What do you think is the future of Classical Music in terms of its commercial success, popularity, etc?
Given the neuroscientific research on classical music, it’s my feeling that in a few years people are going to turn to it. As people tend to mature, they tend to like more sophisticated things. Eventually you get tired of McDonaldized music and you want something a little more complex. All my students love classical music, some more than others, and most of my friends love it, and we’re all well under 60, and most of us started loving it about the time we grew out of sugary cereals. I think it’s not because people won’t give it a chance, but because of the way it’s often taught. If you’ve ever had small children, you know you won’t get them to eat broccoli because “it’s good for you.” You get them to eat it by either eating it yourself, smiling, and saying “Yum! Yum!” or you use the reverse psychology and say, “Oh, you’re not grown-up enough to like this,” or you doctor it up by dumping cheese sauce on it. It’s the same with music. Most children would rather have candy than vegetables
