At the AARP Convention

I posted a new photo to Photos.

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Arts Funding Watch – October 25

It's hard to believe, but today is the last Wednesday in the month of October!  This will end the special weekly edition of the “Arts Funding Watch” from The Foundation Center.  (Of course, they will still publish this free newsletter each month.)  Please be sure to sign up for this informative eNewsletter.

There are two highlights in today's newsletter:

1) The Wallace Foundation has announced $2.9 Million in Excellence Awards Grants to nine Chicago-area arts organizations.  Each of the groups will receive a grant ranging from $200,000 to $500,000.  The organizations include the Merit School of Music.  Click on any of these hyperlinks to learn more about the programs and the grants.

2) The James Irvine Foundation has announced $18.9 million in Grants to 41 organizations in the third quarter of 2006.  This includes $4.1 million to a dozen regional arts organizations in the Inland Empire and Orange and San Diego counties (all in California.)  This is made possible through the foundations Arts Regional Initiative.

Let's join in celebration of these generous grants and send our best wishes to the programs who are the recipients!  I urge you to learn more about what made each of these programs stand out.  Follow their progress and they use the grant money to make a difference in their communities.  And, emulate their model for success – adapting it to your local circumstances.

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Why We Belong to Organizations

“People want to be part of something larger than themselves.  They want to be part of something they’re really proud of, that they’ll fight for, sacrifice for, that they trust.”

– Howard Schultz, Chairman and Founder of Starbucks

I found this quote this morning during my usual wandering through favorite websites.  It appears on business guru Tom Peters’ website – in his “free stuff” section.  I got to Tom’s website via another excellent site – Speaking on Speaking.

The Internet is something larger than ourselves that we want to be a part of – at least “our favorites” or the “blogs” that we participate in or the multitude of friends that we associate with through My Space and other social networks.

However, Mr. Schultz was really talking about what sets his company – Starbucks – apart.  Why do people want to work there?  Why do people like to buy their products and hang out in their cafes?

Job satisfaction is not directly related to how much we get paid for what we do.  Certainly money is important and we must all feel that we are being compensated on a fair and equitable scale.  But that is not job satisfaction.

Why do we choose the companies or industries that we work in?  The causes that we support?  The people that we want to be around – or to be like?  What gives us satisfaction?

People, Products, Reputation

We want to work with people that we like and respect.  We want to produce products and services that we are proud of.  These help to establish our reputation.  This is what give us satisfaction. This is why we choose our associations.  This is why we fight for what we believe in.  This is why people will trust us.

From today’s web-crawl and finding Tom Peters’ treasure trove of “freebies”, I have a stack of quotations to add to my database.  But I also have found motivation to get my day going.  I hope that this blog is help you as well.  If so, please share your thoughts with our readers. 

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Why Arts Education Matters

“Confidence, like art, never comes from having all the answers;  it comes from being open to all the questions.”

– Earl Stevens

I firmly believe that quality Arts Education is a vital part of a child's education.  Learning how to ask – and respond to – complex questions develops critical thinking.

And many others share this belief.  In “Quality, Equity and Access,”  The California Alliance for Arts Education states:

“The arts provide experiences in which students are encouraged to ask complex questions and experiment without a predetermined result.  A curriculum without the arts impoverishes our students as human beings, citizens, thinkers, and workers in any field, and narrows the function of education to the development of those skills that can be measured on standardized tests.”

The landmark research document on this subject is “Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning.”  This 1999 report – click here to access the full report – was made possible through the GE Fund / MacArthur Foundation.  The major findings:

1) Students with high levels of arts participation outperform their peers with little or no arts participation.

2) Sustained involvement in particular art forms – music and theater – is highly correlated with success in mathematics and reading.

3) The arts have a measurable impact on students in high-poverty and urban settings.

4) Engagement in the arts nurtures the development of cognitive, social and personal competencies.

5) Arts experiences enhance critical thinking abilities and outcomes.

6) The arts enable educators to reach students in effective ways.

Support our children.  Support the arts!

 

 

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Arts Funding Watch – October 18

Please, please – If you are involved in the Arts or Arts education, sign up – today – for the e-newsletter, “Arts Funding Watch” from The Foundation Center.  It is free.  It is informative.  It is vital that you stay abreast of developments that affect funding and support for the arts.

In this week's edition there are several points of interest.  You can locate all Arts-Related Reports in One Convenient Location – PubHub.  I am attaching – as Adobe PDF files, two reports that are “must reading” –

“Critical Issues Facing the Arts in California” – Published by the James Irvine Foundation.

“Portfolio 2006” – This report evaluates the economic and social contribution of the arts and cultural community in southeaster Pennsylvania.

The newsletter also featured a new book, “Guide to Getting Arts Grants” bu Ellen Liberatori.  I purchased the book and will post a book review as soon as I have read it.

While on the website I located a very useful “Reference Guide for Musicians.”  This contains a terrific resource guide – with links – to Foundations and organizations that fund individual musicians.

