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Controversy and religious political correctness have been mixed up in the winter holidays for a long time now. How much Christmas music is it appropriate to perform for a diverse audience? How far should we go to ensure that nobody takes offense at religious overtones or repertoire? These issues have recently been brought to a head in the school district of Maplewood/South Orange, N.J., where a high school brass band no longer plays even instrumental Christmas music. Host John Schaefer examines the wider implications of this new trend in today’s show. Also, we’ll be joined by Joseph Polisi, President of the Juilliard School and recently named Musical America’s Educator of the Year. He’ll discuss his new book The Artist as Citizen (to be published in January 2005) in which he focuses on the roles of artists in their responsibilities and capacities as citizens and nurturers of social awareness.
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