From Cartoons to Social Media – How Do You Make Classical Music Accessible?

For years “cartoons put art music in ordinary people’s lives in everyday ways.” The hijinks of Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, and Porky Pig set to classical music’s greatest hits certainly served as an entry point for one generation of music lovers. But what are the entry points of today? This post by Paulla Ebron won an honorable mention in the American Orchestra Forum blog contest.

I have to admit that one of my first exposures to classical music was while watching old Looney Tunes cartoons. Colorful and irreverent, these animated snippets drew the attention of many young listeners whose living rooms became little concert hall. As viewers, we sat captivated by the characters, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, and Porky Pig either conducting or turning their comic appearance to perform something like. “The Hare of Seville.”

Cartoons put art music in ordinary people’s lives in everyday ways. They did so by naturalizing the music and making art music seem accessible. Admittedly, the rowdy crowds depicted in these cartoons are a bit unorthodox by conventional standards.

Formalists’ stomachs will turn at the thought of a popular genre meeting the staid conventions associated with high art. These same people would likely be upset by recent efforts to allow social media to be apart of concertgoers’ experience. Even further, having someone whose former job was to build the audience for baseball, now turn her abilities to build the audiences for art music could unnerve people with a set experience in mind. But the biggest challenge facing orchestras today is attracting large audiences.

An often-cited expression is “Music is a universal language.” Yes, humans have the capacity to produce music. But music appreciation is like a language system. As with any language, there are rules, syntax, conventions and phrases that make the system comprehensible. The magic of music is still believed to create affect in itself. The saying goes: “Music is beyond words.” But in saying this, what’s masked is how something is done. Getting inside the form inspires audiences to listen with an attentiveness. Through an appreciation of what’s going on, listeners may become committed supporters. We’re an anxious body these days. Knowing how things work is apart of grabbing and holding on to audiences’ attention.

With this in mind, I wonder how the stories about musical form and content might bring the dynamics and interiority of a piece of music to life? When one looks at a musical score, what do the symbols reveal? How did these symbols emerge? In the United States, the magic of art music seems missed on new audience members. People comment that they are less able to understand what is happening in an orchestral performance, even as some are still in awe. Someone mentioned this in the final audience conversation of the American Orchestra Forum in May 2012. A volunteer spoke of having never entered a concert hall. He feels that it is important to bring classical music to the students in his school district. He decided to become a volunteer as a way to become familiar with the scene. What would it mean, then, to explain things in ways that help inspire music appreciation and musical literacy? In order for orchestras to thrive, there is a need for musically literate listeners who can enjoy different forms of art music, art music defined broadly.

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