Posted by Kenneth Sloan on May 06, 2003 at 00:12:58:
In Reply to: Saving Orchestras posted by Ryan W. Schultz on May 04, 2003 at 17:41:07:
What can the musical community do to save orchestras? For starters...patronize them.
Everyone with a season subscription to at least one local symphony orchestra, raise your hands. Everyone who has made a contribution sufficient to get your name printed in the program (even at the "Friend" level) - raise your other hand.
If you *play* in the local orchestra, say thank you to the people with their hands up.
The rest of you are the problem.
Next - how many of you out there with children drag them along? Last Saturday night, my 15yo trombone player acquired a new "favorite piece of music" - the Overture to Tannhauser.
Band directors - how do you promote the local orchestra to your students? You get zero points for giving "extra credit" for attending concerts - just the way to send the message that listening to an orchestra is "homework". Ten points for sacrificing rehearsal time to play a recording of something the orchestra is playing next week. Twenty points for getting the Band Parents to organize group trips to the concerts (chaperoned by the parents, of course!) Thirty points if you award the tix to these field trips as rewards (listening to the orchestra is a *prize* not a *chore*).