WINNING DRAWING
QUADRE is back from Las Vegas. It was a smashing success. The concerts went very well. The lectures were informative. And we got to try out a lot of different horns and mutes in the exhibit hall. Our booth in the exhibit hall had a chance for one lucky individual to win a CD by signing up for our mailing list.
After returning to Mountain View I put all the mailing list names in a basket (about 20). Wen-Liang Chung, our Tuesday volunteer, drew the winning name. And the winner is Brian O'Connor, the horn professor for UCLA. Now the fact that I went to UCLA may seem fishy, but I'll say that it was a very fair process. Congratulations to Brian. Maybe we'll get a chance to play at UCLA very soon. Hmmm.
BODY MAPPING
One of those informative lectures at the US Western Horn Symposium in Las Vegas was on body mapping led by Dr. Stephen Caplan, the oboe professor at UNLV and a certified Andover Educator.
A BODY MAP is the brain's map of the body including structure, function and size. When our physical self-representation is adequate and accurate, then our movement is effective and safe. BODY MAPPING is the conscious correcting and refining of one's body map to produce efficient, graceful, coordinated, and effective movement. He goes on to say that "as musicians recover the integrity of their body maps, the quality of their musical performance significantly improves."
I found that my sound got even better when I applied his principles. To learn more visit www.bodymap.org.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
American Music Center; Teaching Artist Fellowship
AMERICAN MUSIC CENTER
They are advocates for new music in the United States. One of their coolest grant programs is called “The Aaron Copland Fund for Music Recording Program.” More information is here: www.amc.net This program supports organizations that record contemporary American music. Definitely a good organization to know for our next and successive CD projects.
TEACHING ARTIST FELLOWSHIP
From Shannon McDonnell with Montalvo Arts
smcdonnell@montalvoarts.org
Montalvo announces Teaching Artist Fellowship winners
SARATOGA, Calif. - Montalvo Arts Center today announced that Daniel A. Kelin II (Honolulu, HI); Carol Ponder (Nashville, TN); Nilea Rohrer-Parvin (Austin, TX); and Sophia L. Torres (Houston, TX) have been named as recipients of the new Teaching Artist Fellowship, an initiative combining the strengths of Montalvo’s education program and the Sally and Don Lucas Artists Programs.
The first national award of its kind dedicated to professional teaching artists, the Teaching Artist Fellowship provides a three-month residency at Montalvo’s Lucas Artists Programs and partnership with a local school for curriculum development. Fellowship winners were selected from more than 100 applicants by a panel of some of the most distinguished leaders in the arts education world. Teaching artists are professional artists who concurrently dedicate themselves to arts education, with both artistic and educational skills, teaching within and beyond their artistic discipline.
“For decades, thousands of teaching artists have served under the radar as quiet resources, extending and deepening arts education in schools across the country,” said Juilliard faculty member Eric Booth, prominent teaching artist and leader of the Teaching Artist Fellowship team at Montalvo Arts Center. “This fellowship is a new high-water mark as the field of teaching artistry emerges as a distinct profession.”
Daniel A. Kelin II is the Director of Drama Education with the Honolulu Theatre for Youth. Kelin has taught in Vanuatu, the Marshall Islands and Samoa, and developed specialty programs for Pacific Island English as a Second Language Learners throughout Hawaii. The American Alliance for Theatre and Education awarded him the 1995 Youth Theatre Director of the Year award and in 2002 he was honored with the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Barbara Karlin grant. His published works include Marshall Islands Legends and Stories and To Feel As Our Ancestors Did, Collecting and Performing Oral Histories.
Carol Ponder, a professional singer, actress, and musician of almost 40 years, has more than 18 years of experience in education through the arts. In her capacities as Teaching Artist and consultant, Ponder has taught in the classroom and worked with many configurations of teachers, from one-on-one intensives to workshops of over 100 participants, leading professional development seminars for Teaching Artists throughout the North and Southeast. Ponder has also worked both individually and with teachers in numerous organizations to design and execute assessment strategies and program evaluations for arts education curricula. In 2000, Ponder received the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Fellowship in Music, an annual award recognizing artistic excellence.
Nilea Rohrer-Parvin is a leader and activist in the field of arts education whose work emphasizes inquiry-based, integrated curricula within schools and classrooms. She has conducted professional development programs and facilitated numerous art programs for people with disabilities and ESL students. Rohrer-Parvin designed and implemented the A.E.I.O.U. Program (Arts Education Increases Our Understanding), establishing an interdisciplinary arts curriculum for an International Baccalaureate program in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A Teaching Artist with the Arkansas Arts Council and VSAarts, Texas, she is the recipient of the Arkansas Art Educators Award and continues her own education studying metallurgy and engineering design graphics.
