Posturing that because classical music, at least as related to live performance, is dying, we in colleges and universities need to alter our educational approach to teaching young musicians. We are producing too many great performers who have almost no place to perform after they graduate from college. While it is comfortable to continue to teach the same things in the same way year after year, it is also irresponsible to produce a musician who cannot find employment in the field. The demand for live classical music is much smaller than the supply. This makes for an untenable economic position in classical music.
Ironically, classical music is loved by millions. A music appreciation teacher recently informed me that the favorite listening experience by his 70 students was the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5. I find people everyday who comment to me how much they like classical music (incidentally I am using this term to refer quite broadly to high art or cultured music. It is a poor term to use and is difficult to define, yet for my purposes, it will have to suffice.) and how enjoyable it is to hear in performance. They love Mozart or Brahms or Bach or great operas or the symphonies of Mahler or the tone poems of Strauss or a beautiful sounding choir. People quickly acknowedge the joy gained in hearing the classics at a wedding or a formal concert or in taking a few minutes to enjoy an orchestra on youtube play a piece that has withstood the test of time and is considered a classic. Classical music deserves its recognition as great art as exemplified by its longevity and ability to transcend time and space. Classical music is well-crafted, expressive, profound, emotionally satisfying, and requires great skill by performers.
But if classical music is loved by so many and acknowledged for its power and beauty, why is concert attendance and subsequently professional performance in decline? How do we deal with this in our universities? Should we work harder, battling the unknown forces, and insist that people once again support classical music? Or should we alter our philosophical approach to the arts?
If you the reader are seeking curriculum revolution, then please stop reading. I will not propose a radical revolutionary shift in what we do in academia. But I am proposing a broadening of our content and an acceptance of other means to accomplish the same goals--the education of students for today's eclectic world. We have for too long relied on a tried and true approach to teaching students music. Using a rigorous and prescriptive system of music theory, music history, applied music, ensembles, music classes, and various expansions of the aforementioned, we have molded the future musician. But now suddenly the future musician who looks great by the end, has no place in the world due to his myopic training.
Luckily, entreprenuership and self industry seem to propel students forward, resulting in musical success regardless of the initial personal goals. This means that graduates, recognizing the lack of professional opportunities due to declining audiences, will often furrow new ground, forging new opportunities to make a living in music. Many enter the world of music education where there is no lack of an audience. Parents always support their children! Or they may find themselves in the entertainment world where there is always a need for something new and exciting. Or they may go into music business or utilize music technology or for many who are called, they may be church employed, leading worship in church. Or they may recognize the mass appeal of music theatre and all that goes with that.
I do concede that for some, the professional world is ripe and there are certainly positions available for the finest performers. Opera companies, symphonies, universities, and military ensembles continue to support musicians and for the remarkable few, those opportunities are there. I further concede that we should do all we can to encourage excellence in all things musical. This includes music performance, music knowledge, and music creativitity. To do less is to accept mediocrity--a quality unacceptable at all times.
But a teacher has a tremendous responsibility to the student of the future. While we feel compelled to continue to advance the cause of classical music, at the same we must face reality: the future for classical music is found in old recordings not live performances. Yes, live performances will and should continue, and live performances are always (mostly always!) preferred to recordings. But in general, audiences seem content with recordings and are not supporting the live experience any longer at least not without some kind of special hook. What should that hook be? Orchestras continue to try different things--film music, video game music, media integration, dancing, popular music, rock music, audience participation, and lots of different thematic approaches to generating an audience. Pop artists as well are experimenting with including orchestras and choirs integrated with their popular music, in a kind of broad and eclectic blending of music styles.
Many of these approaches are working and orchestras that try different approaches are thriving. The players within these groups may not always be satisfied with the quality of literature or the depth of the musical experience, but at least they have an audience that appreciates their abilities. Keep an audience, keep your job! Or another way to express this: No audience, no job.
Back to curriculum. What are the essential skills, abilities, and knowledge required to ensure students will have a place in the musical world of the future? Are colleges and universities meeting the needs?
We can no longer pretend that the old world of classical music performances will return and be supported by the masses. That world is gone. But we can find new horizons, new hope, and new ways to bring quality music to the world, and we can as college professors teach our students what they need to know for the future. But we have to be willing to take the risk and take ourselves, at least to an extent, out of the equation.
No revolution is necessary, but change is essential. I am calling for a broad-based curriculum of music study, one that includes all styles and prepares students for the future. It is time to let go of the old and usher in the new. The new will include technology, media, pop music, integrated arts, entrepreneurship, and unbridled creativity. Can it be done? Yes, and it must be done. The time is nigh.
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