Welcome to the Jungle....or How to Avoid Getting Trampled at Target

Hi all,

We are nearing the final weeks of the semester and things are at full-crank again. Looking forward to the much-needed break, but before we depart for the Holiday Break, I couldn't leave without one post about the Post-Thanksgiving consumer craziness that's beginning to brew.

A recent NYTimes article showed that artists are feeling the crunch from our economic situation (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/arts/design/24study.html?emc=eta1). Not only did more than half of all artists across disciplines (5,300 participants took the survey) feel a drop in income from 2008-09, roughly 2/3 of the group indicated that their income fell below $40,000/year. This struck me as I braved the Black Friday deals here in Madison; early-bird specials, one-day-only in-store discounts, and CLEARANCE signs are still swimming in my vision. I don't know about you, but even though we are conditioned to believe this is the best time to buy gifts, it seems like there must be a better way to spend our quickly-diminishing holiday funds. And especially when I don't particularly enjoy the experience of shopping on those days, when normally-pleasant humans become jingle-bell crazen animals.

It's weird though, because the more I bought, the less I felt satisfied with my purchases. Now, I did find what I wanted, at a good price. So it wasn't about being dissapointed in missing the chance to get the gift I had been thinking of. Rather, I felt like I was living inside Barry Schwartz's The Paradox of Choice: the more options I had, the less satisfied I was with the product. Because, as Schwartz points out, one's expectations rise incrementally with each new option, so his key to true happiness is this: keep your expectations low.

But isn't there another way to satisfy my gift-procuring experience? After all, I don't want to get mediocre gifts for my family and friends. So, when I got home I set upon the task ot figuring out whether spending all that time and money was actually worth it? Turns out, for me, buying online from retailers like Amazon.com saved between 10-20% EVEN when compared to the best deals in brick-and-mortar. Now, I'm not the only one who figured this out. I can't be. So that means people must actually like being out during those days, kind of like going to a birthday party in 6th grade. You may not really like the location, but you can't afford to miss it.

Maybe it's worth a little bit of time to see whether shopping is really worth the time at all. Joel Waldfogel's new book Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays (2009) proposes exactly that: spending money on presents for your family and friends just doesn't add enough value to justify the expense, because, due to a number of factors, the recipient feels less than satisfied (http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8972.html). Maybe we could find some really innovative ways of adding value through thoughtful and unexpected gifts.

Here are some places to start:

The 29-Day Gift Giving Challenge:http://givingchallenge.ning.com/
The Happiness Project: http://www.happiness-project.com/
The Paradox of Choice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO6XEQIsCoM
PriceWatch: http://www.pricewatch.com/
And my favorite book on the subject:

Lewis Hyde's The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World! Find inspiration here: http://www.amazon.com/Gift-Creativity-Artist-Modern-Vintage/dp/0307279502

Only problem is, I'm writing this with a whole pile of presents sitting next to my desk. So I guess I'm outta luck this time....

Thanksgiving to All

On this day I will finally honor a long-held, and too-often-ignored promise of shorter blog posts.

All I have to say is, Thank You for reading, and have a great holiday!

Artful Activism: What Musicians Can Learn from Environmental Filmmakers

A few weeks ago, Madison was lucky to witness the Tales From Planet Earth. It's hard to described what exactly TFPE was, except that one could call it a hybrid film festival/call-to-action for anyone concerned about the environment, society, and politics. Yeah, I guess that pretty much sums it up...

So, anyways, what I found most amazing about it was the vigor, the excitement, the passion that was present among all those participating (filmmakers, community coordinators, and audience). But more important than that - and I realized this in the midst of the opening night extravaganza featuring a talk by Guggenheim-winning social activist Majora Carter - was the why. That is, why everyone seemed to cared so much...after all, it was just a film festival calling out the problems of our complex society, right? Wrong.

What set it apart from a film festival, and what translated to over 4,600 people turning out for it, was the way it blended, nay synergized, the energy stirred up by films like Academy Nominated-The Cove (2009) and Trouble the Water (2008) into action. How did co-directors Judith Hefland and Gregg Mitton (of UW's Center for Culture, History, and Environment) do this? By coupling action with art.

These four themes provided a roadmap of issues explored by the various films presented on the roster:

•Landscapes of Labor
•Precious Resources
•Strange Weather
•In the Company of Animals

Each track featured cinema that interwove environmental activism with poverty, race relations, immigration, politics, globalization, and economics. This, of course, reflects the interconnected, complex, and complicated relationship all of these issues share. Next, by offering seven community events that matched the themes and their relational complexity (e.g., quasi-think tanks, Community Supported Agriculture fundraisers, and town-hall type interactive panel discussions), audience members were able to instantly channel their interest into action that, when brought home to each participant's local community, could have a lasting impact on Madison, to Wisconsin, to the whole country.

Now, imagine what could happen if we (as artists) could channel that same passion we have into community action. Even if we could tap into 25, 50, 100 people in our community to get together and (instead of just sitting there listening to us sweat-it-out on stage) work collaboratively, it would become something more than just a concert. That way, we could all make a huge difference (in a localized sense) towards promoting a better/stronger/healthier __________(and yes, here feel free to fill-in-the-blank on the issue of your choice). Couple that with the connectivity Twitter, Facebook, and the iPhone offers...and we're talking something big!

Where do we start? That's the question, isn't it! Well, all I can think of as a starting point is Bill Ivey's notion of cultivating an "expressive life." He proposes that just as so many in society had equated tangible (financial) wealth as a sole measure of success for much of the 20th century, we must now look towards the art around us (and our ability to synthesize it into our lives) as a new addition to that rubric. I think this goes two-ways. In other words, artists need not only search for meaning in art, but a meaning through art. As he writes in the introduction to his must-read book Arts, Inc.: How Greed and Neglect have Destroyed Our Cultural Rights (2008), "...by failing to link our expressive life to America's public purpose, we have placed our nation's heart and soul at risk" (p. xviii).