Sophia L. Torres is a Founding Member and Co-Artistic Director of Psophonia Dance Company in Houston, Texas. She has choreographed 20 original works under Psophonia and has been recognized by American College Dance Festival, DiverseWorks Artspace, JCC’s Choreographer’s X6, and Dallas Black Dance Theatre for her innovative choreography. She received the Artist Fellowship Award in Choreography and three Artist Project Awards for arts in education programming from Cultural Arts Council of Houston and Harris County, Texas. Torres is on the faculty at the University of Houston and is actively involved in creating quality arts in education programs for Houston students.
“We were happily surprised by the number of submissions we received from passionate and committed candidates from across the country, and are thrilled with the fellows that have been selected,” said Katie Haggerty, director of education at Montalvo Arts Center. “The four Teaching Artist Fellows share a special, creative approach to their lives, and their ideas of what can happen when the community of artists at Montalvo and the students at Downtown College Prep come together are truly inspiring.”
The fellows will first meet together at Montalvo in June 2007 for an intensive planning week and will return for individual three-month residencies over the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 school years. While in residence, the fellows will divide their time between the Lucas Artists Programs, Montalvo’s education program and their partnership with Downtown College Preparatory School in San Jose.
“This is a great opportunity for our students,” said Jennifer Andaluz, principal at Downtown College Prep. “At a time when the arts are being cut in schools across the nation, we have the opportunity to have incredible teaching artists in the classroom, developing new curriculum that will inspire creativity across the disciplines.”
“The Teaching Fellows program is such a rich opportunity for everyone involved - the artists, the students and the community,” said Robert Sain, executive director at Montalvo. “We see this as an amazing opportunity to provide the fellows with time to dedicate to their work, as well as the chance to share this work and their breadth of experience with the youth and community members of Silicon Valley.”
For additional information about the Teaching Artist Fellowship program and selected fellows, visit www.montalvoarts.org or call (408) 961-5812 or (408) 777-2119.
About Montalvo Arts Center
Montalvo Arts Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to forging meaningful connections between art, artists and the communities it serves through creation, presentation and education in extraordinary ways and settings. Located in the Saratoga hills, Montalvo Arts Center occupies a Mediterranean-style villa on 175 stunning acres, which Senator James Phelan left to the people of California for the encouragement of art, music, literature and architecture. In January 2005, the organization changed its name from “Montalvo” to “Montalvo Arts Center” to commemorate its 75th year as an arts center and to better communicate its mission to expanding local, national and international audiences. For more information about Montalvo Arts Center, call (408) 961-5800 or visit www.montalvoarts.org.
They are advocates for new music in the United States. One of their coolest grant programs is called “The Aaron Copland Fund for Music Recording Program.” More information is here: www.amc.net This program supports organizations that record contemporary American music. Definitely a good organization to know for our next and successive CD projects.
TEACHING ARTIST FELLOWSHIP
From Shannon McDonnell with Montalvo Arts
smcdonnell@montalvoarts.org
Montalvo announces Teaching Artist Fellowship winners
SARATOGA, Calif. - Montalvo Arts Center today announced that Daniel A. Kelin II (Honolulu, HI); Carol Ponder (Nashville, TN); Nilea Rohrer-Parvin (Austin, TX); and Sophia L. Torres (Houston, TX) have been named as recipients of the new Teaching Artist Fellowship, an initiative combining the strengths of Montalvo’s education program and the Sally and Don Lucas Artists Programs.
The first national award of its kind dedicated to professional teaching artists, the Teaching Artist Fellowship provides a three-month residency at Montalvo’s Lucas Artists Programs and partnership with a local school for curriculum development. Fellowship winners were selected from more than 100 applicants by a panel of some of the most distinguished leaders in the arts education world. Teaching artists are professional artists who concurrently dedicate themselves to arts education, with both artistic and educational skills, teaching within and beyond their artistic discipline.
“For decades, thousands of teaching artists have served under the radar as quiet resources, extending and deepening arts education in schools across the country,” said Juilliard faculty member Eric Booth, prominent teaching artist and leader of the Teaching Artist Fellowship team at Montalvo Arts Center. “This fellowship is a new high-water mark as the field of teaching artistry emerges as a distinct profession.”
