My greatest concern for the future is not whether there will be innovation, but whether there will even be an audience for live classical music performances. We have systematically dismantled arts education in much of our early public education so that for many (perhaps most?) young people, active music-making is no longer even an option. It is simply denied to them. Iconoclasts that we Boomers are, we have managed to ensure the steady decline in audience for some of our most treasured heritage.
Why is this important? Active music-making in youth is important for a number of reasons:
·         It encourages creativity. Some studies even claim that it develops creativity. This creativity is then carried over into whatever field the young person eventually enters. Certainly, this alone is reason enough to encourage active music-making among our youth.
·         It is an essential ingredient for future audience development. Studies consistently show a strong correlation between active music-making in youth and attendance at symphony orchestra concerts in adulthood. Looked at another way, those who do not participate in active music-making as youths are not likely to attend orchestra concerts.
·         Friendship and peer associations have a strong impact on orchestra concert attendance. If an individual has participated in active music-making as a youth, then if that same individual’s adult peers do not attend orchestra concerts, they are not likely to attend, either. In other words, despite predilection to attend symphony orchestra concerts, the lack of peer companionship is likely to stifle attendance completely.
It becomes clear that the solution to this dilemma is the development of wider participation in active music-making while individuals are young. How might this be accomplished? What innovations can serve in this cause? While acknowledging the fact that simply spending more money on music education in public schools is a “solution,” it is not likely to happen in the short run. So what other innovations might be tried by creative and dedicated classical music aficionados?
Innovation 1.                    Someone will discover that active music-making must be marketed to the young people themselves.
Innovation 2.                    Someone will study young people as the consumers of active music-making education to determine what their wants and needs are.
Innovation 3.                    Someone will design a product offering for this target market that will effectively satisfy the wants and needs of the youth consumers.
Innovation 4.                    Someone will market this product offering to young people with a value proposition that is attractive to the target audience.
Innovation 5.                    Funding for this product offering will be obtained from a variety of sources, the same way most social service funding is handled: fees for services; individual gifts; major gifts; foundations, governments and corporations; capital campaigns; and planned giving.

Although a number of programs currently exist that provide music-making experience to young people, the real innovation in my prediction lies in the application of marketing principles to the problem, with the youth themselves identified as the “customer” or “primary constituent.”
This is but an initial description of innovations we might see in the future. Others are certainly invited to build on these ideas and refine them.
Best,
MV

1. Throwaway scarves made of high tech material for stifling coughs, available free of charge in the lobby. (Sponsored by Monsanto?)
2. Cough drops that actually do suppress coughs. (Come on Vicks, get it together.)
3. Multiple HD flip cameras used onstage to offer engaging video shots of the concert from various performer points of view. (Monitors for viewing available in a specific sections of the audience so that it is not mandatory.)
4. Comfortable/fashionable blindfolds for audience members, to encourage better, deeper, listening experiences. (Perhaps with some sort of soothing herbal applications.)
5. A campaign to discourage audience members from sitting on the house left side to "better see" the piano keyboard. (The equivalent of watching someone type a letter.)
6. Better consistency of programming in order to build trust with potential audiences, so that even if they do not know the program content, that they can trust it will be an interesting and rewarding event to attend. Inconsistency is an attendance killer.
7. Let's lighten up on the dress code, and make it easier to imagine enjoying attending a concert without the pretense.
8. More live webcasts to reach audiences beyond the concert hall that might then be inspired to try a concert in person.

Richard Van Kleeck
Pick-Staiger Concert Hall