Check out this letter I just received: Congrats on PeaceLabs MusiCorps ! I am Pres of Students for Seniors Symphonies. My daughter is founder of Strings Work (going on it’s third year). Their mission is to use music (free string instrument training) as a social service tool. She goes into small urban communities (serving mostly … [Read more…]
Bill Fletcher was my high school composition and choral teacher (story in yesterday’s hometown paper): http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080424/ENTERTAINMENT/804240310/1043/NEWS01 Bill’s a great teacher and artist, with deep and diverse influences. He’s a natural creative who imagines possibilities and believes in his students — he elicits their best through his confidence and optimism. I love this guy.—–
Also see Ellen Winner from Harvard’s Project Zero (and Lois Hetland), “Studio Thinking”: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/09/02/art_for_our_sake/ Studio and Creative Habits seem closely related to Deliberate Practice Theory. Nutshell: http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/how-did-a-rod-get-so-good/ random, good advertising: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXIfU-87TZo—–
Hey, we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel…just how we talk about it. “Arts for arts sake” (because it feels so important) doesn’t cut it in these tough times (of no $ for schools). “Music for reading and math sake” (cuz we know music students perform better in math and reading SATs) doesn’t tell me … [Read more…]
Why teaching creativity and the arts are important RIGHT NOW. Easy listening for popsters: video – Sir Ken Robinson, “Schools Kill Creativity” at TED: http://www.ted.com/index.php/speakers/view/id/69 (this video’s all the rage, gone viral) audio – Daniel Pink, “Arts Education is an Urgency”: http://www.artsusa.org/information_services/video_audio/default.asp#pink (similar arguments this side of the pond, without reading his book. thanks to … [Read more…]
driving to Sacramento this morning for a day of meetings with arts agencies and school district administrators, higher ed folks and state legislators. let’s see if we can make some headway with MusicianCorps in Cali… http://www.artsed411.org http://www.ccsesa.org/index/hotTopics.cfm?hotTopicId=1872668999 I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world. I may not complete this … [Read more…]
Check out MusicianCorps supporter and friend Louise Packard’s inspiring gig in Boston, Ma: http://trinityinspires.org. Louise just had a successful event honoring Boston’s Youth where young artists performed hip-hop and spoken word: http://www.peacelabs.org/files/BostoniansForYouthPix.pdf—–
You gotta check out the video of 2008 Goldman prize winner, Mozambique’s Feliciano dos Santos: http://www.goldmanprize.org/2008/africa. The Music National Service initiative and MusicianCorps is focused first on bringing quality music education to our own nation’s, low income, public school children. But we definitely need a global music strategy. Not a commercial one, but one that … [Read more…]
Hallmark Solutions finances and develops housing for people with developmental disabilities in California. See PeaceLabs Advisor, HCS Executive Director, Mardie Oaks’ latest project.—–
Photographer Thomas Neff releases his awesome photo series with stories about New Orleans residences who refused to leave during Hurricane Katrina. Pick one up as a gift here. —–