Drew McManus on the orchestra business.
To continue from where we left off in Part I, this is second half of a comparison of the efficiency and effectiveness of in-school programs from two orchestras: the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the Richmond (VA) Symphony. In Part I we heard from the education directors of each orchestra and in this part we will hear from orchestra musicians about how they view their programs. Although listening to what the Education Directors …
Ok, you hear me verbally beating up on orchestra in-school programs quite a bit in this blog. However, that doesn’t mean I feel that in-school programs should be completely eliminated. On the contrary, I believe that in-school programs are a necessary component of a much broader overall education and outreach program. That being said, I apply the same standards of efficiency for these programs as I do for all orchestra initiatives. …
One of my adult piano students tipped me off to a recent episode of Meet the Press, where one of the discussion topics was the effectiveness of blogs in politics. Although I missed the episode, I did visit the Meet the Press web site and dug up some of their articles about blogging. In particular, there were two good articles: Business pros flock to Weblogs & Finding support online Here’s a …
Then you should go out of your way to obtain a copy of: Joe Maddy of Interlochen, by Norma Lee Browning. Published in 1963 by Henry Regnery Company, Chicago, IL. Even if you’re not considering an arts degree, you should read this book to learn about how an arts organization can start from nothing, survive the depression, and constantly control of its own future. Unfortunately, it’s out of print, …
Historically, most orchestra musicians take a very passive role in how their orchestra functions; artistically, and administratively. They play the music and administrators make the decisions, end of story. But one orchestra has taken a large step toward moving musicians from passive to active participants. The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra recently underwent a massive transformation that now provides a much larger role for musician participation. You can find a great deal …