paulbailey.us

Bookmarks from August 22nd through August 29th 2010

“Not to mention that the undialectical shelving of alt-classical “between” pop music and classical music misses, as I think its leading lights would agree, the point: One respect in which alt-classical music most definitely is contemporary music is that its creators insist on it. Corey Dargel could very easily bill himself as a songwriter, period, and swim in the indie-pop waters where his music seems at first blush to belong; Matt Marks could have a thriving career composing for mainstream music theatre. But just as Magritte insisted that this is not a pipe, Dargel and Marks insist (whether or not they would admit it in so many words) that they are composers of contemporary music. Far from a trivial semantic quibble, this insistence is an artistic proposition that has to be taken seriously because it calls into question many of the assumptions under which composers like me toil. Now do you see why I was so frightened?”

link: NewMusicbox

The 2010 Social Networking Map / Flowtown (@flowtown)

“From our standpoint, this appears to be a serious problem for the music scene in New Orleans and for the attempts to re-establish North Rampart as a street that permits and honors local traditional music. We’ve discussed this issue many times online and in the pages of OffBeat, and suggest that the property owners on North Rampart and in the historic areas of the city need to be held accountable for their neglect of their properties. It may not be unlawful to let the interior of an historic property fall into ruin—as long as the façade appears to be intact; it may not be unlawful to enter into a lease with a tenant who can’t afford to make structural repairs to a building that produces income and supports the city’s cultural health and economy. But both actions seem to us to be morally reprehensible and, in fact, ultimately damaging to New Orleans’ historic nature and to the city’s culture.”

link: Donna’s Bar & Grill Closes :: offBeat :: Louisiana and New Orleans Online Music Resource

“I should have been posting it here all along. Had I been doing so I’d have something to show for it. A record of my life for the last few years at the very least. But I ignored my blog and ran off with the sexy, shiny microblogs. Well no more. I’m sorry for having neglected you Leoville. From now on when I post a picture of a particularly delicious sandwich I’m posting it here. When I complain that Sookie is back with Bill, you’ll hear it here first. And the show notes for my shows will go here, too. Social media, I gave you the best years of my life, but never again. I know where I am wanted. Screw you Google Buzz. You broke my heart.”

link: Buzz Kill : LOL: The Life of Leo

“Let’s use me as an example. For 14 years, from 1995 – 2008, I taught English at Palisades Charter High School; in those years it was an LAUSD school. This past June I attended PCHS’ graduation where I saw many of my former 10th grade honors English students cross the stage. Those kids, come fall, will be attending Wellesley, Vassar, Sarah Lawrence, Kenyon, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin (two on full academic scholarships), USC (a full academic scholarship), Wake Forest, Tufts, UCLA and UC-Berkeley. Trust me, these kids are bright and know how to bubble in the correct answers. I’ve seen them do it. One week earlier I attended graduation at Venice High School where I have been teaching for the past two years. Of the 87 students crammed into my two classes of senior English this past semester, 29 did not graduate because they just quit coming to my class; another nine didn’t graduate because they didn’t do enough work. Of these 87 kids, 38 didn’t graduate, and few of these kids test nearly so well on standardized tests as did my former students. I’m pretty sure at least part of the reason is because some of my students at Venice HS and their parents do not consider regular attendance in school a high priority. But here’s what I need to know from The Times and their education reformer consultants:

Am I a brilliant teacher who inspired and shepherded my students into some of our nation’s most prestigious colleges?

Or am I a lug, deadwood, a card-carrying AARP and UTLA member whose teaching style is so ineffective my students drop out by the busload?”

link: WitnessLA.com » Blog Archive » A Teacher’s View of the LA Times’ Educators Analysis

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Related posts:

1. Bookmarks from August 16th through August 22nd 2010
2. Bookmarks for August 23rd through August 29th [del.icio.us]
3. Bookmarks for August 17th through August 22nd [del.icio.us]
4. Bookmarks from August 2nd through August 8th 2010
5. Bookmarks for August 9th through August 17th [del.icio.us]

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 29th, 2010 at 8:12 am. It is filed under bookmarks and tagged with alt-classical, Google Buzz, latimes, lausd, leo laporte, NOLA, reform, social networking, tenure, Testing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.