tragedy, his quote cuts to the quick with the problems related to a society that sees culture as a luxury rather than a basic building block of becoming a
Sailing Past The Crossroads In Salt Lake
Fri, Dec 12, 2012
by Drew McManus
On March 18, 2005 I published an article titled Staring At The Crossroads In Salt Lake which examined the pitfalls associated with the process and subsequent decision to merge the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera organizations into what is now the Utah Symphony & Opera (US&O). Since the merger, the organization has been rocked with
Season Of Discontent Poll
Thu, Dec 12, 2012
by Drew McManus
A recent article in the 12/11/2012 Minneapolis Star Tribune by Kristin Tillotson focuses on growing frustration among Minnesota Orchestra Association (MOA) and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) ticket buyers over the extended lockouts. Tillotson’s article got me thinking about the degree of volatility among stakeholders and I’m curious to know whether or not readers notice
Never Assume
Tue, Dec 12, 2012
by Drew McManus
Where would we be without stereotypes? If nothing else, they provide fodder for late night talk shows. Case in point, this recent Conan O’brien Show interview with comedienne Retta who told a story about an encounter she had had with an older couple that centered on classical music and expectations. I know, I know; there’s
Ring Around The Revenue
Tue, Dec 12, 2012
by Drew McManus
The Nokia Conversation blog published an article on 11/9/2012 profiling one of their recent projects centered on using a live symphonic orchestra to record bespoke classical music ring tones. The project was created after Nokia conducted a preference study which determined classical music ring tones were the second most popular offering. As a result, the
The Cure For The Common Cost Disease
Mon, Dec 12, 2012
by Drew McManus
A big hats off to Joe Patti over at Butts In The Seats for posting an absolutely terrific article on 12/3/2012 that casts a pragmatic eye on Baumol’s cost disease. And if there’s ever a topic in this field that is all but assured to raise hackles and inspire heel entrenchment, it’s Baumol’s cost disease.
Whip It Good In Minnesota
Fri, Dec 12, 2012
by Drew McManus
I had the pleasure of chatting with Cathy Wurzer on Minnesota Public Radio’s Morning Edition to discuss the recent Minnesota Orchestra Association (MOA) and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) labor disputes and what might be needed in order to bring about some positive change. Given the level of public rancor between each group and its
