Ask the experts how Ford, Rockefeller, and the NEA changed American music Uy, Michael Sy creator author. text bibliography Electronic books. History nyu 2020 2020 monographic eng remote 1 online resource (xii, 263 pages) : illustrations, maps "From the end of the Second World War through the U.S. Bicentennial, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Ford Foundation granted close to $300 million (approximately $2.3 billion in 2017 dollars) in the field of music alone. In deciding what to fund, these three grantmaking institutions decided to "ask the experts," adopting seemingly objective, scientific models of peer review and specialist evaluation. They recruited music composers at elite institutions, professors from prestigious universities, and leaders of performing arts organizations. Among the most influential expert-consultants were Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Lukas Foss, and Milton Babbitt. The significance was two-fold: not only were male, Western art composers put in charge of directing large and unprecedented channels of public and private funds, but in doing so they also determined and defined what was meant by artistic excellence. They decided the fate of their peers and shaped the direction of music-making in this country. By asking the experts, the grantmaking institutions produced a concentrated and interconnected field of artists and musicians. Officers and directors utilized ostensibly objective financial tools like matching grants and endowments in an attempt to diversify and stabilize applicants' sources of funding, as well as the number of applicants they funded. Such economics-based strategies, however, relied more on personal connections among the wealthy and elite, rather than local community citizens. Ultimately, this history demonstrates how "expertise" served as an exclusionary form of cultural and social capital that prevented racial minorities and non-dominant groups from fully participating"-- Defining excellence, quality, and style: consultants as contributory experts -- Gatekeeping from within: grantmaking officers as interactional experts -- Pluralism and public-private relationships in the field of cultural production -- The Rockefeller Foundation, the University New Music Center, and "foundation music" -- The Ford Foundation, matching grants, and endowment building -- The National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Bicentennial, and the Expansion Arts and jazz/folk/ethnic programs. Michael Sy Uy. Includes bibliographical references and index. n-us--- National Endowment for the Arts History 20th century Rockefeller Foundation Music patronage History 20th century Ford Foundation History 20th century Ford Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Rockefeller Foundation Music patronage United States History 20th century Government aid to music United States History 20th century United States Cultural policy History 20th century Musique Mécénat États-Unis Histoire 20e siècle Aide de l'État à la musique États-Unis Histoire 20e siècle Business Aspects MUSIC Cultural policy Government aid to music Music patronage United States 1900-1999 fast ML3917.U6 U9 2020 707.9/73 Ask the experts Uy, Michael Sy. New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2020] (DLC) 2020008327 (OCoLC)1145106189 9780197510476 0197510477 9780197510452 0197510450 9780197510469 0197510469 9780197510445 2020008328 http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=https://academic.oup.com/book/36892 DLC 200218 20260319182132.5 in00005718551 eng