Spring/Summer 2016
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News for Friends of Leonard Bernstein Spring/Summer 2016 High-brow, Low-brow, All-brow Bernstein, Gershwin, Ellington, and the Richness of American Music © VICTOR © VICTOR KRAFT by Michael Barrett uch of my professional life has been spent on convincing music lovers Mthat categorizing music as “classical” or “popular” is a fool’s errand. I’m not surprised that people s t i l l c l i n g t o t h e s e d i v i s i o n s . S o m e w h o love classical masterpieces may need to feel reassured by their sophistication, looking down on popular culture as dis- posable and inferior. Meanwhile, pop music fans can dismiss classical music lovers as elitist snobs, out of touch with reality and hopelessly “square.” Fortunately, music isn’t so black and white, and such classifications, especially of new music, are becoming ever more anachronistic. With the benefit of time, much of our country’s greatest music, once thought to be merely “popular,” is now taking its rightful place in the category of “American Classics.” I was educated in an environment that was dismissive of much of our great American music. Wanting to be regarded as a “serious” musician, I found myself going along with the thinking of the times, propagated by our most rigid conservatory student in the 1970’s, I grew work that studiously avoided melody or key academic composers and scholars of up convinced that Aaron Copland was a signature. the 1950’s -1970’s. These wise men (and “Pops” composer, useful for light story This was the environment in American yes, they were all men) had constructed ballets, but not much else. Embracing any music when I began my association with a nearly impenetrable ivory tower, with kind of American art, I thought, made you Leonard Bernstein. His influence and such a deep ideological moat around it an intellectual lightweight. Our symphony example were the main catalysts in freeing that any other kind of music was deemed orchestras and opera houses were all my ears, mind and heart from my learned inferior. The European model was the dedicated to the European past, with the musical prejudices. Bernstein the conductor ideal, from Alberti to Xenakis. As a rare nod to an incomprehensible new (continued on page 2) 3 Artful Learning 6 Bernstein’s Baton Maker 8 In The News Inside... 4 IAMA 2016 7 Remembering John Evans 11 Some Performances SS16_PFR_art(14)CX STUDS.indd 1 5/13/16 1:25 PM High-brow, Low-brow, All-brow, continued (continued from page 1) While Bernstein began his com- studied and performed his Copland, posing career writing for the concert Gershwin, and Richard Rodgers with hall and ballet stage, he kept one the same rigor and thoughtfulness foot in the nightclub world, thanks n the swirl of ongoing Bernstein- that he brought to Brahms, Mahler, to his pals Betty Comden, Adolph Irelated activity worldwide, we had and Stravinsky. He recognized and Green and Judy Holliday, whose to pause to consider how much more honored the value of all great work, act as “The Revuers” Bernstein sublime a place the Beyond recently be it a show tune, an Appalachian frequently attended, sometimes became when Leonard Bernstein and fiddle melody, orThe Symphony accompanying the troupe on piano. Prince were reunited there, 31 years of Psalms. This was a brand new While Judy Holliday went off to after their first and only meeting at perspective for me: one which opened Hollywood, Comden, Green and the Grammy Awards in 1985, when up my ears to immense riches that I Bernstein teamed up to create their Bernstein received the Grammy had been denying myself in the name first Broadway success with On The Lifetime Achievement Award. of “seriousness.” Town. They were still in their 20’s. Bernstein was thrilled by the musi- Bernstein as a composer was Gershwin and Ellington, mean- cality and dynamism of Prince, so he the perfect example of why it was while, were born into the worlds was delighted to find himself receiving important to keep one’s mind open. of entertainment and dance music. his special award on the same night His works inhabited so many of Gershwin was a product of New that Prince was performing. Bernstein our American houses of music: the York City’s Tin Pan Alley. Ellington, caught one of the purple tambourines concert hall, the opera house, the from Washington, D.C., came north that Prince tossed out to the audience. It jazz club, the movies, the ballet, the to New York with his band, and was remained in his house for years. soon ensconced in Harlem’s Cotton Leonard Bernstein and Prince Club. By contrast, Bernstein’s may have come from very different Bernstein’s restless training at Harvard and the Curtis worlds, but they shared a similarly Institute of Music planted him firmly irrepressible energy and charisma, as curiosity about all kinds in the classical world. But Bernstein’s well as an unquenchable curiosity and of music led