Well said, Mr. Ivey, and let's be the first to take up the cause and turn our artistic abilities into activism.

So, what do you want to do?
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To learn more about Tales From Planet Earth, check out: http://www.nelson.wisc.edu/tales/speakers.html

Musicians' Wellness Day 2.0

I'm recovering from the UW-MTNA's second annual Musicians' Wellness Day, held at UW-Madison and featuring interactive sessions on Feldenkrais, Yoga, and Laban Movement. I'm excited to say that this year we again had a healthy (oops, sorry) turnout and a really enjoyable day of exercises that can't help but make you want to stay fit, both in body and mind.

As musicians, and probably artists in a more general sense can empathize here as well, we all-to-often neglect our bodies in favor of long hours in the practice room. Of course, we HAVE to practice, but shouldn't the two go hand-in-hand? I'm particularly interested in the notion that we need to put our physical wellbeing in the forefront of our life, just as we promote the idea that honoring the music we make as the top priority in our artistic pursuits, because if we are NOT physically healthy we simply won't have all of our creative tools at our disposal.

So what can we do about it? I mean, we can foster this sort of experience through events like Wellness Day (if we are lucky enough to have a group of musicians and artists who are interested enough to put such an event on), but the challenge lies in transferring a fun one-day event into a steady commitment to nurturing a healthy lifestyle.

One problem is the proliferation of misinformation about 'exercise' - everywhere you look are ads touting the next 'easy' way to get ripped or lose 100 lbs. without giving up your cheese curds. We obviously haven't learned our lesson, first revealed decades ago that, yes, staying healthy requires effort, smart eating, and lots of exercise (gasp!).

I learned this lesson from being a competitive swimmer for 10 years, competing year-round at state, regional, and national competitions. Many of my peers went on to swim at the collegiate level, and two even made it to Olympic Trials. Now, I was never that caliber of an athlete, but I can say that the harsh, exhausting, and ultimately addictive nature of intensive sports training (for me, at least) directly paralleled my musical study. In fact, I often thought they complemented each other. As my coach's favorite T-shirt used to remind us: "Ignore your health, and it will go away." I think somewhere along the line we all forgot that one doesn't necessarily have to separate sports from art - they both demand a commitment from our bodies and minds alike, and they both require an holistic and consistent maintenance of our overall well-being.

Maybe I'm being disingenuous. In fact, it's probably more likely that we artists just don't think we have the time to commit to working out, Yoga, or some other supposedly therapeutic hobby. Plus, there's that rumor that we can burn up to 300 calories an hour practicing our instrument. So who needs 'exercise' anyways?

After Wellness Day I'm reminded of the hard-to-believe revelation that we can actually incorporate exercise into our practice sessions. At the very least, we can begin to harness a greater personal awareness of our physical habits we use in our arts training. I'm starting to think maybe it's time to get our feet under us so we can start moving in a healthier direction; in our lives as well as in the practice room. As yesterday proved, for the second year in a row, it's not as hard as it sounds, and, when you can find a few others interested in getting healthy, all of a sudden "working out" can become a lot more relevant to our musical experience. And, it's just a heck of a lot of fun.


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To read more about the complex notions of eating "healthy" and "exercising" as they relate to our relationship with society, check out these resources:


1) Pollan, Michael. (2007). The Omnivore's Dilemma. Penguin Books. ISBN: 0143038583
2) Green, Barry. (1986). The Inner Game of Music. Doublday Press. ISBN: 0385231261
3) Finally, this is a great Blog: http://a2create.blogspot.com/

November Arts Roundup

Here are my "arts events" picks for November 2009:

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11/05 Broken Lizard

Location: Barrymore Theatre, 8pm

Check out this comedy team responsible for movies such as Super Troopers and Beerfest. See the link below to find out of tickets are still available!

Check Out: http://www.barrymorelive.com/
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11/06-11/08 "Tales from Planet Earth: Environmental Film Festival"

Location: various throughout Madison

This FREE and OPEN to the public festival has an exciting line-up of films, including the much-hyped documentary "The Cove," about an infamous Japanese dolphin farm.

Check Out: TalesFromPlanetEarth.com
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11/12 Bill Ivey

Location: Madison Museum of Contemporary Art

Former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and recent Obama advisor will be here to talk about "Arts, Inc. Greed, Neglect, and Our Cultural Rights." This is going to be one of the highlights of the year, so don't miss it. This FREE event is part of the Arts Enterprise Public Forum.

Check Out: http://www.uw-artsenterprise.com/?page_id=38
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11/14 Musicians' Wellness Day

Location: UW Humanities, Rm. 1341

Join UW-MTNA for the second annual Musicians' Wellness Day, which features sessions on Yoga, Feldenkrais, and Laban Movement. Open to all students, and faculty - this event is also FREE!

Check Out: the UW-MTNA Facebook group www.facebook.com
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10/24-5/9/2010 MMoCA Exhibit: Cage and Cunningham: Chance, Time and Concept in the Visual Arts

Location: Madison Museum of Contemporary Art

This incredible multidimensional exhibit is sure to raise many interesting questions about the intersection of dance, visual art, and music! Don't miss it!

Check Out: http://www.mmoca.org/
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Let me know what I missed from this list......

If Don't Read This You Are A Bad Person

I'm writing today after a weekend attending the World Piano Pedagogy Conference. It's was fun to get away from Madison for a few days. Amazing how it always feels like a vacation, even when one ends up in a highly-charged and intense educational experience. But maybe it's really because October in Phoenix feels better than July in Madison.

In any case, I have to say that many of the sessions were incredibly enlightening (especially those offered by Phillip Kawin and Yoheved Kaplinsky). The intensive schedule (as they always are) got me thinking (during one of my caffeine pick-me-ups) about the relationship between administration and participant. What struck me as I was leaving one of the sessions was how so closely these events, although educational and often non-profit, resemble the consumerist transactions (or trade-offs) we are making every day. Unfortunately, both sides often don't see this quality, which can lead to organizational dysfunction.

