aesthetic education
My brain is definitely wired differently than most. I have to say that though I believe this statement is true, I really wish is wasn’t. I have been reading Eric Booth’s “Teaching Artist’s Bible” for grad school right now and it raises many excellent issues. The basic premise it that in our increasingly art-starved culture, the onus on building new audiences in any medium is on the artist. Therefore, each artist MUST be a teaching-artist. We have to be able to find entry points to enable our diverse audiences to enter into the world our art inhabits and have a meaningful experience. I know this part is true, and I firmly believe that every person has the ability to engage with art forms. Where my brain differs: I am naturally curious about all the arts. Though I am highly trained in music, I can appreciate dance, theater, painting, and photography (my personal favorite!). I have trouble believing that there are people out there for whom the arts are a frivolous pursuit, and not the necessary component of human expression I see them to be.
A case in point: I spent about 6hrs. today on a bus and around $85 of my money to travel 130 miles to New York to see War Horse at Lincoln Center (the play, not the movie). Obviously, everyone there felt the same way I did, to a lesser or greater degree. It was one of the best theater experiences I have had! I am a total techie, so of course I was blown away by all the technical details: the line array sound system, the time delayed speaker clusters, the lighting, the projection, and the puppetry! Watching 4 men bring a collection of fabric and cane to life as magnificent horses with distinct personalities was breathtaking. I have wanted to see this show since I saw the TED talk about the horses last year, and I was not disappointed. After reading Booth, I was thinking about the grander themes present in the play, and how all the little details contributed to the bigger aesthetic vision present in this work of art. I am still curious about the role of the goose in the play (a standout bit-character, and puppet).
I am lucky that I have enough background that I can at least feel comfortable attending a play and enjoying it as a work of art without an obvious entry point. Perhaps my background is actually my entry point. Seeing a work at this level inspires me to go back to the practice room and keep working on my art. I constantly feel fortunate to have the time and ability in my life to try to engage with art and aesthetic issues on a daily basis. Seeing the horrors of war so artfully (and horribly, in the case of the vultures) portrayed hammered this point home yet again.
moving forward
I feel good right now…despite my cold, which I’m sure is related to all the craziness I have been through over the past few weeks. However, it was for all good things! You’ll see a link to mt friend Dan’s Kickstarter below. I had the pleasure of contributing keyboard tracks to the record, and it is sounding really great! Now he is looking for help producing it…check it out.
From doing that recording session, I got the gig being John Medeski’s organ tech at Le Poisson Rouge for a midnight gig, and then for a couple of days of recording back at The Bunker. John and Aaron are killin it over there. It looks and sounds amazing! You never know how your connections will play out, so I always try to take advantage of as many as I can.
I finally have a date for my graduate recital: Friday April 27th, 8pm. Now, I only need to learn all my music! The next two months are going to be even more crazy. I thought that by only being in one ensemble this semester my life would be a little more sane. However, that is not true. I am in a 20th century accompanying class that is really challenging. Though I only need to go to Boston officially one day a week, that one day is a big day: 8 hours of class, 0 breaks. However, this semester, next semester, and I am officially a Master of Music! Until then, I must keep working…