Hello Reader,
Once upon a time there was a young girl who loved music. Raised by Tuvan throat-singers in the hills of Kyrgyz, this child learned to read, write, and tie her shoes. When she was old enough, she enrolled in a money-order-only private school and learned how to play the tuba from an eighty-year-old arthritic gymnast. When the girl was discovered to be a tuba-playing prodigy she was kidnapped by CIA scuba divers, given a sleeping potion and taken to Los Angeles.
Upon reaching Los Angeles the girl awoke to find herself in the middle of a Writing 340 class, within yet another cash-sucking private school. Although she desperately wanted to return to Tuva to play tuba, she decided to stay. Her new professor was going to teach her how to make a blog, and with this new, flashy internet site she could study music and then tell the whole world about it.
Unfamiliar with Los Angeles, the girl tubist recently decided to write her blog about the new city and the music she discovered within it. The girl is very inquisitive, you see, and wants to know what genres of music are popular in Los Angeles. According to the media, Hannah Montana and Coldplay are the coolest kids on the block, but the girl is very skeptical. She has seen advertisements for Wagner’s Ring Cycle performed by the LA Opera and flyers for Herbie Hancock live at the Hollywood Bowl. These concerts wipe the floor with teenage girls and boy-bands. What are these people smoking?
After getting to the bottom of Los Angeles inhabitants’ seemingly contagious drug abuse problem, this girl hopes to discover what music is played in LA’s many communities and why. Aside from obvious ties between ethnicity and indigenous music, such as Mexico natives and mariachi or Japanese residents and ehru music, why do music genres seem to be limited to select performance venues? Why are the majority of classical performances in downtown? Why do rock bands frequent Hollywood? Why do soul and R&B artists play in South Central?
These are difficult questions, indeed, and to answer them the girl will have to go to a good deal of live concerts. Oh, well. Perhaps while she’s at these concerts, to fend off her inevitable boredom, she will take some notes. After writing down the type of music she hears, the location of the show and then drawing stick figure illustrations of the people she sees there she just might find a noteworthy relationship (chuckle) between music genres, concert venues and concert attendees.
The girl also expects to comment on dreary subjects such as the social hierarchies within Los Angeles, social constructs and concert attendance, the effects of our slowing economy on local musicians and local opinions about the LA music scene. But don’t worry your confounded little head. You won’t be bored. Her blog will be entertaining, comical, down right visionary! For after her hard work is done this girl plans to predict the future. That is, the future of music in Los Angeles.
Because her Tuvan parents avidly check her blog for updates, look forward to the tuba playing girl’s weekly postings about Los Angeles and its music.
The End.
Is classical music dying? Greg Sandow presents us with an answer.
Sandow’s blog, “Greg Sandow on the future of classical music,” explores societal opinions on classical music, its shrinking audience base, changes being made to classical ensembles and what we can expect of classical music in the future. While most bloggers of the general public would read his blog and instinctively yawn, Sandow’s focus is a weighty one for bloggers of the music world.
Our professions and paychecks rely on the musical prophecies he casts in his blog. And as we musicians wait for news, nervously plucking our strings, we trust that Sandow is qualified to discuss our future. Sandow received a MM in Music Composition and, after a short career as a composer, became a music critic, writing for Entertainment Weekly and The Wall Street Journal. He now works as a music critic and consultant based in New York City.
Sandow began his blog in July 2003 and has since written over 700 entries, averaging around three posts a week. Sandow’s blog is an ArtsJournal weblog and is rather popular, as his posts consistently receive comments from other bloggers and he hosts numerous ongoing discussions on his site. Two recent posts I find engaging are “Beyond Media” and “New Mission for orchestras?”
