New Hampshire (click to see sessions) is readying for their annual All State conference, April 12 - 14 in Concord, NH. (l'll be going to run the MENC resource booth)......they are excited, it's the first time they've held
their All State in a hotel instead of a high school, and they're hoping it'll be a big success so
as to entice more members from across the state to participate in future years.
MENC also had a visitor from China last week, who had come to the states to make a presentation
on the role of music in patriotism in China. She and the professor of the U.S.
university where she made her presentation had a good look around MENC headquarters,
and even came across a rehearsal of the MENC Recorder ensemble, the (staff) members of which
graciously impromptu performed a new piece for the visitors, percussion and all!
And yes, the MENC tree (see EWL's blog below) has looked lovely since December,
and now some industrious MENC staff have already donned it for the Centennial -
vintage photos from last 100 years music education,
miniature instruments ornaments, and party blowers!
And kudos to JR, who monthly has knit a miniature sweater
with some symbol of that month's decorating theme to ornament the tree!
I nearly forgot!I Tomorrow I pass my 8 year anniversary at MENC! (3/29)
wow. Some folks have been here 15 - 20 years!
was a real stroke of serendipity (? can you say that?!)
I found MENC... and thanks to EWL for hiring me!
In the news:
The AP reported last week that Italian musician, Francesco Lotoro, has, for the last 15 years, been independently (on his own time and dime) seeking, collecting and preserving the "lost" music of the Holocaust...music written in the death and labor camps, from Europe to Japan. His work will have a permanent home at Rome's Third University in September 2007, and feature 4,000 papers and 13,000 microfiches including music sheets, letters, drawings and photos. He is also rearranging and recording many of the pieces to produce a collection of 32 CDs, five of which have been published already. Even officials at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington have lauded the work and said it is groundbreaking. I have not found any public website for this work, yet.... but to get an idea of the type of material Lotoro has collected, see the collection at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum: Music page
BEAUTIFUL VOICE! For Idol Fans, and even non-Idol fans: listen to SHADA, one of 4 contestants remaining in the "Star Academy" reality show out of Lebanon; Shada is Iraqi, age 25. Her voice, singing a song from the 60's from the Middle East, is mesmerizing and heart breaking. This show follows contestants 24/7, and viewers call in via cell to vote - a la American Idol. ON NPR
RESOURCES of the WEEK
American Composers forum
Composers Datebook
Arts Education Partnership
Good resources/tech and lesson plans
Cool careers (middle school level)
PBS teachers guides on line
AROUND the WATER COOLER
Speaking of British invasion..... (see EWL's Water cooler item below) -
isn't it amazing (to those of us who are of a certain age) that many of this year's American Idol contestants admitted they hadn't a clue about the British music invasion of the 60's? Okay, it was 30 years before their time, but still!
And did you notice NO ONE sang any Beatles? (click to see review)
And for those who are real Idol aficionados, check out Michael Slezak's reviews
each week; "spot on" and most entertaining! Almost better than the show!
Interesting article from Smithsonian Magazine on the Real Dreamgirls: How Girl Groups Changed American Music
My cousin's son just got accepted into three colleges, and is
waiting to hear from #4. He's a marching band/jazz guy... and he wants to teach music!
So he's chosen some programs with great jazz programs and great
music education programs....way to go, Andy!
SEE YOU NEXT WEDNESDAY! SR
