Learning operatic roles is ongoing and I find that I can learn on the train or subway during a manicure getting my hair done and even while driving if I only look at the score at red lights.
Ragtime has about the same amount of respect as comics. And in a way they're similar art forms. Ragtime is highly compositional and the emotion in the music is built in whereas in jazz a lot of that emotion comes from the way it's performed.
