Why I haven’t…

March 21, 2011 by Greg Sandow

…been blogging. Because I’ve been on vacation, a blessed vacation, in Barbados. Great place to go — no crushing poverty, as on many other Caribbean isles, and no private beaches! You can sunbathe right in front of the most exclusive hotels, if that’s what you’d like, or (better choice) on the beach right next to the hotels, with nobody on them. There’s not an inch of beach on the island that anyone can bar you from.

barbados monkeys.jpg And they have monkeys.

Blog posts did show up here while I was gone, because I wrote them in advance. But then, when I got back, I had to scramble to keep up, and needed attention for things other than this blog.

Triage! It’s a way of life.

But here are some things on my mind right now. First, my Juilliard course, where I’m about to teach two classes (one this week, one next) on pop music. Fodder for the discussion that’s been roiling in the comments here. Note the assignment I gave the students for this week, to listen to seven pop songs, and tell me in class why they are or aren’t art. Follow the link above, and try it yourself!

Next week we’ll talk about pop music as commerce. Is it only that? (No way.)

The most important thing on my mind, though, and the subject of tomorrow’s post, is a continuing development in New York (and maybe elsewhere) — the emergence of a sustainable, serious new young audience for new classical music. I think this means classical music is finding its future. Very, very exciting!

More tomorrow.

That’s me on Barbados, looking so serious!

Comments

Matthew says

March 21, 2011 at 8:16 pm

“That’s me on Barbados, looking so serious!”

No Greg, that’s you glancing over the score of ‘Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Faun’…

🙂
Insurance Quotes says

March 31, 2011 at 2:10 pm

Greg, I have recently found your blog and I love your insight. Your comments above about a new sustainable young audience are inspiring.

I had my nephews here for the past week and one is a drummer in a rock band and the other is a bass player in a heavy metal band. We watched a bunch of my live concert dvds and I turned them onto some very great live performances ranging from classical, to opera, and even some country and goth metal! I have been doing this with them for a couple of years to expand their understanding of what music is, and that any genre can be great (except for rap! LOL)

Well, to make a long story short, they both had mentioned to me that they had gone home after previous visits with me and looked up some of the performances I had shown them on Youtube and shared them with their “rocker friends” and exposed them to the same types of things I had shown them. Well, their friends got it and absorbed it! That kind of thing with the older generations using modern technology to expose the younger generations to sooo many things and ways to enjoy them does give a bright shining light at the end of the tunnel….and it isn’t a train coming!

I really look forward to your article on the subject.

Sincerely,

S Wood

Thanks for this! Quite inspiring. And not a surprise, either. I think we’re in a wonderful time, musically, when people are open to many types of music. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this, in my 40 years or so in the music business. Wonderful that you’re helping it happen! Thanks for telling us. And for your warm comments on the blog, which mean a lot to me.

PS. The website address used in my name above is one I own. Hope you don’t mind!