Concertgoers typically receive a program as they enter the concert hall. Frequently, orchestras include several concerts in a single printed program, so the programs are small booklets, rather than just a couple of sheets of folded paper. These booklets contain the music program, information about guest performers, an orchestra roster, music notes about the compositions being performed. After a quick glance at the evening’s program, it can be easy to ignore the rest of the booklet as unimportant or routine. Boilerplate in contracts is like those concert program booklets. Contracting parties may view them as repetitive and unimportant. This article is one of several discussing contract “boilerplate” provisions and why those provisions are important.
Read MoreAlthough I would like to say I donate to the arts for arts’ sake, when deciding how much to donate to the arts, I consider which level of donor benefits I might use. Some people donate to receive free tote bags or other promotional items. Others may like seeing their name printed in a program or posted on a donor wall. Likewise, it probably is the desire to obtain US permanent resident status, rather than an altruistic desire to create U.S. jobs, which motivates immigrant investors under the EB-5 visa program.
Read MoreViolins need regular maintenance. Violinists usually change their own strings and clean and polish their instruments, as well as make minor bridge adjustments. Most will not attempt a bow rehair, “cutting” a new bridge, or even a sound post adjustment, much less anything involving the varnish or structure of the violin. Businesses, like violins, also need regular maintenance. What needs to be done may well depend upon the type of business and how many owners and employees it has.
Read More
I had expected the usual “please turn off your cell phones and do not take pictures or make recordings.” Instead, we were given an explanation for the unpopulated stage -- half of the orchestra had not yet arrived at the concert hall because they were in a bus stuck on the DC Beltway.
Read MoreAs the story goes, in colonial India, the British governor was concerned about the number of wild cobras so he incentivized the population to hunt cobras by having the government pay a bounty for cobra skins. The plan seemed to work fabulously; the government had thousands of cobra skins, and there appeared to be a reduction in wild cobras, so it seemed time to end the bounty program and declare victory.
Read MoreDespite historic sex discrimination, female musicians generally have not faced pay discrimination. Although musicians aren’t known for their robust paychecks, there is a pay scale based upon position. If a woman obtains an orchestra position, she usually will receive the same pay as her male counterparts. Unfortunately, in other professions there still exists a gender pay gap.
Read MorePlaying in a pit orchestra is very different from performing in an orchestra on stage. For the uninitiated, an orchestra pit is located in between the front row of chairs and the stage. Typically, the orchestra pit floor is at least 4-5 feet lower than the floor of the seating area, usually sunk low enough that only the top of the conductor’s head is visible to those on the stage. Frequently, the pit will be even lower so that it is entered from and extends below the stage so the winds and percussion typically will be sitting under the stage
Read MoreMy violin was made in 1962 by a luthier named Umberto Lanaro, but it bears the label of Eligio Puccini and says it was made in 1947. Although it is a mystery why Lanaro used Puccini’s “identity” when he made labeled my violin, money and theft were clearly the motives when, two years ago, an unknown person used my name and social security number to file an income tax return seeking a hefty tax refund.
Read MoreToday, a rite of passage for many fourth graders it to choose a musical instrument to play. Children learn about three major instrument groups – strings, brass, and woodwinds, each of which has within it several options suitable for elementary school students, including violin, viola, and cello for the string instruments, trumpet, trombone, and baritone for the brass instruments, and flute, clarinet, and perhaps, saxophone, in the woodwinds. New business owners face a similar dilemma in selecting the type of structure to use when forming the business.
Read MoreIt is not unusual to hear that a company is being investigated by the government over immigration issues. But, what is unusual about this particular investigation, however, is that it is being conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which regulates securities, rather than the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which regulates immigration and visas, including EB-5 visas.
Read More