“Beyond Media” questions what type of advertisement is needed, if not a form of media, to promote classical music concerts. We all know that the question “Hey, ya want to go hear Beethoven’s Ninth with me?” usually fail as a pick up line, so Sandow attempts to spruce it up a bit. “New Mission for orchestras?” discusses the conflict confronted when orchestras must sacrifice professionalism, musical worth, and musicians’ gratification in order to appear community-friendly. In a slowing economy that, let’s face it, has a tendency to neglect the arts when times get tough, our approach toward advertising and performing classical music is very crucial.
I am pleased with the hospitable character of Sandow’s blog. While he offers insightful opinions and broaches controversial questions, he never adopts an authoritarian tone. Instead, as in his post “A shocking proposal,” Sandow offers his opinion and then asks for those of his readers:
While his question could be answered by any internet blogger, Sandow’s targeted audience are people involved in the arts. Many of the bloggers who comment on his page are musicians themselves, meaning Sandow’s topics hit close to home and they have a lot to say. Composers and tuba players alike can see the decline in classical music popularity as professional orchestras go out of business, less new music is commissioned, and less orchestral jobs become available, and, strangely, we like to blather about what horrible experiences the future holds for us.
In one of his posts labeled “Teaching,” Sandow tells of his experience as a professor at the Julliard School and Eastman School of Music. Naturally, many of the comments on this post come from other professors. While some of the talk is humdrum academic mumbling, most readers offer valuable suggestions of how to inspire classical music students to create their own paths in a shrinking classical music world. At least our teachers are optimistic. Or maybe it’s a scam…
In addition to its accepting, scholarly atmosphere, Sandow’s blog also includes ordinary discussions on ordinary subjects. Several of his posts are about visual art, political happenings, social sciences, education and -- get ready for this --“quotations of the day.” Still, Sandow’s writing is always researched, well written, highly detailed and calculated. His experience as a music critic is evident in his writing style, and his blog is immediately recognizable as a credible site for scholarly discussions and bloggers of academia. In other words, if you’re over fifty, wear tweed suits and enjoy isorhythmic motets, I guarantee you will like this blog.
In my own blog, “How Does LA Sound?” I hope to echo the substance of Sandow’s blog posts and his readiness to talk about subjects other than music. And, fortunately for you, the focus of my blog will be more concise than Sandow’s. Rather than discuss the future of a genre of music in the entire world, I will pinpoint only the music of Los Angeles. By observing the variance among music performed in Los Angeles I will identify what music thrives and what music is dying, find relationships between concert venues, performers and audience members, and foresee what the future of music will be for Los Angeles.
So take off that tweed jacket and grab a recording of the Brad Mehldau Trio. We’re traveling to lands not yet heard.
Sandow’s blog, “Greg Sandow on the future of classical music,” explores societal opinions on classical music, its shrinking audience base, changes being made to classical ensembles and what we can expect of classical music in the future. While most bloggers of the general public would read his blog and instinctively yawn, Sandow’s focus is a weighty one for bloggers of the music world.
Our professions and paychecks rely on the musical prophecies he casts in his blog. And as we musicians wait for news, nervously plucking our strings, we trust that Sandow is qualified to discuss our future. Sandow received a MM in Music Composition and, after a short career as a composer, became a music critic, writing for Entertainment Weekly and The Wall Street Journal. He now works as a music critic and consultant based in New York City.
Sandow began his blog in July 2003 and has since written over 700 entries, averaging around three posts a week. Sandow’s blog is an ArtsJournal weblog and is rather popular, as his posts consistently receive comments from other bloggers and he hosts numerous ongoing discussions on his site. Two recent posts I find engaging are “Beyond Media” and “New Mission for orchestras?”
“Beyond Media” questions what type of advertisement is needed, if not a form of media, to promote classical music concerts. We all know that the question “Hey, ya want to go hear Beethoven’s Ninth with me?” usually fail as a pick up line, so Sandow attempts to spruce it up a bit. “New Mission for orchestras?” discusses the conflict confronted when orchestras must sacrifice professionalism, musical worth, and musicians’ gratification in order to appear community-friendly. In a slowing economy that, let’s face it, has a tendency to neglect the arts when times get tough, our approach toward advertising and performing classical music is very crucial.
