Saturday, October 29, 2016

Disabled Adults Dancing

Middle son Joel, disabled adult age 27, reminded me of the dance at his recreation center. Not remembering whether the dance started at 6 or 6:30, he was ready by 5:00. This is not atypical of Joel, autistic, precise about certain things, demanding about things he likes, stubborn, frustrating, wonderful, kind, compassionate, and people-oriented. He loves seeing people he knows, he enjoys making new friends, and mostly enjoys the experience of dancing. While I suspect he does not like the music, preferring instead to listen to classical symphonies, he is willing to accept the loud, drum beat for the sake of the others.

This particular dance was a pre-Halloween costume dance and Joel wanted to be a Ninja Turtle. Not going all out, we did get him a shirt and a mask for the occasion. I dropped him off at the center a little before 6:00 and decided to run some errands while he was dancing. Returning at 8:00, I entered the door, heard the music, and headed up some stairs. Looking first for Joel among the nearly 50 occupants, I began to take in the environment. The music was not overly aggressive and seemed to lean on the pop side of music with a teenage almost roller-rink sound. Not being a big fan of hard rock, I appreciated the light fun sounds and found myself grooving with the beat. I soon found myself giving way to a new type of freedom.

Being "Dr. Tucker" has its ups and downs, its expectations and its own set of intrigue at times. As a semi-public figure, I often feel scrutinized for not only my decisions but my actions as well. While this is paired with a certain amount of accountability it can also feel stifling in its presentation. As a 56 year old man with 4 degrees and the title Dean, my dignity must be upheld in all situations, at least that is what others prefer from me I suspect. This can also contribute, although I resist it, to a type of narcissism, even selfishness over time. It results in excessive caution, loss of creativity, boredom, and fear. Live life to its fullest as long as it is within the constraints that have been imposed by others.

Among those imposed inhibitions include the stifling of unbridled laughter, expressed joy, adventuresome spirit, and a myriad of emotions and actions that might be judged extreme. The youthful behavior of taking a risk or embracing one's own fear becomes squelched with aging and with societal expectations. Over time we internalize our inherent creativity and cautiously react with conservatism under the guise of wisdom or even elitism.

The dance was fun. Couples did not dance and there was no effort to "hook-up" with anyone, remaining single yet collective. All were dancing as they felt without judgment and without expectations. They were simply moving their bodies to music and expressing the joy of the moment. They were not watching each other nor reflecting on their presentation. They did not carry their sensitivity on their sleeves and they did harbor suspicions toward others. They did not furtively glance about, wondering who was criticizing them and neither did they make the slightest criticism of anybody else. They did not fear their reputation, their dignity, or other people's expectations. They had fun without remorse and without building up layers of problems for themselves or others. Their apathy about what people were thinking gave them the utmost dignity.

As I watched the group of disabled adults, I realized that joy is not about fulfilling somebody else's dream for you, but it is about fulfilling the emotional joy within yourself. Disabled adults and those with special needs are not bound by the constrictions of societal norms and are not harnessed by their own inhibitions. Instead they freely express what is in them which in some cases could be anger or sorrow or in other situations great happiness or surprise. If the music plays, so goes the body response. This is not the only way to express the feelings that music releases but it is a great way. Watching them dance and have fun provided a balance to my otherwise complex day.

Their disabilities are the ticket to freedom while so-called normal adults live in a strait jacket of fear, suspicion, and doubt. Who wins in the race for joy and happiness?


Sunday, October 02, 2016

Orchestras on Strike

Read yet another article about a professional orchestra going on strike. The issue is the same, different city, different musicians, different audience, but still the same. Not enough revenue and excessive expenses resulting in lower pay than the musicians believe they deserve. It once again demonstrates the complete and utter disregard that gifted classical musicians have for the market. It is not due to poor management, weak marketing, bad lighting, missed notes, lack of parking, poor governance, bad programming, or all the ways people blame others. Rather it is a lack of significant interest by patrons to support live orchestras as reflected by the reduction of donations and low attendance at concerts. 

The musicians are emotionally distraught as they watch their careers decline in spite of their immense talents and hard work. Many of these remarkably talented people have families, homes, car payments, medical needs, and all the normal challenges of living today. Nothing unusual about wanting to make enough money to pay the bills and lead a life free of the financial pressures that all of us face. But somehow it does seem different in that these musicians believe they deserve more by virtue of their calling and the years of hard work not to mention the investment in instruments. 

Is this any different from the recent closing of Hastings? The workers lost their jobs meaning they will need to find a way to support themselves and in some cases their families. Retail is struggling right now particularly in the areas of books, music, and videos. The shocking growth of online purchasing combined with digital downloads, availability of the product, and maybe a lack of interest in what was once valued, have all contributed to the closing of Hastings. We have all seen businesses come and go, change, give up, expand, move, use different marketing methods, add products, take away products, all this and more to grow revenue and/or reduce expenses. There tends to be a product life cycle for goods and the market ultimately dictates what will happen to the product. Such is true of the arts as well. 

But perhaps I am wrong in my assessment of orchestral music and classically trained musicians. Maybe it is unfair to expect the invisible hand of the market to support orchestras, musicians, and orchestral music. Should quality art simply speak for itself without having to depend on financial support? Why does everything depend on the dollar for its own survival? The answer to this question requires an examination of money itself. Money is not real...it is a fabricated substitution for value to others. No item, in and of itself, has any inherent value. Not even gold. Nothing. We assign value to all things, people, ideas, if we find the product to be beneficial to us in some way. 

Does a trained, classical, performing musician have inherent value? Perhaps from a humanistic view, we would argue that yes all people have value by virtue of their humanness. But a skill or ability is only as valuable as it is acknowledged by others. I may have great skill writing a letter but unless I monetize it or earn money with my skill, then it does not have monetary value as a skill. I may own an antique that I deem as worth a lot of money, but it is actually financially worthless unless it is purchased by someone else. The acting of the "trade" assigns value. Granted, the antique may have value to me in that I was willing to pay someone for the item, but it does not have inherent value for its existence. Should I decide to sell it but never find a buyer, then the antique has no monetary value. 

Back to the musician. A French Horn player may indeed be the finest player in the world, but if nobody is willing to pay to hear the player, then the skill has no financial benefit. Luckily, there are still people willing to pay to hear the French Horn player, but there are fewer than there used to be. Unfortunately there are more outstanding players trying to be paid by a shrinking audience. The musicians may be the greatest in the world, and they may have spent hundreds of hours perfecting their skill and mobilizing their talents, but their time, gifts, and abilities are not sufficient if there is no market willing to pay for their skills. 

What we are seeing is not bad management but simply a market decline. Expenses for a live orchestra are higher than the revenue. Result? Inability to support the orchestra at the same level. I predict we will continue to see bankruptcies, canceled concerts, angry musicians, confused patrons, and further erosion of live orchestral music. Are there solutions? I believe there are but the process will not be easy and the result will not look the same as it today. It is time to recognize a changing world and declining market interest. Let's rethink the orchestra, the programs, the philosophy, and the purpose. The good news is that many orchestras are doing this very thing and are finding great success, higher revenues, and new audience members.