Our community dialogue piece continues with new faces and opinions of the Chicago Arts Community and YOU.

What do you think the field needs to do to build higher levels of participation?

Duffie Adelson, Merit School of Music
I strongly believe that building higher levels of participation begins with the creation of a stronger and broader presence of music education in public and private elementary and secondary schools.  When children have “hands-on” experiences with music, they grow to feel that the musical language and tradition belongs to them.  Talent and interest are equally spread everywhere.  What is not equally distributed is access to musical exposure, nor access to a developmental pathway that can help a child develop a musical interest into a set of viable musical skills which allow for self-expression and can lead to a deeper connection to music.

Gail Mrozak, Elmhurst Choral Union
Maybe we need to remember how we all got started.  Someone introduced us to a piece or two and we asked questions.  We tried to find more similar pieces.  (For folks in a certain age group, if you ask them what got them interested in classical music, they'll say, "The movie, 'Amadeus'.")   Newcomers are different than old hands, and there is a place for creating ongoing points of entry.

Stephen Burns, Artistic Director, Fulcrum Point New Music Project
That, and a further encouragement of amateur practice and participation. People who play great music appreciate great music all the more.

Dileep Gangolli, Clarinet, Chicago Sinfonietta
 Music education that occurs early in the education process is crucial.  Also the issue of Classical music being elitist and for rich people has to end.

Jim Hirsch, Executive Director, Chicago Sinfonietta
Break down the barriers to participation including elements like cost (Grant Park draws thousands and thousands of people for every concert), location, arcane rules of behavior, etc.  Do everything we can to educate both children and adults about the beauty and efficacy of the music.  Make each performance an experience – not just another concert. 

Allan Dennis, Director, Midwest Young Artists
Our education system needs to include music participation opportunities for every child and their families.  In addition, we need to relate our major musical institutions to the educational system.  In MYA’s case, once John Yeh, Charlie Pikler, Matthieu Dufour and Dale Clevenger got involved as soloists, in giving master classes, conducting sectionals and as mentors to our students, the students and their families attended more CSO concerts and events, became supporters and felt a relationship to CSO.  It made the “gap” between “professional” and someone who cared about them less and, consequently, students and their families got more involved with the CSO’s activities.

As for what we can do to increase music opportunities for students, an emphasis on everyone participating should be first and foremost.  Not everyone will participate in every music group but some sort of music activity where they are actually making music is important for them to have a long term relationship with music.

With shrinking school budgets, it is more and more important that administrators understand the importance of the arts in a children’s lives.  For many it is the only activity that keeps them coming to schools.

At this time of no financial support, it is also more and more important that those of us who have musical gifts learn to give them back to the community.  Share our love of music with students and their families.  Create opportunities for others to be involved in the music making process.

Carolyn Paulin, Producer, Program Host, 98.7 WFMT  
Grant Park is a model of goodness in that they make the cost truly affordable, have a space that attracts a hugely varied audience, and programs repertoire of great variety. This summer’s offerings were not at all typical summer concert fare - Mahler Symphony, Elgar Dream of Gerontius, etc.  Great stuff.

Jonathan Miller, Artistic Director, Chicago a cappella
Waiting for audiences to show up because we think they “should” come to hear us is going to have about as much success as passing a public health-insurance option that many people thought we “should” have had!  In his treatise What is Art?, Tolstoy said, “Art is an activity of man [in] which … one man consciously… transfers to others feelings experienced by him.”  At its essence, that transfer of emotion is what any music has to do in order to be convincing.  That is why ensembles and orchestras exist – it’s why we put on concerts.  In my case it’s mostly about joy:  I want others to experience something like the joy that I have found in living with certain pieces of music (even if they are sad, there is still a joy in experiencing and sharing them).   Music simply must be convincing.  It must be emotionally powerful.  It must be sung and played with one’s entire being, it must “leave it all on the floor.”  That’s why Billie Holiday and Maria Callas alike are still so revered.  Fans want that intensity and excellence from basketball players, and they want it from classical musicians too.  As long as programming passes the “so what?” test, it will work, and people will come, and funding will flow, because people have been moved.  Of course ensemble staff and boards have to do the hard work of fundraising, but the fun and passion and quality of the product have to come first.  If the producers of classical music don’t stay hip to this, their audiences will go away.  If they do stay hip to it, they have a chance of surviving.  We must as musicians adapt and be flexible.  We must pay attention to the entire world of music around us so that we can have context for how and where our offerings might fit in.  The most successful organizations already do this.  My own organization is just starting to learn how to do this better, though I feel that our basic orientation is the right one:  we have to put on programs that we ourselves really want to be part of and are excited about.  That’s where it all begins.