For example, at one international conference I was recently attending, I heard an administator, in their welcoming address, admonished those who had chosen to refrain from coming that year. As if they should be ashamed for their choice not to fork over hundreds of dollars (not including airfare and hotel) for a conference that MAY not have been earth-shattering.

Nevermind the fact that such a statement has no affect whatsoever on those who are NOT in attendance, such an attitude reflects the all-to-prevalent idea that WE, those whose support makes these events possible, should feel obligated to support them. I would argue that precisely the opposite should be the case. It is the responsibility of those hosting an event to make them attractive enough to keep the "audience" coming back for more. This is no different than the standard we hold films, theatre, and yes, music concerts to, so why should it be different for an event that often includes LARGE monetary and capitol investments (travel, hotel, transportation, food, etc). It should occur to those running festivals and conferences that maybe everything isn't perfect, and pre-emptive research should be focused in improving program offerings in accordance with the needs of those who pay big bucks to attend.

And let's be real here, any event that costs close to a $1000 to attend can't pretend that it ISN'T a commercial event - whether we like to admit this or not, when money is involved we all make decisions based on opportunity cost, not to mention value-adding calculations, just as we would with any large-ish commercial transaction.

The REAL question, then, is: why do artists sometimes feverishly hold on to the notion that we (the public) owe them something? Maybe it grows out of a dependency on arts' patronage that has both allowed the creation of unprofitable creativity to survive and promoted a divide between the empresarios and producers of art. Or maybe it's the die-hard habit of channeling organizational frustration at the "customer" ("Why DON'T they like what we're doing, anyways? They must not get it!"). The classic argument that many (even within in the arts' professions) just don't "get" High Art. Either way, it's time artists woke up and realized that the "customer", whether right or not, should be the focus of every artistic endeavor that requires patronage for survival. Similarly, we as participants must do a better job at communicating honestly and constructively our thoughts about how to improve these extremely expensive programs. As has been proven in the advertising world, this must stem from an open-minded view of creativity and it can change the world.

Speaking of which, one of the highlights of my trip was checking out the college-town of Tempe. It resembles Madison, albeit a drier, less pedestrian, and hotter version of it. Their 'State St.', AKA Mills Ave., had a wonderful little movie theater featuring the new documentary "Art&Copy", about creativity in the advertising industry. This is a must-see for anyone in an artistic profession; a truly convincing tale about the power, and necessity, of creativity. It offers valuable lessons on valuation decisions, and what makes something "sell".

As the subjects of this film profess, instead of complaining about a diminishing pool of attendees, why not do some research about WHY your constituency is turning their back on you. Maybe it's the cost. Maybe it's a bad experience last year. Maybe it's the advertising strategy. Maybe it's some subtle aspect of the event you never thought of (free coffee can go a LOOOONG way). In any case, too often suitable feedback mechanisms aren't in place at conferences and festivals. It can be tough for administration to make adjustments without knowing how the experience could be made more fulfilling.

At least it's a place to start. For now, though, I'm back to reality and the all-to-present reminder that winter is just around the corner. So, as the trees change to shades of autumn and we prepare to dig out our boots and jackets, and as the Capitol Farmers' Market moves indoors in the coming weeks, don't feel guilty if you decide not to attend an expensive and somehow unattractive out-of-town event. But DO try to let them know what would make you more willing to attend next year. And, whatever you do, remember to read my blog.

Pianists in the Creative Age: Where do we fit in?

One of the buzziest words around in the realm of professional development is the so-called "professional portfolio." This catch-phrase is all over the place, and everybody seems to think it applies to them. My favorite definition is this one, designed for teachers:

"The professional portfolio is a vehicle for collecting and presenting that evidence [of their growth and achievement over time]." (1)

There's even a website that will help you develop a "professional portfolio," customized to your needs and career path: http://www.portfolio5.com/. It makes sense that such an exploration into the idea of how a broad, multifaceted career(s) can foster viable and sustainable professional lifestyles is a popular idea in our new Creative Economy. People don't work for one company anymore; in fact, most people under the age of 30 have already had several employers, and I'm not talking the summer, beach-bum-in-sandals kind of gig. (2)

It's pretty easy as a pianist to see the neccesity of a "professional portfolio." After all, we are continually called upon to shift, chameleon-like, from soloist, to chamber musician, to teacher, and sometimes to be an entrepreneur. So why is it, then, that so many of us miss out on developing (first) a framework for evaluating our creative skills in the aggregate, and then (second) figuring out relevant, impactful, and effective methods for putting them to use?

Maybe it's because we are, in large part, asphyxiated by the historical rigidity of tertiary curricula. Colleges and Universities are notoriously slow to adapt, and music is no exception. A recent study found that of B.M. piano performance degree requirements at 82 accredited tertiary programs across the U.S., only 24% required a "functional keyboards skills" course. Only 5% required a jazz/improv skills class. (3) Are you kidding me?!?! This at a time when social scientists have been heralding the coming of a need for a diversely-trained and flexible workforce, primarily based on right-brained, creative-thinkers. (4)

While education at the College and University level seems to adapt at a snails' pace, when it does evolve, it jumps into gear seemingly at light-speed. A few years back, this was exemplified by the rise in 'business' training for artists, primarily through an attempt to bridge the gap between the silos of the Music and B-Schools. The problem was, as we found out, many schools didn't do as good a job as they had hoped in integrating the curricula into the context of arts' training. In other words, lots of artists where learning how to use SAS and Minitab, but weren't exploring how they could use these tools within a given arts' career.

