Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Welcome To My Blog

Classical music has always been a huge part of my life. Ever since I was a little kid I have played an instrument. I started with the piano (could not stand it) and then eventually switched over to the oboe because I was fascinated by all of the shiny keys (true story). Once I reached my senior year of high school and the dreaded period of college applications, I decided that the best way to get into a good school was to apply as a music major since it seemed like the area where I would be most successful. To be honest, I was not certain that I wanted to play oboe professionally, but I was fairly sure that I wanted to be a part of the music world. My peers questioned my decision, for they did not understand why I would ever want to put myself into an industry that was beginning to spiral into mayhem. Even more peculiar to them was the idea that I wanted to be a classical musician. Though I will admit I listen to more pop, rock, and country (mostly country, as it is my guilty pleasure), I feel that there is something about classical music that connects at an entirely different emotional level than any contemporary song. The music we have today only skims the surface of emotional satisfaction. Musicians have roughly three minutes to tell a story. That just is not enough time to go anywhere significant. Songs that portray love for example, though they can sometimes be insightful, do not dig deep enough. More importantly, many of them rely on a techno beat to capture the attention of the audience. Classical music takes the time to capture the human spirit and send the audience through a multitude of emotions. I find that this, for a lack of a better word, adventure, is important for any person in our society today. We are constantly on the move and we do not take the time to think for ourselves. Instead, we want immediate satisfaction, no matter what the costs might be.
The purpose of this blog is to express the importance of classical music in the lives of everyone in our society, especially in the United States. This is not to say that I believe it should be the only form of music we have on the radios and that everyone should boycott all rock concerts. Rather, people should learn to understand this art form and just how powerful it is.
When I applied to colleges, I wrote that the point behind me becoming a classical musician was to find a way to keep classical music alive. There is no denying that classical music has taken the back seat in the music world. In the future, I will discuss what is happening in the world to keep classical music a living and significant art form. For example, music education in our school systems has become a controversial topic. Many believe that these programs do not deserve funding because there are other areas that are more important to a child's development. I would like to research schools that have made music education a primary academic subject as well as schools that have rid of their music programs all together, and how the children have been effected by said actions.
Another topic that is of interest is the idea of cross-over music. Many artists and groups are taking classical music and putting a pop twist on it. For example, Josh Groban is a well known classically trained musician that has taken his skills to create music that uses many aspects of classical music, but adds a modern twist to it. Another inspiring group is named The Planets. This group of classically trained musicians take classical music and add new ideas, like synthesizers and electrical instruments. Their sound is new and edgy, but they still create an authentic portrayal of the music that they are playing. The question behind all of this is whether or not these artists are actually helping the classical music scene. In other words, are their efforts hurting the efforts of the live orchestras still performing and trying to make a living from playing symphonies the way they were originally supposed to be played.
My goal is to find ways classical music has had a positive impact on modern society and hopefully show that classical music is of vital importance. Classical music is an art form that is helping the human race from spinning out of control as our world moves at a faster and faster rate. There is more to life than just immediate satisfaction. We have the ability to think and feel things that almost seem impossible and out of this world. Classical music is a fuel that can help drive these natural human actions.

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