By Nadine St-Jacques
Just stop and think about this question for a second: When was the last time you saw a bunch of teenagers coming down the road with classical music blaring out of their car speakers?
Probably never.
And this is precisely what irritates me these days.
Most teenagers or young adults don’t seem to have an appreciation for classical music.
Although I don’t expect anyone to crank up Mozart in the limo on the way to their grad party, I would like to see more young people attending classical performances at venues such as the National Arts Centre.
The fact is classical music is an important part of our culture and heritage, and without passing it on to the next generation, this value will be lost.
But it’s no wonder this genre is disappearing from the radar.
Nowadays, youth are constantly being bombarded with sexified american music.
With TV stations like MuchMusic and radio stations like HOT 89.9 and 106.9 The Bear, it is difficult not to give in.
Admittedly, I listen to HOT 89.9 – a radio station dedicated to playing hip hop and dance – every morning.
However, my beef is that many youth cling to these radio stations because they are considered “cool” and they never seem to diversify their tastes.
Now don’t get me wrong. It’s totally normal to want to get down to the sweet beats of Justin Timberlake on a Saturday night. But what I’m wondering is why youth can’t also relax with music from say, Schindler’s List?
You might ask, “Schindler’s List?”
But let me clarify.
When people think of classical music, Bach, Mozart or Chopin immediately comes to mind.
But classical music doesn’t necessarily have to fit into this stereotypical category.
It has evolved to include instrumental scores from popular Hollywood movies, some of which are often played on classical radio stations, like Couleur FM in Ottawa.
I would even argue that much of this music would appeal to younger audiences – that’s if they knew the radio stations actually existed.
The National Arts Centre has also made the move to presenting this kind of genre. I was happy to learn that this July, a Lord of the Rings concert will be held, featuring two hours of the trilogy’s beautiful music.
It seems to me that combining a blockbuster movie -which has greatly appealed to youth – with a live orchestra, would help attract a younger audience.
And more and more, we are seeing pop and hip hop musicians incorporate classical music in their songs.
In 2002, Nas, an american rapper, mixed in Beethoven’s Für Elise with his song, I Can. It worked well and was a hit on radio stations. Obviously, he felt a return to classical music roots was right for him.
Either way, if hip hop artists like Nas see the value in integrating classical music into their own songs, maybe youth will get the message that classical music has a certain value.
It’s something to consider — especially for those who think nothing other than Snoop Dogg is worth listening to.