THE IDEA OF THE YEAR
Note: I fell off the blogen these past few weeks and I want to apologize to my loyal readers for leaving you in the lurch for so long, especially since I was in Israel for a wonderful week with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. I'm almost finished with my Web diary on the trip and I'll post them Wednesday or Thursday (click here to check the WFMT blog). In the meantime:
I need to share with you an email I received last night from the CSO's Mark Kraemer. Every once in a blue moon someone writes with an idea that is so fantastic one wants to jump up and yell "Eureka!". Mark wrote with such an idea. Here his is note and my response.
"Hi Steve, I wanted to comment on the Merit Focus Group entry (Sorry it's taken me so long to respond to this post-which was entered back in May). I wanted to offer a suggestion on how to reach more young listeners. I play in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and I grew up in Wilmette. I went to New Trier High School which had (and still has) a wonderful music program. I played in student orchestras there, and I can remember very clearly when WFMT played music our high school orchestra was working on. It was such a treat (and an inspiration) to hear the music our ensemble was rehearsing played on WFMT by a professional ensemble. What if WFMT could establish an e-mail relationship with area high schools and find out what music was to be played by the band and orchestra at each school? 'FMT could then program some of this music and send an e-mail alert to each school asking the conductor of the ensemble to announce that the piece their group was working on would be played on 'FMT soon. Students could then plan to listen to the piece they were rehearsing in school. I remember I became a lifelong listener, in part, because, as a high school student, I heard the "St. Paul Suite" for strings by Gustav Holst on 'FMT back in the early 70's--the very piece my school string ensemble was working on at the time. I bet there would be high school music students who would appreciate having this same experience today. You may already be doing something like this, but I wanted to pass this idea along--it worked for me! As always, you guys are doing a great job--keep up the good work!"
--Mark Kraemer Bass player-Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Mark: BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is an amazing and sensational idea! Honestly, this blows my mind because it's such a terrific way to connect with schools all over the broadcast area in a highly creative way and in a way, as you suggest, that will help us connect with young listeners. I can already envision a multitude of ways to implement the idea on the air but also on our Web page, for example, by setting up a connection point for high school orchestras and bands to list their repertoire while we list when the various pieces will be programmed on WFMT. Frankly, the idea has been staring me in the face for years because I often relate during pledge drives how thrilled my own daughter was when, as a little girl, we'd be driving in the car and a piece she was practicing would come on the radio and she'd exclaim, "Daddy, that's my piece!" It was such an affirmation of what she was doing so I know exactly what you're talking about, it just never dawned on me to make the connection to your idea. So I'm pretty turned on here by your tremendous email. Again, thanks so much for taking the time to send me your idea. It's without question the IDEA OF THE YEAR as far as I'm concerned. Lets talk soon.
-SR
Posted in
