Sound On

Inner city schools present very challenging situations. The students are angry and want to kill each other. How do you build a community when the community members want to kill each other?

Teachers have to be military commanders. They have to mean business all the time. They have to ferociously scold, and then turn it off like a light switch, and praise and love. If your heart is in it, you can learn how to do it. It takes about three years.

There are experienced teachers who have total control of their classrooms - absolutely no violence amongst the students, and high test scores. The students straighten up at the sound of a little whistle. They are obedient and compliant. But what happens when they walk out of those classrooms? They turn again to violence. What does this tell me? The students in those classrooms do not really learn compassion, love, and respect. They have no opportunity to learn morality. All they learn is to obey authority, and compliance is ever so temporary. While my heart is in education, I don’t have it in myself to be a military commander, because I believe I would be not only teaching the wrong lessons, but not teaching the right ones - critical lessons, like how to live together.

But the teachers have to mean business all the time at inner city schools. The students are angry and want to kill each other.

“Since its founding in 1939 by six composers including Aaron Copland, the American Music Center has been building a national community for new American music.” Here’s how they have been accomplishing their goal:

NewMusicbox

At the 2007 June in Buffalo music festival, I had the pleasure of a conversation with Randy Nordschow, associate editor of NewMusicbox, “a Web-based advocacy magazine and portal dedicated to the music of American composers and improvisers and their champions.” NewMusicbox is regularly updated with high quality content and opportunities for discussion.

NewMusicJukebox

NewMusicJukebox is “a vast, searchable online database of more than 40,000 works by American composers; publications and directories compiling opportunities in new music and other information useful to industry professionals; and benefits and services for nearly 2,500 members in all fifty states and around the world.” But following is the most valuable resource to any musician or music fan!

Counterstream Radio

Counterstream Radio is the web radio station of the American Music Center. If you are interested in broadening your musical horizons and hearing substantial, influential works in American repertoire, visit the website and tune in through the web player or through iTunes. Counterstream Radio has been a constant source of inspiration and thoughtful entertainment, and I hope it will continue indefinitely! When confronted with the possibility of reading about music, learning about music, talking with someone about music, or listening to music, listening is always my primary choice. Bravo to a first class musical resource!

American Music Center

Support the American Music Center and gain the benefits of membership by joining. If you have any questions, telephone (212) 366-5260 x10 or email center@amc.net.

Saul Elkin stars as Professor Josef Mashkan and Lou Colaiacovo plays Stephen Hoffman in Old Wicked Songs, a play by Jon Marans, directed by Sheila McCarthy. It’s the best play I’ve seen in years.

Setting

In 1986, twenty-five year old music student Stephen Hoffman seeks to study with a great piano teacher in Vienna, Austria – but the teacher insists that he first study with Professor Mashkan. Mashkan insists that in order to play piano, one must study accompaniment, and in order to study accompaniment, one must be able to sympathize with a performer. Thus, to his great dismay, Stephen must study singing; specifically Schumann’s Lieder.

Story

The lieder actually tell the story, as Stephen gradually warms up to Mashkan, strengthens the emotional depth of his musical understanding, and both confront their heritage and culture. As a music educator and music student, I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction between these two, and can relate to Stephen’s stubborn pride and Mashkan’s relentless outreach. But the play has great depth, and can be appreciated and enjoyed on many levels. Plenty of humorous moments permeate the scenes, and the theme of life – sorrow mixed with joy – is prevalent throughout.

Jewish Repertory Theatre

My greatest fear is that people would not be inclined to attend a production by the Jewish Repertory Theatre because they are not Jewish. While the play embraces Jewish culture, it more broadly embraces the experience of life. Anyone would enjoy the superb performances of Saul Elkin, Lou Colaiacovo, and of course Randall Kramer at the piano. The play runs through July 1, 2007 at MusicalFare Theater. For more information, call (716) 688-4114 x334 or visit the JRT website.

Just south of Valencia, on the east coast of Spain, Catalan is spoken. The small municipality of Algemesí boasts an interesting religious tradition: in honor of the Virgin of Health, at the town festival each September, acrobatic dancers dance and create towers in the street, and musicians play.

The Muixeranga Tune

Musicians traditionally play a drum (the tabalet), and a small double reed instrument, the dulzaina. They always play the same catchy tune whose composer is unknown. From the videos below, it would seem that modern band instruments have taken the place of, or at least supplemented the tabalet and dulzaina.

Muixeranga In Concert

This video features the Muixeranga arranged for band with tabalet and dulzaina performed in concert, though the video also includes footage of the dancers mixed in.

Muixeranga On The Street

Here the Muixeranga is performed by band instruments in the street while some castellers are busy.

More Muixeranga

You can find out more about the Muixeranga (pronounced “mooh-eeh-sheh-rang-gah”) on Wikipedia! Videos courtesy of YouTube.