A Guitar Innovation

Well, so much for my plan to post daily. Last week was taken up by doing elementary school music tryouts so I have very little time to post.

Here's a great story I found in yesterday's New York Times. - http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/business/yourmoney/27goods.html

It looks like a very cool iinovation for the guitar industry - a foldup travel size guitar!!! A bit expensive now - but I imagine that it will come down in price with time.

Northwestern Jazz Program to Be Cut

It seems that most of us who do any work in the music advocacy world spend lots of time trying to keep music programs alive in K-12 schools.

Today, I heard of cuts in the jazz studies program at Northwestern University in Chicago. Check out this link for more information of this music program cut at the college level.

Jazz is such a great American art form. It would be dis-heartening to see jazz taken out of an American institution of higher education.

Ummm... are you kidding me?

WTAE has added a new section to their website called Links N@. How riduclious. The premise is apparently that these two women tell us about the website of the day, the tv clip of the day etc. I'm a bit confused at to why I need to watch a video of them anchoring and telling showing me the links to these sites. Perhaps, just have a list of cool links etc.

Tunesmith & Anthony has a great post about this site as well.

Oh, what tv news has come to. They're trying to make the local news model work in an internet situation. I don't think it will work. At least, not how they have it set up.

Again, these are the things that remind me how happy I am to not be in television news anymore.

Huckabee

Republican presidential candidate Mike Hucakbee was at the Iowa Bandmaster's Convention this week. Read about it and listen to his remarks here. He makes great points about keeping music in schools and the value of music education.

That said - he was one of three candidates at the relublican debate last week who said he did not believe in evolution.

I still don't think the guy has a chance, however it's great to have someone at that level bringing some attention to music education.

Fascinating Friday

I guess I am somewhat fascinated by history. I do not know much of the history of Progressive Music. I've asked questions here and there but have never found anything that provides solid answers. So, I decided to begin the process of actually putting together some history.

Well, today was step one in what I imagine will be a long process. I spent most of the day today with who I came to discover is a McKeesport legend - Helen Tozzi. What an amazing amount of information she was able to provide me and what an absolutely captivating woman.

Lots of information from her - I'm not going to go into it all here - but I did find out that 2007 is Progressive Music's 60th anniversary year. I certainly did not know that!!! Look for more in the coming months as I try to research the history of what i have come to find is a real McKeesport institution - Progressive Music.

--

Tonight, I attended an elementary band concert in the Baldwin-Whitehall school district. Though I do spend time teaching high school music, it is wonderful to see these 4th and 5th graders just starting out in music. It really is amazing what these kids can accomplish in just a few short months. In many ways, that's what music education is all about - seeing these kids up there performing for their family and friends. It really shows that they were able to accomplish something so tangable in just a few short months. Hopefully, they get the life lesson out of that.

Newseum

Here's an interesting about the Newseum. I was there years ago - before they closed it and started gearing up for a new building. It should be a fascinating place to visit once it's opened up again.

Newseum gets $15 million gift

Staff and agencies
10 May, 2007

By BRETT ZONGKER, Associated Press Writer Wed May 9, 2:28 PM ET

WASHINGTON - A used cell phone. An old vest. It‘s a mishmash of donations, and they‘re not for Goodwill.

The cell phone was donated by a Virginia Tech student who sent CNN the footage from outside a campus building where a student gunman killed 32 people and himself last month.

Also new to the collection is the vest worn by ABC Newsman Bob Woodruff when he was badly injured in Iraq by a roadside bomb. But the Newseum‘s biggest gift, announced Tuesday, will be $15 million donated by the Annenberg Foundation. In recognition of the gift, the Newseum will name its largest theater the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Theater.

The gift, along with $79 million from 11 news organizations, foundations and families, is earmarked for the $435 million facility, scheduled to open Oct. 15.

The Annenberg Theater will present a 4-D movie experience with an 11-minute trip through history, featuring Edward R. Murrow as a central character. Audience members will wear 3-D glasses, similar to an Imax film. The fourth dimension will be misting water, rumbling seats and other "surprise special effects," Bennett said.

When it opens this fall, the new Newseum will be among the most expensive museums in Washington, charging $17.91 for adults (symbolic for the year the First Amendment was ratified), $16 for seniors and $13 for children ages 6 to 12. The 4-D theater will charge an admission fee of $5 in addition to the museum admission price.

"We are a nonprofit organization," Bennett said. "We needed to generate some revenues to help offset the cost of running this new and much larger and improved Newseum."

___

Newseum: http://www.newseum.org

Posting Daily

One of the many blogs I read each day is Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. Though I do not completly subscribe to her idea of a formula for happiness, I do like to read her blog for great insight and sometimes great links to other interesting sites.

