Larger audiences? University music faculties can help

American Music Teacher, Feb-March, 2005 by George Seltzer

These are troubling times for the classical music establishment. Our orchestras across the country and Canada are fighting (and sometimes losing) the annual and continuing battle of the budget. This war is not limited to just the smaller orchestras. Our most prestigious orchestras in our largest cities are in the same plight as their smaller counterparts.

Not only are most large and small orchestras struggling with deficits, but some have declared bankruptcy or simply closed down, selling libraries, equipment and instruments to satisfy creditors.

Here are some details of this financial retrenching. Some orchestras have large enough endowments (or generous angels) to operate with annual deficits. Other orchestras' musicians have accepted pay cuts or reduced the number of players and administrative staff. Still other organizations have decided to work without pay for several weeks of the concert season. Another approach to this dollar problem has been shorter performance schedules. The orchestras of Rochester and Buffalo are considering combining their resources (a project proposed--and rejected--years ago). The Pittsburgh Symphony is considering selling its concert hall. Even European orchestras, which generally receive much larger government subsidies, are fighting this deficit war.

The root cause of this monetary dilemma is a lack of interest in classical music in our society. The audience is smaller and older. And this trend has persisted for at least two generations. It is disheartening to attend an orchestral performance in a hall that is less than half full of listeners. At times, enlightened management will offer free seats to classes of student from local public schools--or offer a concert at a very low price for first-come, first-served seating. Both techniques help fill the seats and encourage the music makers. But neither approach begins to solve the problem.

The audiences are not small because of the quality of the orchestras. To the contrary, our symphonies are arguably better than they have ever been. Because of the hundreds of talented, well-trained instrumentalists, our schools of music and conservatories turn out each year, we no longer have "the big five orchestras"--traditionally, New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago and Boston. Instead, we have a great number of first-class ensembles from coast to coast in both the United States and Canada.

If our orchestras are good, then where have the audiences gone? Obviously, the demise of the audience is at least partially due to the lack of music education in our public schools. When budgets in our public schools are squeezed, music and art are frequently the first disciplines to suffer.

Given this lack of exposure to music in the public schools, what else can be done to build an educated, interested audience? One answer is a new emphasis in the music departments of our colleges and universities. Traditionally, the music faculties have worn many hats. They educate public school music teachers, provide a curriculum for music performance majors, offer courses for non-music majors, organize and instruct bands, choruses and orchestras and, of course, perform themselves.

Music faculties are of great value to their colleges and universities. They are the musical spokespersons to the entire educational institution of which they are a part. Given the relative lack of exposure to classical music by their students, the music department faculty must become the entree to this new music world. Their value is to make music on their campuses. Not only in the usual venues of concert and recital halls, but particularly in dining halls, dormitories, fraternity and sorority houses and other public areas. They must bring their music making to the prospective audience, not expect the students to find the music halls. Their recitals/concerts could be at noon, supper-time, Sunday afternoon or any other opportune time. And why not also offer their talents to nearby public schools?

With so many other irons in the fire, music faculty must be allowed to follow this all-important task, even if it means forgoing off-campus, out-of-town, out-of-state, out-of-country "prestige" performances. After all, the quality of musical life on campus should be of primary importance if the institution expects its students to be presented with a broad segment of what is called a liberal education.

College-age students may be beyond the classical music curve. Increased exposure in their earlier years in public schools might have been more advantageous. But this still does not negate the importance of early exposure to live, expert music making to universities and colleges.

The performing music faculty should be of educational value to the entire university community. If they achieve this important function, perhaps our excellent symphony orchestras (and chamber music ensembles and soloists) will be rewarded with larger, younger, more enthusiastic audiences. And classical music will become more important in our daily lives.