Advocates of personalized learning say that the approach has been unfairly conflated with teacherless, online-only education. They invoke Dewey and Freire and Montessori as guiding lights and take pains to emphasize, in almost liturgical unison, that personalized learning is not about tech—and that “tech is just a tool.” But skeptics warn that underneath the language of “student-centered” pedagogy is a tech-intensive model that undermines communal values, accelerates privatization, and turns public schools into big-data siphons. – The New Yorker
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Is This Self-Taught South African Uber Drive The Next Star Tenor?
Menzi Mngoma is a self-taught tenor who likes to belt out arias for his passengers. One of his customers, Kim Davey, liked his singing so much that she posted a video on Facebook. That, in turn, attracted media attention and the 27-year-old Mngoma’s career was launched. He is said to be auditioning for Cape Town Opera. A stadium tour will no doubt follow. – The Guardian
Sale Of Sotheby’s Will Change The Art Market In Some Fundamental Ways
Once the deal clears, Sotheby’s can provide cover for consignors who previously would have gone to Christie’s for hush-hush services—protected details surrounding guarantees and the complete discretion of a single-person owner, among others. And this “more flexible private environment” also means that decisions about hefty guarantees and costly talent acquisitions no longer have to be justified to shareholders, some of whom might be perturbed by big-ticket spending. – Artsy
Giant Ancient City Is Being Uncovered, Changing What We Know About Greek Civilization
Dating back 4,600 years, the site may also have been part of the inspiration for a key aspect of Greek religion – the idea that mountain tops were the dwelling places of the gods. The complex – on a mountain peak-shaped islet off the coast of the Aegean island of Keros (part of the Cyclades archipelago) – is totally changing archaeologists’ understanding of prehistoric Greece. – The Independent (UK)
Will Millennials Kill Opera?
“We’re not known for our attention spans, our patience, or our respect for tradition, and we have been subsequently accused of killing avocado, cheese, home ownership, marriage, and the retail industry. Behind these allegations is, of course, the world’s deeply troubled economy, which has effectively made it unlikely that most of us will be able to afford what our parents could.” – Vogue
How ‘Oklahoma!’ Created The Original Cast Album Genre
“Typically, show music was cut down and rearranged for a popular dance band. But [Decca president Jack] Kapp had no time for such niceties” — he was rushing to get a recording of the hit show to market after a long musicians’ strike — “and the musical’s full Broadway orchestra was brought in to accompany the performers. There had been a few, somewhat limited, cast recordings before, but Decca’s improvised innovation came closest to capturing the full experience of attending a Broadway musical.” – The New York Times
‘People Will Say We’re In Love’: How The Perky Operetta Duet Of The 1943 ‘Oklahoma!’ Became The Twangy Country Song Of The 2019 ‘Oklahoma!’
The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization was willing to let Daniel Fish, director of the revisionist revival now on Broadway, experiment with the way the story was told but forbid any changes to the songs’ melody, rhythm or harmony. So why is this duet’s effect so different? Jesse Green breaks it down. – The New York Times
Baltimore Symphony’s Finances Are So Bad Tapping Its Endowment Is Problematic
The BSO’s finances arguably are so unstable that members of the endowment trust supporting the symphony balk at lending or giving it even one penny more than the $6 million it has received this fiscal year. Some trustees worry that releasing more funds to an organization they say is in dire financial straits would be tantamount to pouring money down a drain. – Baltimore Sun
Tania Bruguera, Cuban Artist-Activist, To Launch Investigative Journalism Project
“At the Manchester International Festival, … Bruguera revealed plans to establish an investigative journalism initiative that will award prizes and grants and offer workshops for Cuban writers at the Institute of Artivism Hannah Arendt, which she founded in Havana in 2015. The announcement comes amid a crackdown on freedom of expression in the country.” – Artforum
Improbable Intersection: When Joni Mitchell Met Charles Mingus
While Mitchell’s associations with jazz had been criticised in the mainstream rock press by writers who found her experimental, category-defying streak somewhat conceited, it was Mingus himself who instigated the project. Dying from ALS, Mingus was fixed on the idea of a final project, an epitaph of sorts, but he knew he needed a guiding light to see it through to fruition. – Jazz Journal