According to the UC Berkeley Labor Center, 25 percent of part-time faculty nationally rely on public assistance programs. In 1969, 78 percent of instructional staff at US institutions of higher education were tenured or on the tenure track; today, after decades of institutional expansion amid stagnant or dwindling budgets, the figure is 33 percent. More than one million workers now serve as nonpermanent faculty in the US, constituting 50 percent of the instructional workforce at public Ph.D.-granting institutions, 56 percent at public masters degree–granting institutions, 62 percent at public bachelors degree–granting institutions, 83 percent at public community colleges, and 93 percent at for-profit institutions. – New York Review of Books
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Musicians Talk Horror-Airline Stories
“You can have a bad experience whether flying with it in your hand or freighting. I’ve seen a forklift go right through a guitar case before. Airlines should be as explicit as possible on their websites about their policies. But if you’re not a platinum member, don’t expect any special treatment.” – Los Angeles Times
How Coronavirus Is Affecting The Entertainment Industry
Theaters in China, the world’s second largest box office market behind the U.S. and Canada, have almost entirely shut down. So have theme parks and film shoots. Travel bans meant to curb the global spread of the virus have affected business conferences and live events, such as concerts. – Los Angeles Times
The Downside Of Learning With YouTube How-To’s
Many of these videos fall into what Carlson calls “infotainment,” where the goal isn’t to teach, but to pass on information, even if it doesn’t lead to understanding. “They’re not saying, ‘Here’s how you would do the problem yourself,’” Stephen agrees. “They’re just handing you a bunch of microwaved facts.” – Fast Company
Trump Gets 45-Minute Briefing On The Play “FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers”
Trump hasn’t seen the play, according to playwright Phelim McAleer, but praised its concept: a script based entirely on congressional testimony and the text messages between former FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who discussed the FBI’s investigation into Trump’s campaign and Russia while having an affair. The play’s leads—Superman actor Dean Cain and former Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress Kristy Swanson—also attended the White House meeting. – The Daily Beast
How One Expert Discovered The Creative Freedom Of Early Music
“I finally realized it felt more creative to be doing what I was doing in early music because there was so much that we hadn’t figured out; there was so much that was not in the scores. And just because you can’t make up all the notes doesn’t mean you can’t make up most of them. I played continuo, where you’ve got a bass line and you make it up. And I liked that.” – Van
She’s Been Dead For 45 Years And She’s Still The Arab World’s Favorite Star
“There is no western counterpart to Umm Kulthum, no artist as respected and beloved as she is in the Arab world.” She sang everything from the most complex classical Arabic music to nationalist hymns; her sold-out performances ran for five hours or more; her monthly live concert broadcasts had entire nations glued to their radios. (It was said that Umm Kulthum was the only thing that unified the Arab world.) You still hear her voice in cafes and taxis throughout the Middle East and the Arab diaspora. And she lived an extremely unusual life for a woman of her time and place. – The Guardian
Above Politics? Classical Music As Uniter…
Classical music is a rare remaining area where citizens of countries that are at loggerheads (or worse) with one another can interact in a productive manner. “The most important aspect we’re missing in the public debate today is the ability to listen. Listening is fundamental in music-making,” Gianandrea Noseda, an Italian, told me. – Standpoint
Building Contemporary Dance In Botswana
The African nation is getting prosperous enough to begin (slowly) offering state funding to the performing arts. One beneficiary of this development is Mophato Dance Theatre, which combines traditional Botswanan dance with contemporary movement vocabulary. (video) – BBC
Roberto Bedoya On Expressing Oakland Creatively
Bedoya describes the culture of the city as “the embodiment of forms of knowledge and wisdom people have gained through their different lived experiences.” Another way he expresses this idea is that culture is the frame within which the arts provide “the power of shared sensibility and memory… kindling the emotions that make us aware of our shared humanity.” – Reportage From The Aesthetic Edge