The other day, there appeared in the Dcist an article about how Jeff Beam went to the orchestra for (nearly) the first time. The whole experience really was about taking the “orchestra challenge” Drew McManus set up on his Adaptistration blog site through the April Take a Friend to Orchestra month.   Yours truly and a month’s worth of other music professionals wrote pieces about how “ordinary people who love classical music can invite a friend who does not regularly go to hear live music to a concert.” 

The DCist's Jeff Beam, who writes on sports, urban planning and other Washington DC city issues, attended a concert of the Australian Chamber Orchestra on tour.  The article goes on to chronicle Jeff’s impressions of the concert.   

Arts professionals, take note.  I would wager to say that Jeff’s views aren’t so unusual.  How we respond is vital to our collective future. 

1.)      Jeff wasn’t in the mood to go.  He didn’t want a “stuffy” Friday evening after a hard week.  “I just wanted a drink, a distraction, and my bed, in that order.”  Stuffy?  Yes, I guess we are a lot of the time, and on top of that, people make choices about how to spend their time, whatever the activity.  Cocooning on a Friday night is a very strong temptation.  I suggest examining why we present Friday night concerts.  At Grant Park, it’s our lightest attended night.  The most popular for us is Wednesday.  They say Thursday is the new Friday.  How many of us would risk the change?

2.)      Jeff likes classical music Ok, but was “intimidated by the fact that an aficionado like Charles would be enjoying the concerto at such a sophisticated level while I tried to recall the differences between the viola and the violin.”  There we go again, we intimidate people, smart people, who just don’t happen to “get” classical music.  So, we need to find ways to make the experience more inviting, relaxed and welcoming.  Let’s all re-read Take a Friend to Orchestra.

3.)      By the middle movement of the concerto, Jeff remembered “the transformative power that music – any great music – has in a live setting.”  I guess once people come, and all the other factors fall nicely into place, it is possible to capture them.  I am relieved Jeff warmed up to the experience but wonder, how can we get that message across so more people actually want to attend a concert on their own?

4.)      When the concert ended, Jeff promised himself “(again) that I absolutely must do this sort of thing more often.”  Awesome!  Opportunity is calling, but of course “this sort of thing” might be a play, a poetry reading, or any other art related event.  How do we connect with first timers to make sure they are asked back to our institutions? 

The article goes on to critique the concert, which is of less interest to me.  Jeff, his maiden experience as a “non attender” and how we can grab people like him for the future, interests me much more.