So I went to a string quartet concert tonight and noticed that there were still many empty seats. I thought, "Why is it that so few people today go to concerts of classical music when popular rock concerts always seem to sell out and be jam packed? Why does it seem like older people are the only ones that enjoy listening to classical music?" Much of this has to do with each person's experience with music growing up. For example, maybe you hear a song on the radio that your mom used to sing to you, or that your dad played on the piano, or you just listened to in your home growing up. You like this song because it is familiar and you have a personal experience with it. This is how it was with me. My love for music came because I was immersed in it all growing up.
Many people say classical music is boring. That is usually because the person does not have enough background knowledge to know how to listen to classical music. For some students, the only musical experiences they will have will be in the classroom. Music can have a profound impact on a person's life. As in any subject area, the things they learn will influence the person they will become and what will be important to them in their future. If we want to get more people to attend concerts of classical music then music teachers have the responsibility to teach them what to listen for so they can understand, appreciate, and enjoy it.
I like your point that people enjoy listening to what they grew up listening to. I still can't hold still when I hear Footloose on the radio, thanks to my mom always having us dance to the song :).
ReplyDeleteI didn't start to like classical music until I was in high school and got exposed to it more. I have a friend who is currently in a string quartet and I love going to listen to her play, she and he group always take at least one popular song and put a classical twist on it. Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience :)
I am going to ask Brian Packer to share a link with you! He has the perfect response to this posting.
ReplyDelete"If we want to get more people to attend concerts of classical music then music teachers have the responsibility to teach them what to listen for so they can understand, appreciate, and enjoy it." YES YES YES YES YES! There is some classical music that I find able to be enjoyed on its own with no background knowledge, but SO much of it DOES require some prior knowledge in order to be fully enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteBut I am going to share two links. One is the one I was asked to share, the other is one that I assume you have seen before, but I find fun.
The first link is a talk by an AWESOME guy, Benjamin Zander. I would love to attend a live lecture of his. And I agree that this talk goes perfectly with what you have said in your post.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html
The other link is a series of YouTube videos that take classical music and visualizes it. You would be able to describe it much more eloquently than myself I am sure. (The link on the landing page is explanations, watch some of the other videos on the channel to get a real sampling of this person's work.)
http://www.youtube.com/profile?src_vid=y9tcTwMx-78&user=smalin&annotation_id=annotation_514487&feature=iv