Leonard Bernstein | NPR

1. ) "Do Orchestras Really Need Conductors" by Shankar Vedantam: Click here to read/listen: "Have you ever wondered whether music conductors actually influence their orchestras? They seem important. After all, they're standing in the middle of the stage and waving their hands. But the musicians all have scores before them that tell them what to play. If you took the conductor away, could the orchestra manage on its own?"

2.) "Maestros, If You Please..." on TED: Click here to watch: "In this epic overview, Michael Tilson Thomas traces the development of classical music through the development of written notation, the record, and the re-mix. "