Daniel A. Kelin II is the Director of Drama Education with the Honolulu Theatre for Youth. Kelin has taught in Vanuatu, the Marshall Islands and Samoa, and developed specialty programs for Pacific Island English as a Second Language Learners throughout Hawaii. The American Alliance for Theatre and Education awarded him the 1995 Youth Theatre Director of the Year award and in 2002 he was honored with the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Barbara Karlin grant. His published works include Marshall Islands Legends and Stories and To Feel As Our Ancestors Did, Collecting and Performing Oral Histories.
Carol Ponder, a professional singer, actress, and musician of almost 40 years, has more than 18 years of experience in education through the arts. In her capacities as Teaching Artist and consultant, Ponder has taught in the classroom and worked with many configurations of teachers, from one-on-one intensives to workshops of over 100 participants, leading professional development seminars for Teaching Artists throughout the North and Southeast. Ponder has also worked both individually and with teachers in numerous organizations to design and execute assessment strategies and program evaluations for arts education curricula. In 2000, Ponder received the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Fellowship in Music, an annual award recognizing artistic excellence.
Nilea Rohrer-Parvin is a leader and activist in the field of arts education whose work emphasizes inquiry-based, integrated curricula within schools and classrooms. She has conducted professional development programs and facilitated numerous art programs for people with disabilities and ESL students. Rohrer-Parvin designed and implemented the A.E.I.O.U. Program (Arts Education Increases Our Understanding), establishing an interdisciplinary arts curriculum for an International Baccalaureate program in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A Teaching Artist with the Arkansas Arts Council and VSAarts, Texas, she is the recipient of the Arkansas Art Educators Award and continues her own education studying metallurgy and engineering design graphics.
Sophia L. Torres is a Founding Member and Co-Artistic Director of Psophonia Dance Company in Houston, Texas. She has choreographed 20 original works under Psophonia and has been recognized by American College Dance Festival, DiverseWorks Artspace, JCC’s Choreographer’s X6, and Dallas Black Dance Theatre for her innovative choreography. She received the Artist Fellowship Award in Choreography and three Artist Project Awards for arts in education programming from Cultural Arts Council of Houston and Harris County, Texas. Torres is on the faculty at the University of Houston and is actively involved in creating quality arts in education programs for Houston students.
“We were happily surprised by the number of submissions we received from passionate and committed candidates from across the country, and are thrilled with the fellows that have been selected,” said Katie Haggerty, director of education at Montalvo Arts Center. “The four Teaching Artist Fellows share a special, creative approach to their lives, and their ideas of what can happen when the community of artists at Montalvo and the students at Downtown College Prep come together are truly inspiring.”
The fellows will first meet together at Montalvo in June 2007 for an intensive planning week and will return for individual three-month residencies over the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 school years. While in residence, the fellows will divide their time between the Lucas Artists Programs, Montalvo’s education program and their partnership with Downtown College Preparatory School in San Jose.
“This is a great opportunity for our students,” said Jennifer Andaluz, principal at Downtown College Prep. “At a time when the arts are being cut in schools across the nation, we have the opportunity to have incredible teaching artists in the classroom, developing new curriculum that will inspire creativity across the disciplines.”
“The Teaching Fellows program is such a rich opportunity for everyone involved - the artists, the students and the community,” said Robert Sain, executive director at Montalvo. “We see this as an amazing opportunity to provide the fellows with time to dedicate to their work, as well as the chance to share this work and their breadth of experience with the youth and community members of Silicon Valley.”
For additional information about the Teaching Artist Fellowship program and selected fellows, visit www.montalvoarts.org or call (408) 961-5812 or (408) 777-2119.
About Montalvo Arts Center
Montalvo Arts Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to forging meaningful connections between art, artists and the communities it serves through creation, presentation and education in extraordinary ways and settings. Located in the Saratoga hills, Montalvo Arts Center occupies a Mediterranean-style villa on 175 stunning acres, which Senator James Phelan left to the people of California for the encouragement of art, music, literature and architecture. In January 2005, the organization changed its name from “Montalvo” to “Montalvo Arts Center” to commemorate its 75th year as an arts center and to better communicate its mission to expanding local, national and international audiences. For more information about Montalvo Arts Center, call (408) 961-5800 or visit www.montalvoarts.org.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
KQED Spark!
This is a great community television show broadcast on PBS KQED 9. It focuses on the arts community in the greater SF Bay Area. More below:
Catch SPARK every Wed. at 7:30pm and Fri. at 11pm on KQED 9 -- check listings for airings on KQED’s digital channels...
