A friend of mine who is a very talented, perhaps even frustrated, and definitely eloquent, musician commented on the above story which a patient had brought to my attention. His comments made me coalesce an idea in my mind (a cloud that daily grows bigger and darker) that perhaps I will just have a "composer of the week" for the kids and myself to listen to during homework hour. When we run out of classical, I will get back to you. Here's what he said:
No one really recognized how exceptionally performed the music was and I'm not exactly sure what that means. As a music educator I would like to simply say "we are musically uneducated" but I'm not sure it's that simple. I have heard several great jazz musicians say they perform exclusively for the pleasure and appreciation of other musicians. It's as if they've given up on trying to emotionally connect with the general population.
Are we uneducated or desensitized? I'd say both but mostly desensitized. When you are constantly bombarded with Rap, Rock, and instant gratification music; it's almost impossible to get someone's attention with music full of nuance, development , and dynamic contrasts. And you can't dismiss the fact classical music doesn't "play well" on car stereos where we spend most of our listening time. When you play Bach for a small child they generally move, dance and you can see their engagement and emotional response. The children were also most effected by Joshua Bell's subway performance. It's mostly we adults who are damaged, desensitized, and in a hurry. If I were going to enjoy Bach right now it would take a glass of wine and 20 minutes to wind down. Sad but true.
