Engaging the Community

There are several things that struck me as I read the first postings of my fellow panelists:

Aaron Flagg’s comment that for many orchestras it seems like an afterthought to include outreach in their mission statement. I see that played out when our education programs are funded so meagerly but top conductors and soloists earn huge fees. It reminds me of the old bumper sticker: “It’ll be a great day when the Pentagon has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber and the schools have all the money they need.”

Genevieve Cimon’s comment that “re-connection” is vital after contact has been established — I want to know how that is done in NACO. During my orchestra’s residencies, I often start what I think could be a very rewarding relationship with a group of students or teachers, but there’s not a way for us to continue that relationship. Do any of you have a good plan in place to “re-connect” (or stay connected, so that you don’t have to “re”-connect) with people you meet during residencies?

Jim Copenhaver’s mention of a federally-funded program that I’ve never heard of, but the name alone is tantalizing: PEAK!

Aaron Dworkin’s desire to have more minorities playing in orchestras, thereby making concerts more attractive to minority listeners. Here at the NSO we’ve made a huge commitment in some areas to addressing that issue. We can’t change the orchestra’s audition process at this time, but at our Summer Music Institute (for high school and young college students), minority enrollment is quite high, and I’m hoping our Education Director, Carole Wysocki, can join us for discussion soon to tell you how she achieves that. I have to believe that more minorities in college, university, and conservatory programs will soon translate into more minorities in orchestras of all sizes throughout the country.

That having been said, I want to also add that I love folk music from China and I don’t have a drop of Chinese blood in me, so I think there is something in the music that attracts listeners to various types of music, regardless of their ethnic/racial background. We all like what we know best, but we also like what appeals to us, even when we don’t know where it’s from or what it “means” (think about the first piece of abstract art that you were attracted to).

Sarah Johnson’s comments about what we can’t do, chiefly that we can’t make up for the fact that music educators aren’t in most schools on a daily basis anymore. In my opinion, that one fact probably hurts us all more than any other single factor. I find myself thinking about it every time I perform for a school group, or a group of interested adults. They don’t know what “forte” means, what a “movement” is, or what a “concerto” is, so I’m very careful to explain every detail that I’m trying to get across. I also make a point to show audiences musical examples. Most people say “I can’t read music,” but once they have it explained in a simple fashion, most of them enjoy looking at the music anyway, seeing the shapes of the lines, the density of the notes, and extremes of register. Going back to my sports analogy — I’ve never played football, but after someone tells me what a “field goal” is, I understand a televised game a little bit better.