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Edinburgh Festivals — All Of Them — Canceled

The Edinburgh International Festival, the Fringe, Book Festival, Art Festival, and Military Tattoo, which transform Scotland’s capital for the month of August, have been called off for 2020. No one knows what the coronavirus situation will be by late summer, but preparations are so large, lengthy and expensive that, the authorities agreed, the decision had to be made now. – The Guardian

Soooo… We Were Trying To Cut Down Our Screen Time Before This Happened. How’s It Going?

Covered in screens these past few weeks, I have noticed some positive changes. I FaceTime my friends so much that I know them better than I did before. I decided to learn what TikTok was, and I love it. I spend hours with my chin tucked into my chest and a weird smile on my face, watching. I’m using Duolingo, an app to learn languages. – The New York Times

Study Dance Online? Not So Fast…

“The internet may be exploding with resources for virtual classes, from top dancers teaching barre to free warm-ups courtesy of the Merce Cunningham Foundation, but in academia, teachers face many restraints. Copyright laws, federal privacy regulations, varying tech platforms and grading rubrics all make teaching dance online a challenge.” – Dance Magazine

Major Development In A Landmark Decision About Artists Rights

“At issue is the aspect of copyright law that allows authors to terminate copyright grants to publishers. The putative class action was brought by John Waite and Joe Ely, musicians who alleged that Universal Music Group routinely and systematically refuses to honor termination notices. The judge is allowing a group of plaintiffs to move forward, but not without a pretty huge caveat.” – The Hollywood Reporter

Classical Music Is Thriving As We Quarantine Ourselves

Locked out of the concert hall because of global coronavirus concerns, endangered in physical and financial terms, classical music is fighting to survive and finding more paths than ever to listeners. Part of this phenomenon is that we’re quite literally a captive audience. But another part is the odd compatibility between classical music and digital media. – Washington Post

The Music Schools That Were Quite Prepared For Distance Learning

Unlike so many other institutions, the major music schools of America were uniquely prepared to make the transition to online instruction. The fact is, they’ve been preparing for it for years by enhancing and expanding their Wi-Fi capabilities, installing and becoming adept at the use of multiple learning and communication platforms, developing and honing online teaching skills, all while working with a student body that is totally comfortable with the relationship between education and online technology. – San Francisco Classical Voice

How Can A Director Shoot A Thriller While Maintaining Social Distancing? Put The Lead Actor Inside A Video Game

“Timur Bekmambetov, best known outside Russia for making the Angelina Jolie thriller Wanted, was midway through filming his second world war fighter-ace film V2: Escape from Hell when the coronavirus pandemic broke. So [he] sanitised his shooting schedule and, last week, pulled off what he believes was a cinematic first: a feature-film scene shot entirely inside a live video game.” – The Guardian

Ask

I’ve also been watching with great interest the number of arts organizations making content available online, providing virtual experiences to help us get through this. At the same time, I wonder if a myopia inherent in our industry might get in the way of doing even greater good. – Doug Borwick