More important, though, is the realization that an MBA isn't enough to ensure success today, regardless of one's chosen profession. (5) We need to turn to the advantage that we (pianists) all exhibit as musicians and pedagogues: the ability to communicate our artistic vision through creative and impactful channels. This doesn't mean we have to start programming Radiohead transcriptions - actually Christopher O'Riley already does that, darn - but we do have to start exploring how we can transfer our skills towards making music in a way that promotes creative-thinking, collaborative artistic expressions, and a focus on meeting the needs of our society (I say at the local level!).

From here we can start to build on a foundation of music-making that is infused not only with meaning and purpose, but also a greater sense of identity. This is precisely what our students must be exploring as well, for if we believe any of the research being on the economy, it is apparent that the creative workforce has already begun to take on the responsibilities of renewing our society through as-yet-unforseen innovation. By doing so with intent, we can become leaders in a new movement, one devoted to creating successful, independent, and maybe even divergent arts careers. It’s time to help your students’ find their niche!

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1: From Scholastic.com: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4148
2: Check out Next Generation Consulting for some stats, http://nextgenerationconsulting.com/
3: Walker, Tammie. "The Status of the BM Piano Performance Degree." AMT Journal, April/May 2008, 20-22.
4: Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, (Riverhead Trade: 2006) and Richard Florida's The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent (Collins Business, 2007) are two excellent examples of this research.
5: Asher, Donald. “Alternatives to the MBA.” MSN Encarta, Posted December 2006. Accessible at http://www.gradview.com/articles/graduatestudies/alternatives_to_mba.html

October Arts Roundup

Here are some exciting upcoming events in the Madison area:

Sundance Cinemas: The Screening Room

All Month Long, movies show one per week

Check out the great line-up Sundance has in it's exclusive screening room in October: "Every Little Step" 10/2-8, "Paris 36" 10/16-21, "Under Your Skin" 10/9-15, and "Humpday" 10/22-28. Tickets go on sale the Monday before each film starts.

For more info: http://sundancecinemas.com/showtimes.html?cinema=madison

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Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra

Friday, 10/09, 8pm: Capitol Theater, Overture Hall

Come check out this concert featuring works by Resphigi, Mendelssohn, and Mozart, and violinist Augustin Hadelich.

For more info: http://www.wcoconcerts.com/
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Wisconsin Book Festival

Through 10/11: Various Locations

Check this year's slate of writers, including keynoter Wendell Berry (4pm, Overture Hall).

For more info: http://www.wisconsinbookfestival.org/
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Imani Winds

Thursday, 10/15, 7:30pm: Mills Hall, UW Humanities

Don't miss this world-famous, Grammy-nominated wind quintet, on campus for the first time!

For more info: http://www.music.wisc.edu/extensions/eventdetails.jsp?event_id=1128
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UW Madison 'Collage' Concert

Friday, 10/16, 7:30pm: Mills Hall, UW Humanities

This one-of-a-kind event features interdisciplinary arts performances by UW Students. Always a hit!

For more info: http://www.music.wisc.edu/calendar
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These are my picks, but there are (surely) many others throughout the month.

Check out: http://isthmus.com/theguide/ for a comprehensive list of arts events in Madison (updated every week).

Why Artists Need to Get Heretical

Leadership is a tricky thing. As the idea goes, not everyone can be a leader, yet everywhere we look there are signs that we need more leadership. In our companies, in government, at school, at the grassroots level. It's easy to believe that leadership is the answer to all our problems.

But it's not that simple. Leadership isn't about finding the 'right' person to follow, it's about figuring out what you want to change and then making that change happen. Maybe 1 person will follow you, maybe 50, but either way 'you' (more than ever before) CAN make a real difference without the 'right' pedigree, education, or bankroll.

How? By leading. You know, we think about leaders as 'heroes', the Mel Gibson kind where we direct a massive mob against the evil tyrants of the world (usually, in his case, they are British). In reality, leading isn't so cinematic (and it's a lot less bloody, at least at first). Most of the time it's more like getting 4 or 5 people (probably your friends) who really care about an idea to commit themselves towards making it happen. That's how lots of little movements got started, like Civil Rights and the British Invasion in the 60's, or the crazy idea that we could ALL use personal computers. (I personally disagree with the last one - I'm typing this up on my iPod and it's WAAAY easier...)

Leading, then, is more relational than mythical. Blogger/author/entrepreneur Seth Godin describes leadership in terms of helping a group of people recognize and achieve a common goal. I think he's right, and he's right about another thing, too: we all need to get heretical.

This shouldn't be too hard for us artists, since we're not really known for our stability in the first place. We just have to focus a bit more on channelling our zeal (AKA OCD syndrome) towards creating change. Change in our institutional environment, change in our career possibilities, change for future artists.

That sounds cliché, but really, isn't art the lense through which we view our history? And aren't the big changes in history the parts you remember? Let's go back a bit. Pythagoras was nuts. Really, completely nuts. He thought the planets' orbits were in-sync with some larger mathematical ratio, and that this ratio was relative to musical intervals. Whoa! Caravaggio, now there's a crazy who was also a true heretic. He even painted the Virgin Mary in innappropriate clothing (her ankles were showing). He wanted to paint a more realistic picture (no pun intended) of Biblical history. In the Late Renaissance, that's big. William Blake, you don't even have to even read any of his stuff to know how nuts he was. Have you ever seen any of his paintings?

OK, flash forward. How about John Lennon? That guy was so crazy ("Stop the Vietnam war!"...what a psycho) he inspired another crazy guy to kill him. Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, and Bill Gate have there own little "crazies only!" club going OK. And we can't forget Andy Warhol. The guy LIKED being known as a quirky, artistic maniac. Maybe it's because people loved him for it.

It has always been artists who have challenged the status quo. Why? Because new art necessarily must be different than the old. And that is hard for many people to accept. But, in the end, we remember those people now because what they did was revolutionary in some way, and more importantly, what they created had an impact on society. Those things are always more memorable to us than all that boring stuff that didn't change for decades (or sometimes centuries).

