Oct 12, 2012 |
Sometimes the cool and interesting things that my colleagues do at work spill over and I get some of the benefits. As a result, I was in Budapest last week for the European project that Paul Long & Jez Collins run out of our research office.
It’s about innovation in popular music heritage and its impact on vocational training – which basically means a bunch of stuff about celebrating the musical history of a place (as Liverpool does with the Beatles, Chicago does with Blues music, etc.), and then understanding how people do that in really interesting and surprising ways, figuring out how they get (or make) jobs in that, and then translating that into what we teach people who want to do those sorts of jobs.
The project connects with different types of educators, music industry people and students in a number of different countries – from Bulgaria to Ireland, Finland to the Germany, UK to the Netherlands. All of them interested, for one reason or another, in: 1) popular music heritage; 2) innovation; 3) vocational training for the media and music industries.
(more…)
Mar 25, 2008 |
John Kieffer coping with the bitter cold outside Euston station
I met with John Kieffer today. As of today, he’s my mentor.
John’s a well-respected figure in the creative sector. He used to be the Director of Performing Arts for the British Council, and has an astonishing CV of accomplishments.
I particularly like the fact that he lists (in this order) his influences as: Professor Stuart Hall, Miles Davis, Mark Rothko and Joni Mitchell. They’re all on my various lists of “Greatest Ever…”
I have to say, the mentoring thing felt weird to set up. I’ve always encouraged my students to find a mentor – and I’ve long believed that you should always have at least one. Someone you trust to bounce ideas off, seek suggestions, introductions and advice from and generally just act as a guiding force.
I’ve had mentors throughout my career – whether they were aware of that role in any ‘official’ capacity or not. But John Kieffer was the first person I’ve ever actually approached and asked ‘would you please be my mentor?’. And that was a kind of a leap of faith (what if he said no?!).
(more…)