One of the things Gretchen talked about is that she makes it a point to post to her blog daily. I've attempted lately to do the same - with limited success.

Another topic Gretchen has posted about got me thinking recently. She talks about reading books you want to read and not just reading because you feel you have to. In the last year, I've probably read one or two books that I wanted to read for "pleasure." I am constanly reading things I feel I should read. I read what seems like at least a dozen trade magazines a month. I am constantly in receipt of reports about the state of music education, the music industry etc. I read as much of these as I can because I have always felt that it is necessary to be as aware of the industry you are working in as possible. Gretchen says take time to read more books you want to read. I don't even know what those books are anymore.

I come home - usually nap because I am constanly exhausted anymore, then read read read. As I am reading, I usually have talk radio podcasts that I've downloaded playing. I'm not as focused on reading or listening as I'd like. That lack of focus is not good I am sure. I don't even watch television anymore. You know I've talked about how useless I think it is anymore. The NewsHour on PBS is all I watch - and that's not even with the regularity that I would like.

--

On another note, I hope all the readers of this blog receive our e-mail newsletter. If not, send an e-mail to info@progressivemusiccompany.com, today we published a story about more focus going to get a better grasp on on the state of music education in the US. The US General Accounting Office has been asked to do a study of access to music in schools across this country. This is really ground-breaking and important for music advocates across this nation. Check our music advocacy page for more information.

New York

Last week I was in New York for a NAMM regional Town Hall Meeting. It was a great chance to talk to others in the music products industry and have some great discussions about music advocacy and keep music programs alive and well in schools.

The meeting was held at an airport near LaGuarida airport. Beautiful hotel - strange area of town -- enough said.

I flew in on Tuesday and back home Wednesday night. Well, I went to the airport around 3 on Wednesday as the meeting was over. My flight was supposed to leave at 8 and I would be back in Pittsburgh by 9:30. Because of winds in the area and a delayed flight crew, I didn't leave New York until after 10. It was after midnight that I got home.

Here was the cool part of the flights though. I've never flown into New York as I usually drive. However, flying into LaGuardia was fascinating as you could see all of Manhattan up close on the way in. And I got to see it at night on the way home. It was quite a sight.

Venezuelian Music Program

Check out this article in the LA Times.

It talks about the progress of a Venezuelian music program. I watched a DVD recently about the youth symphonies in Venezuela. It's great to see what these youth are doing. Apparently, it's the product of a part government/part private program that creates local community music programs.

I'm curious to learn more information about this program and how it could be replicated in the United States.

Official Word From the PG

Elizabeth Forward band director out of hospital

Friday, May 04, 2007

By Jim McKinnon, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Elizabeth Forward band director David Cornelius is on his way home.

Mr. Cornelius was among those injured early yesterday when a bus crashed with members of the band aboard on their way to a competition in Wildwood, N.J.

The bus crashed into the rear of a tractor-trailer that was moving into eastbound traffic on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Chester County.

Timothy Berkshire, the bus driver from Masontown, remains hospitalized in serous condition.

Most of the other passengers were members of the Elizabeth Forward High School indoor percussion group.

A few students suffered injuries that required treatment, such as a broken nose and a broken arm. Most of the rest had minor injuries.

All of the percussionists were given the day off from school today, spokeswoman Jane Milner said.

Investigators yesterday inspected the tractor-trailer and found no major mechanical problems, state police said.

The bus was to be inspected today.

Results of the two inspections will be released by Monday, police said.

Mr. Cornelius was discharged this morning from a hospital.


More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Elizabeth Forward Bus Accident

I had planned on writing today about my trip to New York City earlier this week, but I wanted to write a few words about the bus accident you may have been hearing about in the news. I'll post about New York later.

I'm sure you all saw the story about the Elizabeth Forward Indoor Drumline on their way to Wilidwood, NJ for the TOB Indoor Championships.

The thoughts and prayers of everyone here at Progressive Music go out to everyone who was on that bus especially band director, Dave Cornelius. Thursday morning is the day I usually see Dave as Elizabeth Forward is one of my accounts and my alma mater. So, it was odd yesterday to hear about him and the drumline yesterday. Just from looking at the pictures of the bus, I'd say everyone is lucky that they are as un-injured as they are. I imagine that Dave was sitting in the first seat on the passenger side of the bus, hence the reason he was injured enough to stay over night. That's the seat I always sit in when I'm on a band trip. For all the years of trips I've been on, I can certainly say that we have been lucky with our travel. We've only had minor incidents.

I guess it makes everyone in the band world stop and think a little bit about their travle plans.

I hear that Dave is on the way home. I hope he is well and I wish him the best. I hope to see him next week!