Klarinet Archive - Posting 000102.txt from 2006/04

From: o4rmondtoby@-----.net (Ormondtoby Montoya)
Subj: [kl] Business aspects of music performance & education
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 22:26:28 -0400

A couple of interesting newspaper articles about music this week. They
were attributed to major national newspapers, not locally written, but I
don't remember which papers.

One article claimed that 'big name' jazz musicians are not returning to
New Orleans after the floods because they have discovered that salaries
for well-known performers are significantly higher in other metropolitan
cities. The claim is that New Orleans clubs, hotels, bars, etc were
taking advantage of New Orleans' cachet as a jazz venue, and they kept
the pay very low in return for offering the most desirable (to a
performer) venue and largest audiences, etc. The article cited a
number of examples and quotes from performers who have not returned to
New Orleans. $50/night when the money is split between a quartet, etc.
The names didn't ring any bells with me because I'm not a devout jazz
buff, but the article implied that I would recognize the names instantly
if I were a jazz buff. The article went so far as to suggest that, as
a result, perhaps New Orleans' reputation as a jazz mecca is finished.
(fwiw)

The other article was a nationwide survey, done by an allegedly neutral
organization (again, I don't remember the name and I couldn't pass
judgement even if I did remember the name). The survey tallied
elementary & middle & high school budgets and curricula. The result
was that arts and physical education (of all types) have continued to
lose ground over the last 2-3 years because "No Child Left Behind" is
forcing schools to spend an increasing amount of money on English &
Math. One example was a school district that puts its student through
three English classes (in the same semester), and has eliminated art and
physical education in order to pay for this. (again, fwiw)

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