Preserving The Tradition

I have to admit, I am not one of those people who rushed into classical music with verve and excitement. Music wasn’t my declared major when I started my undergraduate degree. In fact, I had never listened to an opera nor had the desire to and I was a huge musical theater, pop music, teeny bopping eighteen year old. With that said, the idea of putting oneself into an elite classical box seems ridiculous to me and very limiting. In almost every class I’ve been in, since I started studying music, the decline of classical music audiences is a topic for conversation along with ways of trying to save it. (Please forgive if I happen to vomit, for lack of a better word, on this blog. I tend to stand on a soap-box regarding this topic.) Anyways, it got me thinking that we need to start approaching things differently. Instead of resisting contemporary music or new ways of doing things for the sake of our classical egos we need a new out look. It boils down to preserving tradition, reinventing the old and progressing with the new. Tradition keeps the past connected to the changing times and it reminds us of our origins. Without the past we wouldn’t have the future.

Often times during these discussions, people will say that marketing and catering to a younger audience is the answer, which I agree with, but no one ever defines how young. In between my undergraduate and graduate degree I took a year off and taught pre-school in a public school, additionally I had just finished my student teaching at the primary and secondary level. With that said, I can honestly say that music is severely lacking in schools and kids are more inclined to listen to their Ipods rather than sing on their own accord. The lack of singing and music in schools can be linked to a growing decline of appreciation of the fine arts. For example, because of amplification and the microphone most people can’t grasp how amazing it is to hear a classical singer fill a hall with sound without the help of amplification. Projection is a foreign idea now because of the microphone, which can be linked to supported, resonant singing. I think a major way of preserving the classical tradition; as well as enabling society to go forward musically is to give our children a decent music education. Future generations aren’t exposed to this music like the past generations and so they haven’t a clue.

However, on a positive note, there are sources out there that promote the “classical” genre, which could help classical musicians bridge the gap between the classical and pop culture, starting from an early age. When I was home on break, I was watching Wonder Pets with my segregate niece and it is surprisingly very close to that of an operetta. It’s mostly singing and has a classical sounding accompaniment but the only blaring difference is the way the singing is executed. I defiantly think it would be a great way to introduce the idea of the orchestra to primary age children. Maybe, if someone was really creative the could make it into an opera and actually incorporate some classical elements of singing so children can get used to that sound. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxlWvE2U0nw

Another element that we need to keep in mind is that society is in need of visual stimulation. Television, video games and other forms of technology provide children with visual stimulation that is vivid, animated and interesting. Although opera is a grand event, I don’t think it is as visually exciting to a child. We need to be aware of this and be able to “conform” or try to gain a child’s interest through this medium as well. The Bug Opera, by Geoffrey Hudson combines the classical music element with the need for an aesthetically pleasing visual for younger audiences in a live performance, here is a link: http://www.hybridvigormusic.org/TheBugOpera.html

Basically, what it boils down to is finding creative ways to keep an old art form alive as well as move forward keeping the integrity of music and promoting it as a fine art. I guess what I’m getting at, in a long-winded, round about way, is that art is art. We talked about preserving opera and classical singing, but as artists we need to embrace different forms of art and realize that different genres of music present their own challenges. It’s through composers like Kiya Heartwood and G.Hudson who branch out and use an amalgamation of styles that could pique a child’s interest into learning to love the classical style.