A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be asked to speak at one of the Unversity of Sydney’s Raising The Bar events – an opportunity for “leading academics” (their words, not mine!) to give a potted (30 minute) lecture in a bar to anyone who wanted to listen. My lecture was at Venue 505 on their Old School Funk and RnB night, and I decided it seemed like a good night to rant on both the importance of properly provisioned music education for all children, but also a hobby horse I’ve been on a lot recently … that high school music teachers need to invest time understanding the sophistication of all musics, especially those of their students’ own cultures.
What you miss out on without visuals is the props I had – British newspapers and a screen with the instructions to “applaud”, “laugh”, and “oooo at intellectual rigour” … and yes, it does sound more like a stand-up act than a lecture! You can check out the other 19 talks here.
Having nothing to say and saying it: my blog. 
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