“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up” – Pablo Picasso

With a 20th-Century attitude that tends towards permanence and rigid categorization, this is very difficult. And it’s why people who refuse to change, find the modern world increasingly hard to live in.There’s no stopping what’s happening, and the only practical response that we can make is to adapt. A key part of this is to adapt education so that future generations will be able to exist happily in a constant state of change.

This is not possible in a society where mistakes are stigmatized, because it represses the ability to take risks and chances. However, without risking a mistake, creativity is limited.

If we’re educating people for a future about which we have no clue, then we need to emphasize creativity over academic achievement, and celebrate rather than pour disdain on mistakes.

Technology and the explosion of population will make degrees and other categorizations increasingly irrelevant. What will set us free will be the celebration of the human imagination above all. A central part of that is the celebration of music.

Music Education Will Become Ever More Important

Last Updated: Thursday, February 22, 2007 | 3:58 PM ET

A new play by Martin Julien to premiere at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa this March will examine the life of charismatic maestro Leonard Bernstein.

The Unanswered Question, with veteran actor Tom McCamus in the role of Bernstein, will premiere March 8 at the NAC, with previews beginning March 5.

Bernstein, a talented pianist who became the first American conductor to receive worldwide acclaim, was also a prolific composer who wrote West Side Story, Candide and On the Town.

Julien, an actor turned writer, has set the play in 1976, the year Bernstein left his beautiful wife, Chilean actress Felicia Montealegre, to live with a male lover.

“The piece examines the life of a wildly influential musician who must come to terms with his own nature and mortality in the face of both a radically changing society and a profound personal crisis,” Julien says in his notes on the play.

Julien says his background as an actor — he played  Cornell Tremble III in Allen Cole’s The Wrong Son at the NAC last year — affects his style of writing.

CBC Arts

Renee Fleming at the Kaplan Penthouse; Norma at Tanglewood in ’08

The big news: Renee will debut Norma in a concert version with James Levine at Tanglewood in 2008. She mentioned that Levine said, “You have to do this role because you have to do it.” While dramatic sopranos have been singing Norma recently, this will be a lyric Norma. Renee added, “It’s a huge risk. But, what? I should never take a risk?”

of the kosmos

• The New Car:  Happy to report after three days at Mel’s Auto Beauty (auto parlor!) she is looking UNBELIEVABLY better – the upholstery inside is clean and smells good, new floor mats are lovely.  She shined inside and out– all the windows gleamed and not a speck to be seen (even the crack in the windshield looked clean)

  Unfortunately, the car’s body is not in good shape; it’s very obvious that this car was NOT taken care of – we can’t even imagine when it was last washed.  Arnon (the guy at Mel’s) would not even wax the car until its been washed a few times – and there are a bunch of small scratches besides the back left fender swipe – but he thinks once we start buffing it some of the smaller scratches may disappear.  I can’t afford a repaint (thousands of dollars) so I just want it to look the best it can without spending a lot of money. Which means washing and cleaning it monthly at least but he offers a “card” so after five you get one free!

  Things had to be fixed – the interior light now works when the driver side door is opened and lovely Arnon fashioned a floor for the trunk (somehow that went missing and we weren’t told in the sale process – I discovered it (amongst other things) the second day – they had stuff in the car the day they delivered it so I didn’t even think that it wouldn’t be there – anyway, its a lovely piece of plywood that is HINGED so that you can open it and get to the spare (well, its a donut for now) and the jack.  I was amazed and thrilled!  He did a great job!

  So the only thing left is the hanging cigarette lighter (yup) and the broken off driver side door lock.

  BUT the other GREAT thing I had installed was a remote control for the door – you know that is standard with all new cars – this is a 1998 - but its wonderful – doesn’t do the trunk but that’s ok.  Last night coming back to the car after my inaugural trip to Kmart I felt much safer using that.  And there is a panic button too! And he put a “fake” alarm light on the dash so it looks like there is an alarm in the car! .

  Interestingly the locks now work with engine turn on and off – they lock when the engine is turned on and they unlock when it turns off, or is it when it goes in PARK (Ill have to check that)  Filled it up for the first time – WOW I am not even going to tell you what I paid for gas when I last had a car!

• Aran Knitting:  Well, I was moving merrily along on the new BACK and had gotten thru the entire first skein – I had restarted on Sunday night) – and then this morning I was doing a little bit of knitting while catching up on Rosie (I do miss her show) and looked at the MAIN cable  – a saxon celtic braid – and the last section looked funky – sure enough I had miscrossed three cables on three separate rows right at the beginning of the section – so RIP 10 rows and this time I just ripped the entire thing instead of just the cable – it was just easier and its the main cable up the back. 

  That’s what I get for knitting while watching my taped NCIS  – I mean between Mark Harmon and David McCallum and Michael Weatherly … and the guest this week wasn’t bad to look at either… heck, its surprising I didn’t have MORE mistakes.

• Cooking  I made this great sounding Tortellini and Peas recipe from Ms Stewart’s EVERYDAY FOOD – but it became this cheesy sticky mess – read the recipe for details.  I am managing to salvage it by slathering it with tomato sauce.  But when you are single and you cook a pound of tortellini – it aint’ going in the garbage so you deal. 

  I tell you NEXT time I am NOT adding the cheese at all.  I will use it as a garnish.  And I am going to use Olive Oil and not the butter (or a mix) but more olive oil – still I like the combination and I need to get myself to eat more greens so whatever why I can.

• Weather:  It actuially hit 50 DEGREES this week!  Although the ground is SO frozen in the backyard there is still about 5–6 inches of frozen stuff – its like a SLURPEE – on the ground.  It rained a bit during the afternoon today so maybe it will be less but then again its in the low 30s tonight so we are going thru that lovely thaw ICE thaw ICE cycle…. at least the temp is ONLY in the 30s and the furnance is staying off (i keep the thermostat at 58/day and 55/night).

Ok enough with the bullets.  Photos of the clean and shiny car soon. 

Oh and I need a name for her and yes, she is female.  My littlest sister named my first car – a sweet VW .  I wonder, should I do a contest?  Maybe I will check my stash and see?  Maybe it would bring a few more readers?  Hmm… maybe?

For the Competition – only one from the USA selected – Ryan McKinney, a baritone  Go here for details.

For Hattogate addicts

A very long and fascinating article on Musicweb International by pianist and critic Christopher Howell, in case you haven’t already seen it. You’ll need at least 2 cups of coffee for this one.

UPDATE: Andrys has made an extremely useful page containing all the links anybody could want on this topic. Essential reading and some audio interviews too.

I read the WHOLE thing – Howell’s article is fascinating – a sad story thru emails and letters of what is increasingly looking to be a fraud… unbelievable.