I like Cristian’s point of view on social media.
Fun With Tiny Desks
The NPR series Tiny Desk Concerts has been a great source of discovery for me and my students. One of my favorite episodes is from April of 2013. The Omar Sosa & Paolo Fresu duo add a level of freshness to what two musicians can do with a traditional chamber music ensemble. I love this performance, hope you enjoy it too.
My Week in Books: Mystery and History
More awesome options for “The Best of it”. My kid and I into getting Outfoxed from your last “My week in books”. She likes the cover.
Finally, another My Week in Books! It’s not that I haven’t been reading them, it’s that I have been finishing a few long ones. I really had to finish up another Russell and Holmes book, for instance, before posting this week, simply because I couldn’t put it down.
Here are my latest reads.
First, Blue Birds, by Caroline Starr Rose
I was so honored to celebrate this lovely book last week on the blog. It’s not out until March, so I feel very honored to have gotten to read this book early! Here’s the post I wrote as part of the blog series. Caroline Starr Rose’s debut novel in verse, May B., touched me in a visceral way that I still can’t quite express, and in this, her lovely latest historical work, Rose brings this sweet pair of girls alive for the reader in their own special way…
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Turning instruments into “Art that Blows”
It’s nice to learn about the life of donated instruments.
Fuzzy Unicorn
I am not someone who has ever cared what other people thought of my style of dress. I’m pretty confident with my look, however I’ve noticed more than a few heads turn when I’m out with my kid.
When we are out she gives me one of her toys to hold on to while she plays. Sometimes I forget how odd I must look to other people when she’s about 10 feet away from me and I am holding a fuzzy stuffed unicorn and a tiara.
It’s cute…
New Favorite Soprano
There are moments when you hear something new and interesting. This is one of those for me.
How Are We Doing Preparing Students for Careers in Music?
Great ideas on how to make music relevant to high school students and administrators.
Preparing studnets for careers in music is appropriately done in electives rather than in required general music classes. The latter will typically have a small percentage of students who intend to or are even considering a career in music, so focusing on career preparation in general music quickly results in a relevancy problem for most students in the class. Electives, on the other hand, are the perfect venue for preparing students for music careers. These classes are filled with students who have a specific interest in music, and will either pursue careers in music, or just enjoy learning what is taught as music career preparation. With this in mind, I’d like to look at what careers we should be preparing students for in these specialized elective classes. While the particular interests of the students enrolled should be addressed, music educators teaching these classes should be aware of the employment climate…
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Faces At Concerts
I don’t often get to look into the audiences when I perform. When I play with an orchestra, I’m lucky if I get to see the faces of the orchestra and choir members I get to perform with. There are no surprises to me about the different kinds of people involved in making music, although I still find myself looking for people that look like me in the ensembles and in the audience.
When I see a person of color at a concert of classical music, I notice them. I wonder if they notice me too. Perhaps they came to this place for the same reason I did…I love this music and music is my truth.
