Words To Live By
Wed, Jan 1, 2004
by Drew McManus
Recently, I wrote about a wonderful book entitled Joe Maddy of Interlochen. During my recent re-reading, I took the time to find a few good excerpts that I’ll share with everyone from time to time. For those of you unfamiliar with Interlochen, it is the largest summer arts education program in the world. Every professional
Improved Efficiency Through Technology
Wed, Jan 1, 2004
by Drew McManus
I was recently reading an article in the October, 2002 edition of Harmony by Douglas Dempster that talked about Baumol’s Curse. One part in particular that struck me was this excerpt: “[Economists] William Baumol and William Bowen considered all “service industries,” (e.g., education and food preparation, as well as the performing arts) as opposed to
How To find What You’re Looking For
Tue, Jan 1, 2004
by Drew McManus
Recently I’ve received a couple of emails asking why I keep referring to dynamic and static analysis. The simple answer is because I find that overuse of static analysis is one of the root causes for the lack of innovation in the industry. Here’s a real life example: Orchestra X wants to attract a greater
San Antonio Symphony Gala Posts Positive Results
Sat, Jan 1, 2004
by Drew McManus
I recently received word from San Antonio Symphony musician and union representative Ron Noble about the results from their New Year’s Gala concert. He said the event had such a large turnout that the gala made money, the concert paid for itself, and all of the musicians were paid their regular union wages. So it
Reader Response: Orchestra In-School Programs
Sat, Jan 1, 2004
by Drew McManus
In response to the orchestra in-school program entries from earlier in the week, I received an email from Beth, a cellist in a southwest orchestra. She related her experiences growing up as a public school student and having been exposed to the orchestra through an education initiative. However, her experiences didn’t include in-school programs, only
The Benefits of Competition
Fri, Jan 1, 2004
by Drew McManus
Orchestra musicians are better than they have ever been in this country. And it’s high time everyone started to recognize that higher level of artistic excellence. It’s also high time for us to establish a system of artistic evaluation. Awhile back fellow AJ blogger Greg Sandow wrote about the idea of orchestra competitions. And not
An Interview with Marianne Lockwood Part II
Thu, Jan 1, 2004
by Drew McManus
Welcome back to Part II of our interview with Marianne Lockwood, the Executive Director for the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Budget Issues With an annual budget of $4.3 million dollars, St. Luke’s is a mid-sized orchestral organization. Like many organizations, they try to have a small positive balance at the end of their fiscal
An Interview with Marianne Lockwood Part I
Wed, Jan 1, 2004
by Drew McManus
Listening to her voice over the phone, you’d never guess that you were talking to a cultural warrior. Her British accent flows with a composed, steady pulse that gives it a maternal quality. At the end of 2003, I had the pleasure to talk with Marianne for a few hours discussing her tenure as executive
Comparing Orchestra In-School Programs Part II
Tue, Jan 1, 2004
by Drew McManus
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
Comparing Orchestra In-School Programs
Mon, Jan 1, 2004
by Drew McManus
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
