Artsedge: The Kitchen Sink

Though Socrates and Plato died 2,500 years ago there is, of course still a country called Greece. And many modern Greek musicians will tell you that their art is influenced by the ideas of the ancients. Join us as we explore whether or not this is true. Two modern Greek musicians and scholars of ancient Greece talk about the twisting road Greek culture has taken to bring us to the music of Greece today. The podcast is narrated by John Franklin, professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Vermont.

Though the ancient Greek culture was destroyed thousands of years ago, Greek ideas continue to influence us today. That's particularly true in music. Join John Franklin, professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Vermont to hear the impact that the ancient Greeks had on the creation and development of Opera, Classical music and Jazz.

There are only a handful of pieces of music remaining from ancient Greece. And we do mean pieces; tiny scraps of papyrus and bits of stone with musical notes that are thousands of years old. Come with John Franklin, professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Vermont to meet the people who bring this ancient music back from the dead. Learn how they come to understand the slashes and squiggles that they see and translate them into music. And find out what they do when they learn that he music they're playing was torn in half a thousand years ago and the other half is gone forever.

In this episode we join Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, for his plenary speach at the Annual Meeting for the Kennedy Center's Partners in Education.

In this episode we join Dr. Roger Tomhave, Fine Arts Coordinator for Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, for his lecture A Whole New Education.

Astronaut Carl Walz summed it up: "Taking musical instruments on a ship for an expedition is a tradition, if you will. It’s what makes us human is because we bring some of our home with us." Listen as we explore the intersection between the human drive to explore and the ability to create.

What does space sound like—and who decided that? Composers have toyed with themes of space, stars and discovery in music—describing through music the ideas of open space, travel, mystery and majesty, as well as imagining what "outer space" might sound like if you could hear it. Narrated by Roger Launius of the Space History Division of the National Air and Space Museum, this piece features Miles Hoffman, commentator for NPR's Morning Edition, John Dennis, who created the music for Disneyland's Space Mountain, and Jonn Serrie, the nation's leading composer of music for planetarium shows.

In this episode we rejoin Rob Horowitz, of the Center for Arts Education Research, for the final part of his lecture on Arts Education Research.

In this episode we join Rob Horowitz, of the Center for Arts Education Research, for the first part of his lecture on Arts Education Research.

In this episode we rejoin Dick Deasy, director of the Arts Education Partnership, for the final part of his lecture, "Why Arts Education?" where he answers questions from the audience.

In this episode we rejoin Dick Deasy, director of the Arts Education Partnership, for the third of four parts of his lecture, "Why Arts Education?" where he summarizes the findings in Third Space.

We are kicking off this podcast with a four part lecture presentation by Dick Deasy. In this first episode we join Mr. Deasy, director of the Arts Education Partnership for the first part of his lecture, "Why Arts Education?" where he discusses why the arts aren't in schools.

In this episode we rejoin Dick Deasy, director of the Arts Education Partnership, for the second of four parts of his lecture, "Why Arts Education?" where he summarizes the research in Critical Links

Blues musicians who moved north tailored their music to reflect their new urban surroundings. Acoustic guitars gave way to electric; drums and standup bass rounded out the sound. This "new" blues had a huge impact on modern music - influencing early rock and roll artists like Elvis Presley and 60s British artists like the Rolling Stones. Today, the innovative adaptations of the blues can be heard in the music of artists as diverse as Cat Power and Gnarls Barkley.

The blues sound was captured by Alan Lomax, who was among the first to record folk songs in the 1930s. Because of Lomax's recordings, people across the country could hear the unique music of blues artists like Huddie Ledbetter ("Leadbelly") and Muddy Waters for the first time. In addition to Lomax's work, the rise of the commercial recording industry (particularly Chess Records) and advances in recording technologies allowed blues to have a wider distribution and as a result, gain a larger audience.

Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on the use of blue notes—a note that is sung or played at a lower pitch than the rest of the song that gives the blues its characteristic, often sad sound. The lyrics usually have a predictable rhyme, and the music also has a repetitive pattern that typically follows a twelve-bar structure. While the blues may tackle serious subjects, it also brings joy to the singer and audience.

As black slaves toiled in the fields, they often sang to communicate with each other and pass the time. These work songs, spirituals, and field hollers formed the basis of blues music as it became an important sound of the American South in the early 20th century. In the 1930s, faced with extreme poverty and laws that discriminated against and segregated them, thousands of African Americans migrated to northern cities, taking the blues with them— where both the songs and the singers adapted to their new urban environment. ArtsEdge, the Kennedy Center's arts education network, supports the creative use of technology to enhance teaching and learning in, through, and about the arts, offering free, standards-based teaching materials for use in and out of the classroom, media-rich interactive experiences, professional development resources, and guidelines for arts-based instruction and assessment. Visit ArtsEdge at artsedge.kennedy-center.org.

Washington, DC saw an influx and outflux of some of Jazz's greatest talent. In the final episode the series, Taylor and Wess talk about the relative anonymity of some originators, including Billy Eckstine and others who enjoyed only a short-lived celebrity.

The Crystal Caverns, the Howard Theatre, and other venues in Washington, DC allowed the teenage Wess and Taylor opportunities to see their idols in concert. In this episode, they discuss the great musicians who frequented these monuments of jazz history.

Teacher Mary Reese Europe was the sister of James Reese Europe, who brought jazz to France in WWI. In this episode, jazz legends Billy Taylor and Frank Wess expound upon the influence of the two siblings, and Mary Reese Europe's teachings about singer Roland Hayes in prejudiced Germany prove an inspiration to her students.