Introducing Classical Music- Part 1

One of the biggest ways that we can affect how people perceive classical music is how they are introduced to it. This goes for all ages- kids, teens, and adults.

What is usually introduced to them? The classics, right? Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Bach, and others? That’s where I think we have to exam our process. Sure, I like the classics now but that wasn’t always the case. One way that I got to like classical music was by listening to drum corps. I started to become interested in drum corps around 1993 and 1994. During that time some drum corps were playing Ginastera, Shostakovich, Holsinger, Bartok, Barber, and many others. When I heard something I liked I checked it out from the library or bought it on CD at the local store. If it weren’t for drum corps I don’t think I would have known about Medea’s Dance of Vengeance or Ginastera’s Estancia.

From that point on I fell in love with drum corps but I also fell even more in love with classical music. There was some really cool music out there. I remember riding up to a Bluecoats camp with one of the visual staff members and I was playing Medea’s Dance of Vengeance on the radio. I said, “You know what? I think I like this version more than Star’s.” He said, “Well DUH!” (I was pretty young then).

Soon after that point I started to search out more and more classical music, even if drum corps weren’t playing it. I started buying classical music that was pretty modern and hard hitting like drum corps music was. But then I started to buying and listening to more of the classics and more ‘classical’ type of classical music. I thought this stuff was pretty awesome.

I don’t know that I would have liked the ‘classical’ type of classical music if I hadn’t listened to the other hard hitting classical music first. I may have never have made it around to it. I may have listened to it once but probably would have never have bought it or really cared for it.

In my opinion, what helped me get to like a lot of the classical music (admittedly there are some time periods that I don’t listen to as much, but that is okay!) is that as I was listening to the loud impactful moments there would be moments of slower more beautiful music that was intertwined and thrown in there from the composers. They wouldn’t last as long as say a full movement of largo tempo but it was enough for me to get a taste of it and know that I wanted to hear more music like that.

So if you are into marching band or drum corps I strongly advise you to pay attention to what other bands or corps are playing, and then go out and listen to that stuff. It is easier than ever now with the internet and YouTube and mp3 sites. if you like it, buy it and listen to it over and over and over again. I can’t tell you how many times I used to listen to Respighi’s Belkis Queen of Sheba or Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony or Copland’s Appalachian Spring.

There will be 2 more posts in this series. The next one will be on introducing classical music to kids and the final will be about Music Appreciation classes in college.