This Week on SPARK
Musical Instruments
SPARK, KQED’s weekly series on the Bay Area’s art scene, continues this Wednesday as we go on a creative journey with musicians and their chosen instruments.
Master Class: Take a master class with the world famous soprano Barbara Bonney.
Nicholas McGegan’s Harpsichords: See how all things Baroque has filled Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra conductor’s life with music.
The B3 Legacy: Jam with Wil Blades, the hippest organ player in the Bay Area.
Composer: Accompany Stephen Kent, a didgeridoo player from the UK, through the park.
Next Week on SPARK
The Influence of Memory (repeat)
• Painter Christopher Brown
• Photographer Binh Danh
• Flo Oy Wong
• Deborah Slater
Catch SPARK every Wed. at 7:30pm and Fri. at 11pm on KQED 9 -- check listings for airings on KQED’s digital channels...
This Week on SPARK
Musical Instruments
SPARK, KQED’s weekly series on the Bay Area’s art scene, continues this Wednesday as we go on a creative journey with musicians and their chosen instruments.
Master Class: Take a master class with the world famous soprano Barbara Bonney.
Nicholas McGegan’s Harpsichords: See how all things Baroque has filled Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra conductor’s life with music.
The B3 Legacy: Jam with Wil Blades, the hippest organ player in the Bay Area.
Composer: Accompany Stephen Kent, a didgeridoo player from the UK, through the park.
Next Week on SPARK
The Influence of Memory (repeat)
• Painter Christopher Brown
• Photographer Binh Danh
• Flo Oy Wong
• Deborah Slater
Think of What They Want
WHAT DO THEY REALLY WANT?
Another nugget of knowledge from Derek Sivers, founder of CDBaby.
Want to know the basic rule or marketing and promoting your music?
Constantly ask, “What do they really want?” (with “they” being anyone you are trying to reach)
Think hard, and don’t take this one lightly.
Thinking of everything from the other person’s point of view is a seeeerious Jedi mind trick. If done right, it will elevate you into the clouds along with a few select immortal beings.
Every time you lift up the phone. Every time you write an Email. Every time you send out a presskit.
Think why people in the music industry are REALLY working this job. Try to imagine them as just a well-meaning human being who is probably overworked, looking for a little happiness in the world, and likes music (or the music world itself) enough to do what they do, even though they could be doing something else.
Think what their Email “IN” box must look like, and how it would be unwise for you to send them an email with the subject of “hey” followed by a 7-page Email detailing your wishes for success.
Think what people are REALLY looking for when they go out to a club to hear music. For some people, it’s just a way to be seem to increase their popularity. For some, they’re searching for some music that does something completely original and mind-blowing. Some are looking for total visual entertainment.
Nobody owes you their attention. Not your audience. Not a person you happened to call or Email. Not even the music industry.
Let go of your ego entirely. Think of everything from their point of view. Be their dream come true. Do what they really want.
(This even goes down to the smallest levels: what kind of phone message you leave, what kind of cover letter you write in a package, what kind of subject header you put in your email.)
And maybe, just maybe, they’ll be or do exactly what you want.
# THINK OF EVERYTHING FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW #
Derek Sivers - http://www.cdbaby.net/derek
Another nugget of knowledge from Derek Sivers, founder of CDBaby.
Want to know the basic rule or marketing and promoting your music?
Constantly ask, “What do they really want?” (with “they” being anyone you are trying to reach)
Think hard, and don’t take this one lightly.
Thinking of everything from the other person’s point of view is a seeeerious Jedi mind trick. If done right, it will elevate you into the clouds along with a few select immortal beings.
Every time you lift up the phone. Every time you write an Email. Every time you send out a presskit.
Think why people in the music industry are REALLY working this job. Try to imagine them as just a well-meaning human being who is probably overworked, looking for a little happiness in the world, and likes music (or the music world itself) enough to do what they do, even though they could be doing something else.
Think what their Email “IN” box must look like, and how it would be unwise for you to send them an email with the subject of “hey” followed by a 7-page Email detailing your wishes for success.
Think what people are REALLY looking for when they go out to a club to hear music. For some people, it’s just a way to be seem to increase their popularity. For some, they’re searching for some music that does something completely original and mind-blowing. Some are looking for total visual entertainment.
Nobody owes you their attention. Not your audience. Not a person you happened to call or Email. Not even the music industry.
Let go of your ego entirely. Think of everything from their point of view. Be their dream come true. Do what they really want.