him to restless curiosity about all kinds of open-mindedness in their respective music led him to explore everything approaches to music. Had each of these explore everything from from traditional blues to bebop jazz artists lived longer, who knows what to Latin music – and all these genres additional musical barriers might have traditional blues to bebop manifested themselves in his own come tumbling down. compositions. Bernstein’s mentor J.B ■ jazz to Latin music... Serge Koussevitsky both chided and praised his protégé when, after hearing a performance of the Broadway stage – and even dwellings Symphony No. 2: The Age of Anxiety that defied classification. HisMASS he declared, “Lenushka, it is a jazz. is both a religious work and a music But… is a nobble jazz!” theater piece, featuring classical, rock Gershwin and Ellington also had and folk music elements. It has been ambitions that went beyond their performed everywhere from a high successful worlds of Broadway and school gymnasium to the Vatican. dance clubs. Gershwin’s desire to In addition to Bernstein, two write in larger forms led to some of other American-born pianist/ his most magnificent compositions: composers had similarly omnivorous, his two Rhapsodies, the Concerto in free-range imaginations which F, An American in Paris, his Cuban Prelude, Fugue & Riffs Prelude, continued to expand throughout their Overture, and ultimately his opera careers. And they too wrote music masterpiece, Porgy and Bess. in a variety of musical styles, crossing Ellington, with his decades lines of genre and classification. of experience writing for his jazz Edward Kennedy (“Duke”) orchestra, found even deeper musi- Ellington (1899-1974) and George cal sophistication through his col- Spring/Summer 2016 Gershwin (1898-1937) both started laboration with Billy Strayhorn. out as composers of popular music, Strayhorn, who was conservatory- but their music found its way into trained, wrote music that had greater theatres, movie houses and the chromaticism, with atmosphere and concert hall as their composing skills colors closer to Debussy than to the developed. world of jazz. (continued on page 4) 2 SS16_PFR_art(14)CX STUDS.indd 2 5/13/16 1:25 PM Artful Learning: Exceeding Expectations by Patrick Bolek BOLEK PATRICK COURTESY e are thrilled to announce that Wtwo Artful Learning Schools were awarded Magnet Schools of Excellence by the Magnet Schools of America organization. Last year, Salvador Magnet School (Napa, CA) and Midway Elementary – School of the Arts (Sanford, FL) were granted Schools of Distinction. This year, both schools moved to the Excellence category, which is accom- panied by a cash award for each site. A rigorous application process requires evidence of real transforma- tional change at each school – so the honor is of keen significance. Congratulations to principals Two examples of how Artful Learning harnesses the arts and creativity to amplify the Pam Perkins (CA), and the Florida curriculum. For their unit on identity and community, students created over 400 individual team, Ron Nathan with Barb Keller masks, while an intricate network of yarn demonstrated connections between students. and Scheshin Quinn, for moving both schools forward to receive this recognition. Schools that completed three years an informative overview, putting the of the intensive training, but have program in context with his father’s had administration, staff and district educational legacy. We are shown Welcome & Farewells changes. This new one-year intensive some of the inventive teacher-designed program will re-energize veterans as units of study, as well as testimonials The Artful Learning national well as empower newcomer teach- from the teachers and principals who cadre of schools would like to ers. Fairview Elementary School use the model – and, most importantly, welcome Michelle Hurlbert as the (Bloomington, IN) will pilot this we hear student voices sharing their new principal of Wright Elementary new platform in Spring 2016. learning journeys. School (Des Moines, IA). Wasting no time, Michelle hosted a resi- dency with globally renowned dance Artful Learning: Learn More company Pilobolus in support of Sustain & Train the kindergarten’s unit of study on If you want to learn more about dependence. Schools often find it challenging Artful Learning, please email We bid farewell to two superb to train new teachers in the rigor [email protected] and a educators and principal leaders, and complexity of the Artful representative will be in touch with Lindsey Cornwell (Des Moines, IA) Learning methodology. Many Artful you. In addition, www.artfullearning. and Patti Magby (Castle Rock, CO). Learning schools currently offer org transports the reader to Artful Both have been inspirational motiva- one to two-day ‘boot camps’ that Learning school websites and tors to teachers and students alike, provide an interactive approach interactive material.