I am pleased with the hospitable character of Sandow’s blog. While he offers insightful opinions and broaches controversial questions, he never adopts an authoritarian tone. Instead, as in his post “A shocking proposal,” Sandow offers his opinion and then asks for those of his readers:
Everyone talks about covering classical music in a livelier, more accessible way. But while I think that's certainly a good thing to do, I don't think it's the main problem. I think the main problem is that classical music isn't covered at all. What do you think?
While his question could be answered by any internet blogger, Sandow’s targeted audience are people involved in the arts. Many of the bloggers who comment on his page are musicians themselves, meaning Sandow’s topics hit close to home and they have a lot to say. Composers and tuba players alike can see the decline in classical music popularity as professional orchestras go out of business, less new music is commissioned, and less orchestral jobs become available, and, strangely, we like to blather about what horrible experiences the future holds for us.
In one of his posts labeled “Teaching,” Sandow tells of his experience as a professor at the Julliard School and Eastman School of Music. Naturally, many of the comments on this post come from other professors. While some of the talk is humdrum academic mumbling, most readers offer valuable suggestions of how to inspire classical music students to create their own paths in a shrinking classical music world. At least our teachers are optimistic. Or maybe it’s a scam…
In addition to its accepting, scholarly atmosphere, Sandow’s blog also includes ordinary discussions on ordinary subjects. Several of his posts are about visual art, political happenings, social sciences, education and -- get ready for this --“quotations of the day.” Still, Sandow’s writing is always researched, well written, highly detailed and calculated. His experience as a music critic is evident in his writing style, and his blog is immediately recognizable as a credible site for scholarly discussions and bloggers of academia. In other words, if you’re over fifty, wear tweed suits and enjoy isorhythmic motets, I guarantee you will like this blog.
In my own blog, “How Does LA Sound?” I hope to echo the substance of Sandow’s blog posts and his readiness to talk about subjects other than music. And, fortunately for you, the focus of my blog will be more concise than Sandow’s. Rather than discuss the future of a genre of music in the entire world, I will pinpoint only the music of Los Angeles. By observing the variance among music performed in Los Angeles I will identify what music thrives and what music is dying, find relationships between concert venues, performers and audience members, and foresee what the future of music will be for Los Angeles.
So take off that tweed jacket and grab a recording of the Brad Mehldau Trio. We’re traveling to lands not yet heard.
At last! A classical music blogger who discusses something other than Beethoven.
Molly Sheridan, a thirty-something female musician and music critic based in New York City is author of the ArtsJournal sponsored blog “Mind the Gap.” Unlike most classical music and musicology bloggers, Molly avoids littering her blog with lengthy concert reviews and mundane chats on the changing structure of the canon. Rather, Molly writes posts on “roller-skate chicks” and stolen scooters, all the while relating her quirky tales to the music business.
The eclectic nature of her posts is enough to attract the attention of any musician, if only from mere curiosity as to how “Mind the Gap” could possibly be a music blog. Molly’s writing, too, easily pulls readers in. It’s funny, sarcastic, simple, conversational… everything you could ever want from a not-too-academic blog. While she keeps her formatting and structure tuned down to “by the book” levels, Molly takes liberty with her diction, tone and subject matter.
In a recent post titled “Kiss My Skates” Molly recounts her adventure to a female roller derby:
Her sarcastic description of herself as not always being politically correct and her casual use of the adjectives “kick-ass” and “unabashedly sexy” make clear that Molly does not filter niceties for the sake of etiquette, but embellishes her stories for shock value.
Molly then proceeds to relate these roller derby women to feminism in the music world (a strange comparison, right?):
Molly’s tone quickly moves from humorous to reflective, yet her voice is still very comfortable and personal. Even when broaching weighty subjects, Molly remains a calm and reasonable critic.