(This even goes down to the smallest levels: what kind of phone message you leave, what kind of cover letter you write in a package, what kind of subject header you put in your email.)
And maybe, just maybe, they’ll be or do exactly what you want.
# THINK OF EVERYTHING FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW #
Derek Sivers - http://www.cdbaby.net/derek
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Chamber Music America; Humorous Lesson Policies
CHAMBER MUSIC AMERICA
OK. You're on the board for a chamber music group OR you play in one. Someone comes up to you and asks you what's the definition of chamber music after you tell them how fabulous QUADRE is. (Sound familiar?)
Well, who do you go to for the answer? Chamber Music America, of course!! They are the national service organization for the chamber music profession. Their website is www.chamber-music.org/events/. They are the ones that send you that Chamber Music magazine every other month. We received our Rural Residency grant from them (that year in Alabama in 1999-2000) & they have been strong advocates for us since the beginning.
So check out their website. If you're interested, come to New York with me in January for the conference. We can share a room and have a ton of fun. And by the way, they have defined chamber music to be "an ensemble of 2-10 players with one person on a part without a conductor."
HUMOROUS LESSON POLICIES
From John Lampkin; Click here to view the PDF.
Don't play a wrong note. It might cost you something in John's private studio.
OK. You're on the board for a chamber music group OR you play in one. Someone comes up to you and asks you what's the definition of chamber music after you tell them how fabulous QUADRE is. (Sound familiar?)
Well, who do you go to for the answer? Chamber Music America, of course!! They are the national service organization for the chamber music profession. Their website is www.chamber-music.org/events/. They are the ones that send you that Chamber Music magazine every other month. We received our Rural Residency grant from them (that year in Alabama in 1999-2000) & they have been strong advocates for us since the beginning.
So check out their website. If you're interested, come to New York with me in January for the conference. We can share a room and have a ton of fun. And by the way, they have defined chamber music to be "an ensemble of 2-10 players with one person on a part without a conductor."
HUMOROUS LESSON POLICIES
From John Lampkin; Click here to view the PDF.
Don't play a wrong note. It might cost you something in John's private studio.
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
New Orchestra Types; Venture Capitalists
NEW ORCHESTRAS
Another forward for you folks. This one talks about the new types of orchestras you are starting to see on the scene.
VENTURE CAPITALISTS
All of the artists in QUADRE are entitled to Costco memberships. Since that is the case, we all get the Coctco magazine that comes around each month. This month's issue had an article about "taking the vulture out of venture capitalists." After reading the article, I saw a great many similarities between the entrepreneur/venture capitalist and the artist/grant organization.
Quoting from the article below, I've just substituted a word here and there.
"There are three major 'lacks' in artist plan proposals that influence perceived granting organizations risk. These are: lack of management team experience, lack of an established track record for the artists' work or the artists' work lacking a marketing plan/way to disseminate their work."
Other points that jumped out:
TIMING - approach a granting organization when you can show demonstrated success
CORE AREAS - approach granting organizations that support your core area
EXPERIENCE - seek out granting organizations with a solid track record & plan
BE PATIENT - apply year after year; your persistance will pay off
BE HONEST - unethical behavior spreads quickly; all granting orgs know each other
PRE-APPROACH - Seek out connections within their organization before applying
RECOMMENDATIONS - Ask for recommendations from other artists
Another forward for you folks. This one talks about the new types of orchestras you are starting to see on the scene.
VENTURE CAPITALISTS
All of the artists in QUADRE are entitled to Costco memberships. Since that is the case, we all get the Coctco magazine that comes around each month. This month's issue had an article about "taking the vulture out of venture capitalists." After reading the article, I saw a great many similarities between the entrepreneur/venture capitalist and the artist/grant organization.
Quoting from the article below, I've just substituted a word here and there.
"There are three major 'lacks' in artist plan proposals that influence perceived granting organizations risk. These are: lack of management team experience, lack of an established track record for the artists' work or the artists' work lacking a marketing plan/way to disseminate their work."
Other points that jumped out:
TIMING - approach a granting organization when you can show demonstrated success
CORE AREAS - approach granting organizations that support your core area
EXPERIENCE - seek out granting organizations with a solid track record & plan
BE PATIENT - apply year after year; your persistance will pay off
BE HONEST - unethical behavior spreads quickly; all granting orgs know each other
PRE-APPROACH - Seek out connections within their organization before applying
RECOMMENDATIONS - Ask for recommendations from other artists
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