Tax Me Please

I have been in music ensembles from a size of just two members to over 120 (marching band). As much as the American Dream says that with equal support and backing anyone can do whatever they want we as musicians know this does not work. (This is also an espoused line from Disney and children networks around the world.)

In my experience in music groups it only takes seconds of playing together to realize that there were those who are strong and competent and those who have serious perceptual and skill deficiencies. In fact, no matter how hard they clicked their heels in their issued red sequined shoes, they would not measure up to the strengths and qualities of the others in the ensemble.

So the statement of equality should be modified to "equal chance" to participate. I know this is a sad statement. Perception is a very strange thing. If an individual attempts a skill but cannot perceive the nuances of this skill can they ever deliver the skill at a high level? Even with extreme practice, this cannot be solved to a high percentage.

So, where does this leave us? In a community where equal desires do not reproduce equal product then what do we do with the least productive of us?

Write them off? This is the argument of reducing entitlements. What percentage of the population are we willing to write-off? Ronald Regan is known for many things but his greatest legacy in my mind is that he put out the mentally ill onto the streets. He cut an entitlement. Hurray! But the weakest of us all just became invisible. Sitting on streets with cups in their hands and sleeping in parks and doorways. Great resolution. These poor people do not have boot straps.

I too want to cut entitlements. Let's start with all the corporate subsidies. They are already rich. They don't sleep on park benches. Why do they get bonuses even when they lose money (rarely).

I want to rise up the new Patriot. The American who wants to solve problems. If I had a way to direct money directly to the deficit that the government must match equally, I would love to be taxed at a higher rate. The government then must pay as they go. Let the citizens solve the problem.

Business will never solve this problem -- their job is to make as much money as possible and not spend for reasons that do not help the share holders.

Tax me, Tax the patriots. But don't let the greedy share in any of the new money flow. If the government does not match the funds then this will not work.

Be a patriot financially, not a partisan.

Don

School debt

Watching the increase of the need to educate those who need to expand their future potential and the education industry that feeds on them is becoming more and more out of control.

Just like the ATM, the banks said it would be cheaper for the consumer because there would be no attendant needed to make the transaction. WRONG! We now pay huge fees for this service.

Education now sells eBooks. The links to these eBooks now cost the same as a real hard copy book. The student pays less and the publisher invests less.

Just think about it.

Publishers get 80% of the net process. Authors get 10%, maybe a little more if they are a big time author. (Maybe, 5 in the USA).

I published with Prentice Hall for over 25 years. I was told to create a new edition every 3 years to push up the royalties that had been taken by the used book market.

The new wave is to deliver online material that requires an access code. So a used book is now a dead animal but can live on with an access code to the same material online. The access code alone is now the cost of a text book.

Just think, in many European nations education is free.

Go figure.

Don

Music Theory -- The Solution

I agree totally; however there is a solution. Teachers of music theory need to talk. We had three music theory teacher when we developed these courses and we, through discussion, came to consensus on what was important for the student to learn and when it was important to learn it.

Most schools have a single theory teacher working in a vacuum -- going down silly paths.

Don

Why theory teachers disagree

One of the things we have finally come to realize is that the fact that a great unified theory of music theory will probably never exist. We have for many years had an online music theory sequence that we taught successfully. Although all the other classes we have developed online seem acceptable to teachers across the nation with only minor personal changes the theory sequence is not so readily accepted. We think this may be for a variety of reasons. Composers are pretty independently secure in their own view of how theory should be taught. In fact, we have met very few theory teachers that do not believe they alone know how theory should be taught. As a result developing a general course of study is close to impossible.

Upon reflection, there seems to be three types of music teacher groups. History and literature teachers value the evolutionary development of music and use theory as a way to develop a method for musical criticism. Composers focus on the mechanisms of theory that support the creation of new musical material. Performers see theory as a tool for performance practice.

These three views of musical study lead to different needs theoretically. Composers might need a study of historical musical practice, even those no longer practiced, e.g. modal counterpoint. History and literature programs value the compositional practice of notable historical periods, e.g. impressionism, expressionism, etc. Performance programs need theory to underpin contemporary musical and stylistic practice, e.g. jazz theory, rock theory, etc.