A more sober example of Molly’s sarcasm can be seen in her post “If You Didn’t Arrive Here Depressed.” In this short remark she recounts the latest news of struggling orchestras and their looming ruin, her title implying that if these dying music institutions don’t already upset the reader, then they should. Still, Molly is not morose, ending her post with “Alas, what a day in the world,” and an optimistic wish that things will turn around.
Another notable technique Molly employs to enhance her voice is the use of allusions. There are so many popular culture references in her blog, you would swear she spent all day at home watching television and reading Entertainment Weekly. Whether she’s mentioning The 700 Club, reality TV shows, iTunes, or Kool-Aid, her trendy quotations add energy to her posts and help her readers relate classical to popular music.
Comic diction, sarcasm, anecdotal posts and popular references all contribute to Molly’s success as a classical music blogger. Her voice is amusing and original. Her blog screams to the reader “I swear I’m not boring!” And, considering the vast majority of classical music blogs are dull tales of the newest advances in opera staging, her popular status is easily achieved.
Molly Sheridan, a thirty-something female musician and music critic based in New York City is author of the ArtsJournal sponsored blog “Mind the Gap.” Unlike most classical music and musicology bloggers, Molly avoids littering her blog with lengthy concert reviews and mundane chats on the changing structure of the canon. Rather, Molly writes posts on “roller-skate chicks” and stolen scooters, all the while relating her quirky tales to the music business.
The eclectic nature of her posts is enough to attract the attention of any musician, if only from mere curiosity as to how “Mind the Gap” could possibly be a music blog. Molly’s writing, too, easily pulls readers in. It’s funny, sarcastic, simple, conversational… everything you could ever want from a not-too-academic blog. While she keeps her formatting and structure tuned down to “by the book” levels, Molly takes liberty with her diction, tone and subject matter.
In a recent post titled “Kiss My Skates” Molly recounts her adventure to a female roller derby:
The not-always-PC feminist I carry around in my head was not sure she was cool with this. The teams are made up of some kick-ass ladies, but they are also some unabashedly sexy chicks.
Her sarcastic description of herself as not always being politically correct and her casual use of the adjectives “kick-ass” and “unabashedly sexy” make clear that Molly does not filter niceties for the sake of etiquette, but embellishes her stories for shock value.
Molly then proceeds to relate these roller derby women to feminism in the music world (a strange comparison, right?):
I agonize over being a girl in the 2009 music world. I hear tales of misogyny among professionals and teachers. I watch music documentaries and wonder why the only women interviewed are "fans." I am annoyed by "women's concerts" and talking about "women's issues" in the field, but I'm awake enough to see why people still need to be reminded about them and poked regularly anyway.
Molly’s tone quickly moves from humorous to reflective, yet her voice is still very comfortable and personal. Even when broaching weighty subjects, Molly remains a calm and reasonable critic.
A more sober example of Molly’s sarcasm can be seen in her post “If You Didn’t Arrive Here Depressed.” In this short remark she recounts the latest news of struggling orchestras and their looming ruin, her title implying that if these dying music institutions don’t already upset the reader, then they should. Still, Molly is not morose, ending her post with “Alas, what a day in the world,” and an optimistic wish that things will turn around.
Another notable technique Molly employs to enhance her voice is the use of allusions. There are so many popular culture references in her blog, you would swear she spent all day at home watching television and reading Entertainment Weekly. Whether she’s mentioning The 700 Club, reality TV shows, iTunes, or Kool-Aid, her trendy quotations add energy to her posts and help her readers relate classical to popular music.
Comic diction, sarcasm, anecdotal posts and popular references all contribute to Molly’s success as a classical music blogger. Her voice is amusing and original. Her blog screams to the reader “I swear I’m not boring!” And, considering the vast majority of classical music blogs are dull tales of the newest advances in opera staging, her popular status is easily achieved.
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