Try this: right now, start thinking about how we, as artists, can use the power of our art to foster change. Can we do it alone? I don't think so. We need to start by working towards building our network, what Godin would call a 'tribe', to start showing more of our peers that anti-establishment zealotry really isn't such a bad thing. In fact, being a heretic is probably the best way to get something done, because there's nothing more memorable than a crazy person who (if you listen) might actually make sense. And what is memorable, by default, gets noticed. Which means, if you take the opportunity to make a convincing point, somebody might remember it. If you're lucky, they may even decide to follow you. (Whoa, better know what you're talking about)

I'm pretty sure that we can find a few more crazies like us out there, after all, we are artists. And when you find them, try to listen to what they have to say....you mind even find yourself believing in them too. I'd write more, but I can't sit still any longer. Maybe I'll see you out there....

Summary of the Gabriel Kahane Q&A, or Musings on the Entrepreneurship/Art/Creativity Trifecta

It's been a busy week. After weeks of logistical prep, Gabriel Kahane finally arrived on Monday night (9/14)for an open Q&A on 'Sustainable Creativity.' About twenty students gathered in our smaller performance space to talk with Mr. Kahane about his work, his multiple hats (composer/singer/song writer), and what it means to find one's way as an artist today.

Let me take the moment to say that Mr. Kahane was a real delight to have as a guest; honest, thoughtful, and intellectually keen, he graciously let us have a glimpse into his world while posing important questions as to our roles as musicians, as creative entrepreneurs, and as artists. Among the many interesting tangents this framework of a discussion led us down, perhaps the most intriguing was the debate about the inherent danger in mixing entrepreneurship and art. This was a point we returned to again and again throughout our discussion, and one that is worth exploring more thoroughly than a brief 60 minute dicussion would allow. A such, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about this challenging concept (and one that lies at the heart of Arts Enterprise's mission) in this forum, as my first commentary-focused Blog entry.

So, what are we talking about when the idea of entrepreneurship comes to the fore of a discussion of Arts Enterprise? Firstly, let's admit that this is a loaded question. Why? Because entrepreneurship has multiple meanings and definitions, depending on the scholar and/or the constituency of one's audience. At the same time though, entrepreneurship (at least in most of us) conjures up preconcieved ideas of self-centered, profit-hungry, business suits fighting to the death in search of the 'next big thing.' This notion is mostly at odds with that of artistic 'authenticity' (another dangerous term) - an idea rooted in the 19th Century, as a function of the Romantic concept of 'art for art's sake.' Interestingly enough, we forget that today many in the arts world utilize entrepeneurial concepts for the betterment of art, and as a vehicle for bringing creative, socially-oriented, and impactful works of art into being. Maybe it's just must more appealing to focus on crticizing those others who prioritize the fame often associated with successful art (Americal Idol, anyone?).

It is with this idea in mind that I suggest a re-evaluation of 'entrepreneurship' as it pertains to the arts. Lewis Hyde promotes the idea that art must exist both in a free-market economy and as the vehicle for a 'gift-based' economy. His proposition, encapsulated in his book "The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World", claims that we must all recognize the inherent social value of our art, and that this should outweigh our art's practical (monetary, or economically-valued) merits. This statement brings with it an inherent debate regarding whether authenticity is lost the moment one recognizes and tabulates the economic value of art.

I'm not going there, right now anyways, but it is a fact of life that we as artists DO have to juggle these kinds of value judgements on a day-to-day basis. For example, I am not above learning to play different styles of music from within the 'Popular' (yet another problematic label) realm, but when I'm asked to play one hour of Elton John at a wedding reception, I can't help but feel as though I'm doing that gig just for the money. There IS certainly a danger in using a purely economic metric when we measure the success or failure of a project, performance, or the creation of a new work of art.

So how do we reconcile such a paradox? I mean, we have to eat, right? After all, not ALL the creative work by 'the greats' resulted exclusively in masterpieces. Take Beethoven's Wellington's Victory, Op. 91 as a case in point. Written as a benefit piece for wounded soldiers, and to commemorate Wellington's victory over Napoleon (payback for the Third Symphony episode?) this widely popular work brought money and additional work for Beethoven during a time when he desperately needed it (this was the beginning of what noted Beethoven scholar Lewis Lockwood calls "The Fallow Years," 1813-14). Today nobody (OK, I take that back....almost nobody: http://www.battleproms.com/) talks about Wellington's Victory - but we do talk about another work on that same program: Symphony No. 7, Op. 92, which is acknowledged as perhaps one of Beethoven's great symphonic works. This anecdotal example is meant to show simply that the 'greats' weren't completely opposed to getting paid for what they to, and, despite both a common economic impetus and forum for display, two works with the same advantage (here, Beethoven's name attached) found vary different pathes through history. The case could be made, then, that, at the end of the line, great music will stand the test of time. But does great art always outlast mediocre art?

In fact, therein lies one of the core messages of New Music advocates: stop praising the 'canon', simply for being in the 'canon.' How many concerts have you sat through, in which you can't help but wonder why piece X, Y, or Z has been programmed yet again? Well, first off, there is always the prestige factor of going to see a concert with works by 'famous' composers, which give these works a bit of leeway not shared by works by new, often obscure composers. But more often than not, especially in tough economic times, musical institutions are pressured to pack the house to make the bottom line. This often means programs laden with works sure to satisfy the public, often to the exclusion of New Music. While I agree that we cannot ignore New Music if this art is to survive, what is more troubling is that nobody seems to be talking about how artists miss opportunities to find creative ways of leveraging their skills and artistic integrity to create a better chance for their art to make it's statement - and thus have a shot at standing up to the ultimate judge, history.

This is no easy line to walk. But then, no one said it would be easy. We can't forget that, like those before us, each artist has the responsibility to find a way to make our way through his or her economy (real, creative, entrepreneurial or however you choose to define it) so that they CAN make meaningful art. It's hard to do that while working at Wendy's.