The theory program of a college seems to develop a theory program that matches the dominant view of musical practice as defined by which of these three musical world views they might hold most dear. Of course there are also hybridization among these world views that would require even more varied theory programs.

For this reason we have decided that a model online theory class is not practical. It may be impossible to develop a class that serves the need of all without being unreasonably overloaded for students. We have found that it is more practical to offer only the tools to build a class somewhere along the continuum of musical world views rather than a fully developed course ready for adoption. It actually comes down to unique class development to match unique personal needs valued by individual instructors. Courses need to be created one at a time to meet the unique needs of each music program.

To do otherwise is spitting in the wind. The fact that there is no great unified theory of music theory may mean music theory is too insulated institutionally to be unified or, inversely, that music theory itself is too robust and complex an abstraction to be reduced to a generalized expression.

This ambiguity is why I love the study of music and perhaps why music might scare those who need specific academic answers.

Dave

Health Care

With all the hoopla about insurance reform I wonder how we lost sight of HealthCare.

I don't care about people having insurance as much as I wish that everyone had health care. Insurance just means there is a for profit entity that wants to pull profit from those that need health care.

Single payer buts all this aside. The argument on this last bill was to kill health care and re-establish an insurance based system.

A sad day. But it is something that can now be modified and amended -- hopefully, toward a public option.

Don

Stength of Opinion

I have an opinion, in fact, everyone I know has an opinion. The question is "What is the value of anyone's opinion?" Well mine is important and everyone else -- well, not really.

Let's take the argument of redistribution of the wealth.

My opinion -- it is time to redistribute the wealth to the middle and lower social economic groups.

Their opinion -- Let's keep the status quo -- keep the redistribution of wealth moving to the wealthy.

There, that makes sense.

********************

How about health care.

Their opinion -- we have the greatest health care in the world.

My opinion -- the greatest health care in the world can always be purchased by the wealthy. However, those without health care cannot argue this position.

********************

Their opinion -- status quo. Let the "stupid poor people" go out and get a job and compete.

My Opinion -- The sick and poor are our responsibility. We are blessed with intellect and opportunity. We need to care for those with neither.

It goes on and on. We are all citizens of this great country. Those with wealth are where they are because of this country's dedication to democracy and capitalism. It takes a great government to "share the wealth".

I hate taxes, but I love taxes. Can you go there with me?

Don

Music Programs Becoming a Thing of the Past

I did the juggling act growing up. The math, English, foreign language, honor roll, the whole bit. Then I came home, did homework, and went to the theatre, piano or voice lessons, or dance class. Then it was home for more homework, sometimes until very late. I did the zero, early and extra period so I could fit in all my college prep. classes and do choir.

I was lucky enough to have supportive parents who told me that they understood that my involvement in the arts meant that my academic grades would not be as high as if I solely focused on school. They supported my involvement in the arts and my passion for music. Yet, they told me that if my grades dropped below a certain point I would have to put the arts on hold to get my grades back up. I never had to quit.

Here I am at the age of 35, with a BA. in music, and after a 9 year Montessori teaching career. Music was put on the back burner so I could teach and make money for the mortgage. I am a firm believer in Montessori and I had a good career working with some wonderful children. Four months ago I quit my job to move out of state for my husband's new job. I'm not bringing in the money right now, but I'm happier doing what I'm doing than I have been in years! I'm in two choirs, giving private voice lessons, composing, and taking violin lessons. I'm spending the hours practicing that I never had the time or energy to do while teaching.

Why is it that music and the arts are thought of as extra and superfluous? You don't see a math major having to spend the same hours on music as I did on math, do you? This is a firm testament to Montessori elementary's Cosmic Education! The Montessori elementary program is focused on giving the child the universe, a little bit of everything. Everything is connected. There's history, language, and math involved in music. In their investigation, they are going to make discoveries that cross the boundaries of every "subject."

Now more and more school districts are eliminating their music and other arts programs. This is so extremely upsetting! It's thought of as unnecessary and belittling to those of us who spend our time and work hard doing music.