Hope In Honolulu
Wed, Jan 1, 2011
by Drew McManus
You might have missed an op-ed piece in the 1/13/2011 edition of the Honolulu Star Adviser by Howard Daniel, I don’t recall seeing it on any of the primary news sites as things were flaring up in Detroit at that time but you really shouldn’t miss out. The original version is available at the Star
Why Aren’t Orchestra Musicians Listed In Movie Credits?
Tue, Jan 1, 2011
by Drew McManus
My wife and I have a little ritual when we go see movies: we like to sit through the end credits to see if the orchestra is mentioned by name. While watching the credits for True Grit (2010), it dawned on us that even in the rare instances where the orchestra is listed by name,
The Lazy Professional’s Way To Navigate Pro Bono Work
Mon, Jan 1, 2011
by Drew McManus
Anyone who has ever worked as a free lancer, consultant, or ran your own business will love this flowchart from Brooklyn based typographer and illustrator, Jessica Hische. Titled should i work for free? Hische provides an incredibly useful flowchart to help you figure out…wait for it… which pro bono jobs you should accept…
In Detroit, Everything Still Comes Down To Trust
Fri, Jan 1, 2011
by Drew McManus
The news services and cultural blogging community are abuzz with yesterday’s news out of Detroit where musicians and management exchanged a vitriolic round of PR artillery. But the other news is that management asserts they have submitted a revised offer that provides the first series of economic improvements in several weeks…
Detroit’s War Of Words Escalates
Thu, Jan 1, 2011
by Drew McManus
It seems that the ongoing Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) work stoppage has reached an unfortunate, but not uncommon, benchmark in that both sides have resorted to accusing each other of failed leadership…
If It Were Only That Easy
Wed, Jan 1, 2011
by Drew McManus
It has been making the rounds throughout the culture blog circuit all week but in case you haven’t seen it already, there’s a wonderful piece of satire at The Nonprofit Quarterly titled A Strategic Nonprofit Reorganization Plan that deals with the frustrations many arts organizations experience when playing the grant application game. On a more
Stakes Are Raised In Detroit
Tue, Jan 1, 2011
by Drew McManus
On 1/26/2011 the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) executive committee will meet to “evaluate the merit of suspending the remainder of the 2010-11 season, as well as indefinitely deferring the announcement of the 2011-12 season, until a settlement can be achieved.” This step is right on schedule as most orchestras need to pull triggers on major
Why Smart Managers Are Looking At The Slow Food Movement
Mon, Jan 1, 2011
by Drew McManus
Recently, Diane Ragsdale posted an interesting article at her blog that compares the Slow Food movement and the culture sector. It’s chocked full of thoughtful observations and, in turn, has generated a healthy comment thread. Ragsdale’s post made me recall the pair of articles at Neo Classical from Holly Mulcahy in 2008 on the same
The AFM International Unfair List, Defined
Fri, Jan 1, 2011
by Drew McManus
Although it has been in effect for months now, some folks aren’t aware that the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) placed the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) on their International Unfair List per request of AFM Local 5 (the office which represents the DSO musicians). Although this isn’t an unusual course of action during a work
Tim Smith Couldn’t Be More Right
Thu, Jan 1, 2011
by Drew McManus
Baltimore Sun music critic, Tim Smith, posted a superb blog on 1/4/2011 titled A tough battle for 2011: Fighting the anti-cultural crowd that examines the apparent upswing of anti-cultural sentiment throughout the comments of traditional newspaper and culture blogs. What apparently set Smith off was a comment thread in a Kentucky paper about the unfolding
