Just got back from a residency at Brandeis University playing with DJ/rupture‘s group Nettle. So inspiring to work with great musicians, especially the fantastic Abdel Hak on violin, not to mention Khalid Bennaji on guembri, and of course Rupture and my good friend Filastine. Daniel Perlin‘s visuals were awesome as well.

It was so interesting being back in the academic music world for a moment; I’ve had a violent aversion to it ever since I graduated. But this time I was reminded of the beauty and potential of music education — especially in my conversations with the brilliant Judith Eissenberg, whose intellectual curiosity, open-mindedness, brutal honesty, and sharp focus reminded me of what a noble project it is to teach, and to learn, this mysterious thing called music.

Sometimes the way classical musicians are “trained” (I’ve always had a problem with that word) makes them virtuosic players yet stunted as human beings. I think that becoming a better musician and becoming a better person must be one and the same project, and it’s a very serious one. I really felt that Judith and the others at Brandeis are making that a reality for their students. I think of Sun Ra’s words: “Beauty is necessary for survival.”