Tootsall

Well, Canada had it’s version of the Grammys this past weekend (we call it the “Junos”). Bob Ezrin was on hand to receive his induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and he used his platform time to make the strongest, public plea for support of Education in the arts that I’ve ever seen/heard. This following little bit is part of the one article I've been able to find on the internet this morning that had to do with Bob's talk:

“Ezrin began his career at Toronto's Nimbus 9 Productions in 1970, working for producer Jack Richardson. A year later he produced Alice Cooper's Love It To Death.
"Bob Ezrin invented Alice Cooper," said the rocker, who was on hand to see Ezrin honoured at Saturday night's insiders-only Junos gala.
"He took a pretty good psychedelic band and invented the Alice sound, and he's been paying for it ever since."
Over the next 30 years, Ezrin added producing gigs with Lou Reed, Roberta Flack, Murray McLauchlan, Lee Aaron and Rod Stewart to his growing resume.
And last year, he was behind the board when Jane's Addiction recorded their first new album in more than 10 years.

But this producer doesn't just work with rock stars. After a chance meeting, he's become an enthusiastic supporter of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Music Education Program, sharing his expertise with high school students.
"I was here (Lawrence Park High School) for one of my godson's graduations, the commencement last fall, and they played a couple of numbers and just blew me away."
For the students, Ezrin's rock legacy and dedication to their band has more than rocked their world.
"He has just done so many incredible things, some of my favourite bands, so to have him come in here and to work with us is incredible," one student told CTV News. "I can't even believe it, it's like a dream."
Despite everything that Ezrin has contributed, and continues to give to music, when he was offered the Hall of Fame honour he honestly felt he wasn't worthy and only agreed to accept it on one condition.

"I accepted it on the condition that I was allowed to earn it so I would use this moment in my life as a platform for promoting education in Canadian schools," he told Canada AM's Seamus O'Regan.

"I think the three Rs are great. These are the tools we give, the hammers, the saw, the rulers, but once they get out of there they need to have the imagination, the passion, the focus, the dedication and the discipline to be able to use those tools so that they can grow up to support us in our old age.

"When you look at these kids from Lawrence Park and the focus they have when they play these instruments, and you know that when they go home in the afternoon, they practice and work on the thing that they're most passionate about. They're not sitting in front of a TV. They're not out getting into trouble. They're not smoking dope. They are focussed on creating something. Isn't that the kind of kid we want to have grow up and run this country?”

What I find most shocking about this story is the virtual “total lack” of mention in any of the media about his speech. The Juno Awards are owned by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences who have a program called “Coalition for Music Education in Canada”. http://www.coalitionformusiced.ca/ . They have a pretty decent sized operation, and yet if you weren’t watching the TV program as it was broadcast last night, you’d have missed Bob’s speech of support for music education entirely. It’s a shame…. All the media can seem to talk about today are the bands, the “red carpet”, and Alanis’s “Nude Suite”. Guess it’s just the commercialization of the music "industry" striking again….”here’s a chance to promote this record or that record…. To heck with Bob’s tirade on music education”.

Short term, profit oriented motivation instead of long term, sustainable support for music. Typical.

MUSICandCHARACTER

The Bacon brothers said a lot a NAMM in California in January. But you analysis of "short term" is right on. They will fall under their own weight. Winning a Grammy used to be a big deal. But when every Rap "artist" (I use that term so loosely) is nominated for best everything, who would want to win a Grammy? They will fall under their own weight of shortsightedness.

Profits for pop music is going downhill fast. Why buy a CD for $18 US when you can buy a DVD for $19 and get a movies, games, behind the scenes, etc. Tell me is cost as much to produce a CD as a DVD. Ha!

M&C

__________________
Dr. Jim Fox
Licensed Mental Health Therapist
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