Check this all out!  TODAY!

 

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Logo – Arts Funding Watch

I posted a new photo to Photos.

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Modern Marketing – Part 2

OK – Two weeks after the new Tony Bennett Duets album was released, I was finally near a Target store and had the time to go in and purchase the Limited Edition CD / DVD combo – “exclusively available” at Target. 

I did enjoy the short (20 minute) DVD in the recording studio about the making of the album. And I am glad that I have it just in case I do not TiVo the broadcast special on November21 (sponsored by Target.)

I doubt that I will ever look to Target stores to be my main source when purchasing CDs and DVDs in the future.  However, several interesting factors came into play during my short shopping experience at Target yesterday.

Wow – those stores are big – and no aisle goes straight through – like a maze! Interesting concept – keeps customers inside each department.  But, the CD department is all the way in the back of the store.  Limited selection; decent signage.  While I was looking for the Tony Bennett album – and they had a TV showing the “Happy Birthday Tony” promo ad in the department – I noticed the new Diana Krall CD – “From This Moment Out” – ALSO with a bonus track – EXCLUSIVELY available from Target!

OK – I am a sucker for “exclusive content” from my favorite artists.  No price shopping for me – if it is attractive and exclusive, I want it – and I don't look to save a couple of bucks at another store or on-line!  Very clever of Target.  It reminds me of why I buy CDs at Starbucks – They have it first (Ray Charles' “Genius Loves Company”) or it is a Starbucks original by artists that I like.

I'm not sure if Target is making money on its sponsorship of the Tony Bennett project.  They did from me because I ended up buying another CD – Aaron Neville's new “Bring it on Home … the soul classics” CD – all at full price!  I suppose the whole point is to bring certain desirable demographics into Target stores.

Here's the lesson that I think is valuable for retailers:

Find a way to bundle, manufacture or otherwise “brand” certain products as “exclusive to (your store.”)  When you use this tip selectively, it prevents customers from price-shopping your competition – only YOU sell this particular assortment.  I think that it also elevates your image in the minds of customers.  Certain customers value exclusivity – I do – and are willing to pay for it when it is something that they desire. 

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The Eyes Have It

When will politicians ever learn the importance of effective communications?  Despite their access to professional staff, speechwriters and communications coaches, the majority of politicians get a failing grade in communications skills.  Perhaps it is just plain arrogance.  I call it ignorance.

Exhibit A – Representative Dennis Hastert.  Dennis – in the House of Representatives the “ayes” have it when it comes to voting. However, in communicating your message it's all about the “eyes.” 

Is it possible that nobody on your staff has told you that it is important for you to look into the eye of the camera during your news conferences?  You are telling your story to the American people who are watching you on television, in print media or on their computer.  We need to be able to look into your eyes to learn the truth.  Don't look down – that, in itself is telling us something!  Don't look at the reporters and camera crews in front of you – look into the camera!  We do not listen to what you are saying;  we form our impression (mostly unfavorable) from what you are saying with your body language.

Regardless of what the facts are, most people get the impression that you are hiding something.  People who are afraid to make direct eye contact usually have something to hide.

This is all so preventable!  Dating back to the 1960 Presidential debate between Vice President Nixon and Senator Kennedy, politicians have heard how important visual communications are in communicating your message.  Interestingly, a poll of potential voters who only heard that debate on the radio felt that Nixon won.  They couldn't “hear” the image of the “5 o'clock shadow” – but the television audience clearly saw that .

If you want your audience to connect with you and you want to gain their trust you must make direct eye contact.  In his excellent book, “10 Simple Secrets of the World's Greatest Business Communicators,” Carmine Gallo says: “Eye contact is associated with honesty, trustworthiness, sincerity, confidence.”

Also in his book, Gallo tells the story of Governor Howard Dean's thoughts about why his campaign for the Presidency failed.  Dean said, “I needed some serious media training.  I did it on the job but could have saved myself a lot of hassle if I had done it earlier.”

DUH!  Representative Hastert – are you listening?

 

 

 

 

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Look Me in the Eye

I posted a new photo to Photos.

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Arts Watch News October 11

Remember – October is Arts Funding Month at the Foundation Center.  Today is Wednesday which means that another special focus newsletter is available – and it is free – but only to those who register.

To give you an idea of the valuable information you can expect, I have attached today's newsletter as a file – just open it up.  Here are some of the headlines from the newsletter:

Scholarships for Young Artists – Youth in Philanthropy

Arts-Related Events at Foundation Center Locations

Recent Arts News from Philanthropy News Digest

Stanford Receives $50 Million for New Concert Hall

Goldman Foundation Awards $10 Million Challenge Grant to San Francisco Symphony

Funding Opportunities

JPMorganChase Regrant Program for Small Ensembles Seeks Applications From New York City Music Presenters

Community Foundation Silicon Valley Invites Applications for Advancing the Arts Initiative

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