Let me close by posing three questions that (and I write this hopefully) will inspire thought and debate on our mission as 21st Century artists. Here goes:

1) What does it mean to be an artist today?

2) How can we more accurately determine where we fall on the commercially-focused spectrum?

3) What can we do to balance our economic livelihood with artistic integrity, in a socially-impactful way?

Ultimately we have to find the treacherous path between the pillars of artistic authenticity and economic value, and somehow walk it, or better yet, bridge the two. Mr. Kahane is a great example of someone who does just that, acknowledging first and foremost that today one must make opportunities and seek out new inspiration, yet always wary of where those opportunities may lead us. It is this very introspection that may lead not only to creative success, but, more importantly, to a sustainable use of creativity that puts our art into central focus.


Check out Gabriel Kahane's website to read more about him, http://www.gabrielkahane.com/. Also, see http://www.lewishyde.com/ for more information on Hyde's interesting work.

Arts Roundup: September 2009

This is the Arts Roundup for September 2009. After perusing many pages, I've found a whole bunch of events that might appeal to those interested in Arts Enterprise. Again, please post comments with events that I've missed, or update us if the information I've found has changed:


9/13/09: Live at the Chazen: Featuring UW Faculty Stephanie Jutt, Christopher Taylor, and Felicia Moye (FREE!)

Location/Time: Chazen Museum of Art, 12:30-2:00pm

This afternoon concert series is set in the galleries of the Chazen Museum of Art on the UW-Madison campus. Simulcast on WPR, it's always a fun and relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon! Plus, it features some great music (Martinu, Piazzola, Bach and Mozart). Plus there's free refreshments afterwards, and you can take the opportunity to check out the interesting collections.

Check Out: http://www.wpr.org/sal/ for more information.
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9/14/09 AE Madison Guest Artist Series: featuring Gabriel Kahane (FREE!)

Topic: "Sustainable Creativity" Part 1: Making it in the Real World
Location/Time: Morphy Hall, UW Humanities Building, 6-7:30 p.m.

This FREE and open Q&A with NYC-based composer/singer/songwriter Gabriel Kahane will explore how the independent artist working today can create and sustain a viable career in the arts. This event is free and we'll provide dinner, refreshments, and a door prize!

Check out: http://www.artsenterprise.wisc.edu/student.html and http://www.gabrielkahane.com/
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9/18/09 Visiting Guest Speaker: Nathaniel Zeisler (FREE!)

Topic: Mind Mapping
Location/Time: 2120 Grainger Hall, 8:50am-12:00noon

Nate (Assis. Professor - BGSU and Executive Director, Arts Enterprise Central) will be here to talk to the 'Art as Business as Art' seminar on the topic of Mind Mapping, an exercise in planning creatively for your artistic future. We're looking forward to having him back here in Madison, and although this class is full, email Dr. Stephanie Jutt if you're interested in attending as a guest (spots are limited!): sjutt@wisc.edu

We might even get an interview with Nate, and, if so, will post it here in the coming weeks!

Check out: http://www.uw-artsenterprise.com/ to read more about this groundbreaking course, and http://artsenterprise.com/ for more on what Nate has been up to.
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9/23/09 Special Guest Lecture by Elizabeth Streb (FREE!)

Topic: “Where Art and Audience Collide:Smashing Assumptions About Arts Venues”
Location/Time: Promenade Hall, Overture Center for the Arts, 7pm

One of dance's great dynamo choreographers and true aesthetic innovators, the founder of “PopAction,” Elizabeth Streb will present a public lecture on Wednesday, September 23, as part of the Public Forum series of the Art Enterprise Initiative.

Check out: http://www.uw-artsenterprise.com/?page_id=38 for more information.
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9/24-9/26 Michael Pollan Residency

Topic: "In Defense of Food: The Omnivore's Solution"
Location/Time: several locations and times

Author of bestseller "The Omnivore's Dilemma", Professor of Journalism at UC-Berkeley, and a sharp social critique, Mr. Pollan will be at UW-Madison for a series of events, including open (and FREE!) lectures at the Kohl Center and a WPR interview with Steve Paulson.

Check out: http://www.humanities.wisc.edu/pollan.html for more details.
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9/25 Pro Arte Quartet (FREE!)

Location/Time: Mills Hall, UW Humanities, 8pm

The first quartet in residency at any University or College in the U.S., the Pro Arte is one of the most famous and respected String Quartets in the world. Come see them, comprised of UW-Madison faculty, play Brahms, Beethoven, and Grieg. With special guest, violist Victoria Chiang (faculty, Peabody Conservatory of Music).

Check out: http://music.wisc.edu/calendar for more details.
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That's it for now, but I know there are probably many more! Please fill in the gaps, and, if YOU have an event coming up....please post it here!

Til next time....

Starting Fresh: Update for 2009-10

Well, we are done with the first week of classes here at UW-Madison, and I'm happy to say it's been a productive and exciting summer! First and foremost, let me just say that the AE Summit was a huge success! Thanks to the wonderful work of Nate Z. and crew, Charles Workinger and I were able to get a strategic plan for 2009-10 designed and now, after brainstorming with Rachel and Morgann, we are ready to rock with several programs designed to facilitate innovative, empowering, and collaborative arts projects.

I've posted some pictures throughout of our fruitful and action-oriented weekend. In addition to the fun times, we also set the foundation for the launch of our NEW Guest Artist Series. For 2009-10 we've decided to explore the topic of "Sustainable Creativity", through a series of interactive Q&A's workshops, and panel discussions. We're bringing in artists and entrepreneurs from across the country to talk to students about what it means to create and sustain a viable career in the arts!

We're starting off with an open Q&A featuring NYC-based composer/singer/

songwriter Gabriel Kahane, who is best known for his work Craigslistlieder

(2006), a song-cycle which sets text from anonymous Craigslist adverts (check out Mr. Kahane's websiet for more info: http://www.gabrielkahane.com/index.php). This exciting event, FREE as always, will be held in Morphy Hall in the UW Humanities building on September 14th starting at 6pm. Don't miss it!

