Various Thoughts From Some “Guy”

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Fellow AJ blogger Kyle Gann posted a comment of mine a few days ago I sent to him in response to a piece he wrote about a new degree program for music criticism. And it brings up an interesting point about society in general: the amount of automatic validation people assign to owning a degree. I think it’s important for people to always consider that education is hardly a substitute for …

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The “Challenges” Facing Interlochen Part 1

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Picking up where I left off from the end of the decision making articles (Part 1 & Part 2), I am now going to begin examining Interlochen’s challenge system in detail. We’ll begin by examining the challenge system that has been eliminated as well as the current system the Interlochen administration has created to replace it. In later installments of this series we’ll hear from faculty members, alumni, parents, and students …

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The “Challenges” Facing Interlochen Part 2

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To continue where I left off in The “Challenges” Facing Interlochen Part 1, I’ll now focus on the specific rationale behind why the old challenge system (hereto referred to as “challenges”) was eliminated and list the goals of the new audition policy.

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THE SKY IS FALLING!!!

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No, this isn’t just another doom and gloom "the sky is falling" article, sorry to sucker you in with the headline.  Instead, I want to take some time to look at the term "crisis" and create some perspective. "Crisis" is word that’s being thrown around right now in this industry. As a result, there’s a great deal of debate regarding what exactly constitutes as a crisis.  Personally, I think the real …

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The Negotiation Process: How It Works

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The first step at better understanding how your local orchestra functions as an organization is to understand the basic principles behind the document that deals with nearly every facet of its operations: the CBA, or Collective Bargaining Agreement. Every major orchestra in America, regardless of union affiliation, has some form of a contract that exists as a result of collective bargaining. This contract governs all issues related to musician compensation, benefits, …

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