Author: Matthew Westphal

At One Of Europe’s Top Ballet Schools, Young Students Are Overworked, Medically Neglected, And Encouraged To Smoke

An Austrian government commission found that, at the ballet academy at the Vienna State Opera, “it is clear that children and adolescents are not sufficiently protected from discrimination, neglect and negative medical effects,” with their training and performance schedules being overloaded and insufficient healthcare provided. And the young students are openly encouraged to smoke in order to stay thin. – Yahoo! (AFP)

Do You Hear The People Singe? Set Of ‘Les Miserables’ Catches Fire During Show

At the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on Monday night, the performance of the musical had to stop for ten minutes after the actor playing Javert accidentally lit part of the set on fire with his flaming brand. One audience member tweeted, “I thought the fire was part of the show … until all the dead bodies started running off set!” – WhatsOnStage (UK)

America’s Forbidden Composer: Take Two — Listening to Arthur Farwell

“America’s forbidden composer” is Arthur Farwell (1872-1952), leader of the “Indianists” movement in music. Politically, he seems hopelessly incorrect today. But his significance is not merely historical. He composed some of the most original and compelling American piano, choral, and chamber music of the early twentieth century. – Joseph Horowitz

Andrew Clements, Author Of ‘Frindle’ And Other Children’s Novels, Dead At 70

“Mr. Clements wrote more than 80 children’s books, including the text of picture books about a pampered Egyptian cat, an unbecoming fish, a Christmas in which Mrs. Claus stands in for Santa and a young girl who can’t stop using compound words such as nitwit, higgledy-piggledy and itty-bitty. That rib-tickling book was appropriately called Double Trouble in Walla Walla (1997).” – The Washington Post

10,000 Hours Of Practice Won’t Make You An Expert Musician (Not By Itself, Anyway)

“Expert players vary a lot in the number of practice hours they put in, and on average amount of practice can only account for about 30% of variation in performance quality, meaning that 70% of the story about musical expertise remains untold. Here we turn to the real topic of interest: quality of practice. What makes good quality practice? … Emma Allingham, a music psychology researcher at the University of Hamburg, shares her insight.” – The Strad

Did This Guy And His Video Game Really Destroy The Industry In The 1980s?

“Once the most highly coveted game developer — a hit-maker with the Midas touch — [Howard Scott Warshaw] had been immortalized as the man who created E.T., the ‘worst’ video game in history. But Warshaw’s story, like that of Atari, is a parable about corporate greed and the dangers of prioritizing quantity over quality.” – The Hustle

BP To Arts World: Stop Judging Us By Our Past

“Speaking at a public forum in Westminster this week, [BP’s UK chief] Peter Mather said ‘the most important debate of our generation’ – climate change – was best served by BP continuing to sponsor major institutions like the British Museum, National Portrait Gallery and Royal Opera House, rather than ‘demonising’ the company for its contribution to carbon emissions. … ‘If I come back in five years and we’re just doing the same thing in oil and gas, then I think might have lost our licence to operate in this [arts sponsorship] space.'” – Arts Professional