On that note, this blog will also serve a renewed purpose for the coming year, as I'll try my best to 'stay on the wagon' and post regularly not only about about exciting arts events, but also to talk about current issues that affect art and art-making. We'll also be adding (hopefully) some interviews with our guest artists, so that you can continue the dialogue after they've left Madison. Remember, we're eager to hear from you about what a 'creative and sustainable career' could mean for you...so please post comments!

Next, let me say with great excitement that VIBES, our flagship program, is about to launch. What, exactly, is VIBES? Vital Instrumentation with Big Ensemble Sound (VIBES), the brainchild of our very own Charles Workinger and Rachel Felton, is a partnership with several Madison-area high schools and the UW-Madison School of Music, that will facilitate several events to promote small ensemble music. Through VIBES, UW student chamber musicians will mentor and coach emerging high school chamber ensembles in order to revitalize chamber music for younger audiences. You can read more about this amazing program here: http://vibes.rso.wisc.edu/.

OK, thanks for reading all the way through this epic post. I promise two things: 1) that's it for now, and 2) future posts will be more frequent and shorter in length! Speaking of which, I'll be posting an Arts Roundup soon for the coming weeks arts events, so keep checking for that in the next few days. For now, have a great holiday, and remember, if you have something you'd like to pitch that I've missed, please do so!

Til then....

Summer Update: NCKP, AE Summit, and more...

Hi all,

I'm writing today from the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (just outside Chicago, IL). It's been fun to participate as a poster presenter here for the first time, and I'm happy to report that, finally, the importance of arts entrepreneurship is becoming more recognized in the realm of piano pedagogy: all three keynote addresses were positioned to tackle particular facets of the issue.

Particularly of note was the talk given by Prof. Jose Antonio Bowen, Dean of the Meadows School of the Arts at SMU, who called upon artists to make their art relevant to the community, locally oriented, and innovative in concept. Both his professional experience and message epitomize the issues Arts Enterprise is striving to achieve. I'd highly recommend checking out his website: http://www.josebowen.com/.

I also had the chance to meet Reno Lovison, a true entrepreneur and the author of the fun, easy-to-read, and informative book "Turn Your Business Cards into a Business." He came by to check out my poster presentation, and we got to talking about the necessity of building interpersonal connections to funnel potential clients/partners/collaborators to your Website or network (a major topic of his book). By the way, afterwards I picked up his book and would recommend it any artist who is developing a press kit or Website! Check it out his site here: http://www.businesscardtobusiness.com/. There you can read more about his multi-faceted career, read his online blog, and listen to various podcasts (they are short and, to this ear, present an interesting point-of-view about personal marketing in the 21st Century).

One more note: the AE Summit is close upon us (August 14-16) and it promises to offer AE Madison and the other participating schools an exciting opportunity to develop a more diverse, innovative, and inclusive program offering for the coming year. To read more about that, check out the article at the AE National Website: http://www.artsenterprise.com/ (click on Events).

For now though, I'm off to Montreal tomorrow, and then to the Orford Arts Academy...Summer is flying by and before we know it Fall (and school) will be upon us again. Until then, I hope you all are having a wonderful break...and look for a list of upcoming AE Madison events for 2009-10 coming soon!

Cheers....

May 2009 News Roundup

Well the semester is winding down finally and I think it's safe to say we are all happy for the summer, and for the coming academic year. Arts Enterprise Madison had a whirlwind opening year, and one which boasted (in this completely unbiased opinion) many successes. We're well on our way towards establishing a more active network of collaborative rtists, entrepreneurs, and aspiring scholars in the Madison area but there is still so much left to do!

We plan to continue our Panel Discussion series for the 2009-10 season, but even more exciting is the VIBES program, designed by the 2009 Arts Venture Challenge Winners (and UW music students) Rachel Felton and Charles Workinger! They are on-board as group leaders for the forthcoming year, and we are immensely excited for their fresh, inspiring, and creative ideas... more on that to come.

Another exciting development is a new course being offered in conjunction with the UW Arts Institute, UW School of Music, and UW School of Business entitled: Arts Enterprise - Art as Business as Art! Co-taught by Profs. Stephanie Jutt and Andrew Taylor this promises to be an incredibly useful course for anyone interested planning on pursuing a career in the arts, and especially for those who identify with the concepts and vision behind Arts Enterprise!

For more information, check out: http://www.arts.wisc.edu/artsinstitute/IAR/artsenterprise/

With that note, all the best of luck for the summer and for the coming year! I'll be updating this blog over the summer months with a concrete list of events and activities for 2009-10 - and remember, feel free to post comments with any ideas, suggestions, or venturesome activities that might enhance the student experience here at UW-Madison.

Cheers....

Musicians' Wellness Day Wrap-Up and Upcoming Events

Note: I will be compiling events which (I hope) will help students from various arts disciplines connect with business students to form innovative opportunities to collaborate and build creative knowledge. While my goal is to list as many resources as possible, I realize that many Madison area events may slip through. Please feel free to post a comment with amendments and/or additions to my Arts Enterprise Madison Arts Events Roundup post. Occasionally, I will include some regional and national events as they pertain to feedback I have received from students.... if you have anything to add, please don't hesitate to add to our list! Enjoy!

Musicians' Wellness Day, UW-Madison, 1321 Humanities

This past weekend saw a fantastic new event at UW-Madison in the School of Music titled 'Musicians' Wellness Day'. Sponsored and hosted by the UW-MTNA Collegiate Chapter, this interactive event saw over two dozen participants engage with faculty, staff, and student leaders from the music, dance, recreation/fitness, and nutrition departments!

