| Jason is on to something IMO.
With kids being marketed out of their money by rap crap, and gansters wearing bling bling, it is hard to see where serious music will survive.
But you have to look beyond that. I grew up in the disco era ... not much of disco has been enduring. Neither will rap IMO.
But the schools in some places are really pushing fine music. The push forward my very competitive marching bands is one place. The band in my district has been a top five band 5 of the last 6 years. Last year, they didn't make it out of regionals. Last year, the played a completely original piece. It was awful. This year, back to good music (Fanfare for the Common Man). Back to a top five finish.
The 2005 Drum Corps season shows are starting to be announced. Here is a sample - remember these are kids from 14 to 21.
Boston Crusaders
Show: The Promise of Living
Repertoire: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (J.S. Bach), Overture to “Candide” (Leonard Bernstein), The Promise of Living (Aaron Copland), Sing Sang Sung (Gordon Goodwin)
Capital Regiment
Show: Chiaroscuro
Repertoire: Chiaroscuro: Symphonic Dances in Shades of Darkness and Light (Robert Sheldon)
Carolina Crown
Show: Angelus!
Repertoire: Church Windows (Ottorino Respighi), Angel (Sarah MacLachlan), Chorale VI – Sol Fa (Karl Jenkins)
Pacific Crest
Show: Fluid States – Vapor, Solid, Liquid
Repertoire: Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes (Benjamin Britten), Sinfonia Antarctica (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
Phantom Regiment
Show: Rhapsody
Repertoire: Rhapsody in Blue (Gershwin, George), An American in Paris (Gershwin, George)
Santa Clara Vanguard
Show: Russia: Revolution – Evolution, 1917 - 1991
Repertoire: Symphony No. 12 (Dmitri Shostakovich), Russian Christmas Music (Alfred Reed)
Seattle Cascades
Show: Airborne Symphony
Repertoire: Airborne Symphony (Marc Blitzstein
Spirit from JSU
Show: The Spirit of Broadway
Tentative Repertoire: Selections from They're Playing Our Song, Wicked, other music
That is only a small fraction of the corps. Others will post their shows soon. Airborne Symphony to Gershwin to Shostakovich. Good music is being played by kids. This will support good music in the future. I have heard some of these kids talk about classical genre music and know more about some selections than I EVER will with a music degree.
Symphonies will have to change a bit. But music that lasts several hundreds years is enduring.
Jim |