Michael O’Bryan and Frank Machos on Creative Education to Shape the Future

Welcome to Tacet No More: where we are asking the questions that need to be asked, and saying the things that need to be said about classical music. This is a landing pad for positive discussions about our belief in the power of music to better humanity, and we will invite voices - from all sectors - to inspire us and the work we do on and off the stage. In this episode, our guests are: Michael O’Bryan, a practitioner and researcher in the fields of community development, organizational culture, and human well-being. Michael is the founder of management consulting firm humanature, and a Distinguished Resident Fellow at Drexel University’s Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation. Frank Machos is Executive Director, Office of The Arts & Creative Learning at the School District of Philadelphia. He has a PhD in Creativity from the University of the Arts, served as a music educator before his administrative roles, and is an active saxophonist in the Philadelphia music community. In the episode, we discuss: How to advocate with a united voice for access to arts education in schools. The problematic history of public schools that has decentered humanity and prioritized inequitable outcomes. Reenvisioning school systems that utilize creativity to support all types of learners and future life paths beyond school. How education can see possibility in and partner with AI. What opportunities for change in education systems there might be in this moment of volatility. How to approach audience development in a way that doesn’t just prioritize building future paying customers. Real talk about the problem with allowing some arts organizations to fail while others are bailed out. Mentioned in the episode: Drexel University’s The Wealth + Work Futures Lab Humanature Philadelphia School District’s Office of Arts and Creative Learning Origins of school testing - “The Vexing Legacy of Lewis Terman” The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Landmark Pa. school funding case decided: The state’s system is unconstitutional” Preview of Khalil Munir’s 1 Pound 4 Ounces Resilience Theory Interact with Tacet No More Tacet No More is produced by Joseph Conyers, Yumi Kendall, Andrew Mellor, Lindsay Sheridan, and Brenda Hernández Jaimes. Follow the podcast: Instagram X YouTube