Commentary

Virtues And Vice Of Executives From “Other” Fields

by
Adaptistration People 102

Joe Goetz published an intriguing piece at Scanning The Dial on 3/29/2017 that examines a bit of a dust-up over the recent WQXR General Manager appointment, an administrator who was most recently a MTV content executive. You can probably see the disconnect; for some, an executive from the commercial entertainment field running a public radio station is sacrilege while for others it’s deliverance. The real irony here is preconceived notions at …

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You Must Be This Smart To Enjoy This Music

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Adaptistration People 180

Show of hands, who’s guilty of telling someone who doesn’t attend concerts regularly one piece or another is “too much” for a new listener? I certainly used to be that way. As a product of early 90s conservatory programs, the whole “great art” thing was practically spliced into our DNA. Fortunately, not all the professors bought into that nonsense and the seeds they planted ultimately grew into waking up one day …

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When It Comes To Federal Funding, It’s Good For The Goose Only When Convenient

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Adaptistration People 173

In the wake of yesterday’s vote to make Betsy DeVos the new Secretary of Education, I only have a short post today. It’s tough to miss the irony of a conservative majority Senate approving a Secretary who is such an inexorable backer of directing public money to private academic institutions (charter schools) when it also espouses the arts and humanities should survive based solely on demand based economics. The field will …

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Trump On The Arts & Humanities: You’re Nothing But Waste

by
Adaptistration Guy Trump Bird

Happy Inauguration Day. Well, not really since it turns out the new President has adopted a position that the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities are a waste and has recommended both departments be eliminated in 2017. According to an article by Alexander Bolton in the 1/19/2017 edition of The Hill, the incoming President is planning to propose a budget that eliminates the National Endowment for …

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Outreach Or Pandering?

by
Adaptistration People 086

One of the more sensitive yet pressing topics inside the field is how orchestras should go about creating stronger ties with their community and what does and does not constitute meaningful outreach. To better understand, let’s look at what might be best defined as one of the least effective examples where an orchestra will run an event in what they define as an “underserved” community or neighborhood. That’s usually code for …

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