We explored creative ways of defining musical movement through out own physical instrument, delved into a lecture/demonstration of the Feldenkrais method (if anyone is not familiar with this technique, check out the following site: http://www.feldenkraisinstitute.org/), and closed the day off with forty-five minutes of yoga. Oh, and I almost forgot the healthy, home-made treats afterwards which proved a satisfactory reward for all the effort.

After four-plus hours of physical activity we were all exhausted, but also invigorated with a renewed energy and awareness of the physical link between our bodies and music-making. I hope everyone who attended enjoyed the day as much as I did. Please post a comment about what you enjoyed about the event, and anything you'd like to see added or investigated again in future events. You can also check out the UW-MTNA page at: http://www.uwmtna.com/.

Looking ahead to the next few weeks one will find a wide range of events in the Madison arts calendar; I have a goal to create an AE Madison Events Roundup, with a full schedule of our upcoming meetings and sponsored events. This would ideally be a collaborative effort, so if you have arts events in Madison you'd like AE Madison to keep up with, please let me know!

Keep on the lookout for that as we develop our projects and event offerings. For now, though, check out these two exciting regional events which promise more opportunities for exploring the fun stuff that we all got a glimpse of at the AE Symposium earlier this month.


1) SEA North Conference, North Central College, Lisle, IL Feb. 27-28th 2009

This sounds like a great conference, one which is both highly student-centered and offers valuable opportunities to meet, mingle, and receive feedback. Artists, musicians, and entrepreneurial-minded students will have the opportunity to engage in a series of activites including: Inside the Industry Panels, Artist Led One-on-One Sessions, Performances, Art Show, Journal Blog, Jam Sessions, and more. For registration information, check out the website at: http://www.seasource.org/register.php

2) Springboard on the Road, Beloit Arts Incubator, Beloit, WI March 13-14th 2009

Springboard will present two workshops including one on "Marketing for Artists" and another for "Pricing Your Work: Getting Paid for What You Do." Don't miss these exciting events literally on Madison's doorstep! Springboard was here for the AE Symposium and people were raving at how helpful, knowledgeable, and creative the staff is. Springboard Website: http://www.springboardforthearts.org/Workshops/Workshop.asp

2009 UW-Madison Arts Enterprise Symposium: The Future of Music is Here!

It seems strange to open the first entry of a new blog with a statement about past events, but I'm going to do it anyway. I'm currently recovering from witnessing one of the greatest arts events in Madison's history. This is a bold statement, I know, for at least two reasons: 1) I haven't been in Madison forever and 2) My opinion is somewhat shaded because I'm a musician, so I'd say I'm partial to events that promote the arts.

That being said, The UW-Madison Arts Enterprise Symposium was quite simply the most exciting cross-disciplinary event that the city has perhaps ever seen - a weekend of workshops, seminars, passionate keynote addresses, and a student Venture Challenge competition that brought together the best and brightest of Madison's past, present, and future.

John Roach (the Emmy-winning filmmaker) was here. So was Leon Fleisher - yes, that Leon Fleisher. A head writer from the Colbert Report talked about his long, unexpected journey from the Onion to show business. Prominent Madison-based figures like Madison Symphony Orchestra conductor John DeMain and Andy Abrams (Director of the Four Seasons Theater) chimed in. UW Alum J.J. Sedelmaier outlined his path to survival as a cutting-edge independent animator in the age of 'Shrek' (his did the first season of Beavis and Butthead, by the way). Gary Beckman and Angela Beeching - pioneers in the world of arts entrepreneurship - gave impassioned, inspired, and revealing keynote addresses, and graciously took the time to give advice to students in the midst of a schedule which could have left even the most geared-up arts advocate exhausted.

Some of the most respected UW Professors from the arts gave perspectives on everything from the cross-pollination of art and business, to the various challenges the 21st century poses to artists, to how handle success when you finally 'get there'. This is just the beginning, but you can check out all the details at http://www.artsenterprise.wisc.edu/; in the coming weeks you'll see recaps about everything that happened over the blistening two and a half days. I hope you'll see the same in our local print media.

I want to move on to something else, though, because this literally groundbreaking event in the history of Madison is just the beginning of a movement which will quite literally shake the foundation of art as we know it. And I say this from the perspective of an admittedly awe-struck (but still marginally realistic) perspective. I should not be so shocked, after all, since I knew about the event and the people involved, and, as I've been lucky enough to share in some of this project through my role as a founding member in the UW-Madison Chapter of Arts Enterprise I should have expected that Stephanie Jutt and her partner Samatha Crownover would pull off something incredible (check out the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society). The thing is, I did have high expectations - they were just blown away. This seems like a really self-centered rant, but believe me these comments are meant as a statement about the event's impact from a humbled participant, one that was echoed time and again by those in attendance.

What is truly remarkable about what the Symposium accomplished is not that it brought these talented, fascinating people together. It is not due to the fact that students and community members (and there were lots and lots of both) had the chance to meet, mingle, and pick the brains of these generous and talented professionals. The true success of this event lies in the way it seamlessly brought together artists from all walks of life, from all over the country, behind a common ideal: the creation of a cutting edge forum for forging new ideas about the world of art, the renegotiation of art as a cultural and economic force for good, and the role and responsibilities of artists within the new social landscape of the current economic crisis. In the process we all had the unparalleled chance to collaborate in a truly entrepreneurial venture: the awakening to a new creative idiom through artistic empowerment, one which is flourishing as we speak across the country in events that are driven with the same passion and vision that made this Symposium so successful.

And as I started with a somewhat overblown statement about the past, let me just conclude with an (overly) optimistic stab at what I believe this experience means for the future: it is from the gestation of ideas that were formed this past weekend that you will see events launched which have never been seen before, and which will pay unrivaled dividends for Madison, the State of Wisconsin, and beyond for years to come.

But please don't take my word for it, get back to me about what you thought about the Symposium, or what you think we can do to keep the incredible buzz going!

http://www.artsenterprise.wisc.edu/
http://www.artsenterprise.com/
http://bachdancinganddynamite.org/