There are many things that I just don’t "get," but there are a few things recently that have really been boggling my mind. Perhaps I'm living in times that I am no longer suited for.

Arts’ Bankruptcies
When I think of bankruptcy, I envision the top-hatted mustachioed Monopoly guy with his pants pockets turned inside out showing the world – "Hey, I got nothin' left!" So how is it that a venerable organization such as the Philadelphia Orchestral Association, with a reported $120 - $140 million-dollar endowment is allowed to successfully file for bankruptcy? Spending millions to do so by the way. I know there's a rational explanation. Probably any good lawyer and/or non-profit Arts Manager could set me straight.

Arts’ Venues
This is a tough one. I'm generally inclined to support new and "spiffed up" abodes for the arts. Beautiful arts’ spaces serve a community well, not to mention good construction jobs the building and spiffing create. Locally, we have witnessed new and/or remodeled edifices for the Guthrie Theater, Children's Theater, Walker Art Center, and the (finally open) Cowles Center for Dance. Orchestra Hall will shortly be receiving a $45 million dollar make-over (down from $90 million), and money is currently being raised to provide an exciting future new home for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, replacing the McKnight Theater at the Ordway Center for the Arts. "Coolio" for the construction biz. However, if there is any corresponding benefit to the musicians, actors, and dancers in terms of increased work and better pay due to all the building, I am frankly unaware of it. In fact, ask any of the 40 plus musicians who have played Minnesota Dance Theater's Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker Fantasy for so many years how that new Cowles Center is working out? Oh that's right, the pit is not completed, and there isn't any money to hire musicians this year anyway. As of this writing the rumor is that the dancers will either dance to recorded music, or they will be required to hum the music as they dance. Either way, I hear the building is lovely. Way back on May 9, 2005 New York City-based jazz musician Marty Kahn wrote the following on the "All About Jazz" website. "Imagine what could have been accomplished with the $150 plus million dollars that was contributed to Lincoln Center Jazz in order to build three new concert facilities in a city full of concert facilities. Imagine what could have been done for the artists in terms of product distribution and marketing, health and pension plans, Internet utilization, worthwhile education programs, meaningful public exposure, etc. The bottom line is that contributing that kind of money to Lincoln Center is like contributing a hundred thousand dollars to the memorial service of a man who died because he couldn't afford a ten thousand dollar operation." I cite Mr. Kahn just to let you know that I'm not the only one with their "grouch on" regarding this topic.

Arts’ Education
This is like a playground teeter-totter. On one end, the arts are constantly struggling to avoid total elimination from elementary, middle, and high school curriculums despite numerous studies touting the value of arts, and music in particular, in a child's education. On the other end you have "higher" education.

A recent issue of Downbeat had a special article titled: Where to Study Jazz 2012 – Student Music Guide. The article listed about 70 pages of post K-12 schools that offer "Jazz Studies" courses. There's certainly no shortage of places to study jazz these days. I think most would agree that the quality of jazz education at the majority of these institutions is excellent. I believe there are equally prolific opportunities to study classical music as well, but I will stick with jazz for the moment. Schools are harvesting crop after crop of highly skilled musicians. Here's the rub – tuition. If you'd like to go to Juilliard, be prepared to pony-up $33,630 a year.

Perhaps New England Conservatory is more your style? For $36,250 a year you can find out. Oberlin College is listed as having 575 Conservatory students with 75 of those classified as "jazz" students. The cost - $48,842 a year with another $11,500 a year for room and board. Twin Cities musicians can stay closer to home and still get a great education, but even McNally Smith College of Music will set you back $25,000 a year.

I ponder two points. First, where will the future music students come from if the seeds are no longer planted in the elementary, middle, and high school grades? Secondly, unless there is some kind of "societal value shift" that will actually reflect in substantially increased earnings for musicians, how will young musicians pay for their education? Is there any balance between a $100,000 plus education and a $75 a night (if you're lucky) nightclub gig? My teeter is really tottering on that conundrum.

Silent Disco
Apparently there is a new "craze" sweeping America – Silent Disco. It started in Europe. Go figure. Dance club patrons are all given a special set of wireless headphones upon entering the club. They can then "tune in" to one (or multiple) DJs to listen and dance to the music they prefer. To any observer there would simply be people gyrating to silence. I don’t really have anything to say about this, and it doesn't seem to relate to anything else written here, but it does perplex me for some reason that I am at a loss of words to describe. I'll just scratch my skull and…