I’ve always had the benefit of a unique perspective when it comes to music and culture at large. I grew up in a pretty ‘typical’ family… Actually, they’re not typical at all except that there aren’t any trained musicians in the household. I grew up listening to the everyday Top 40 in Mom’s car while running errands. On the flip side, I was trained from a very young age as a classical musician. I joined choirs, took classical voice lessons, studied classical piano, etc. After discovering the world of jazz, I remember thinking of it as a kind of compromise between the radio and my lessons. It seemed like MY music, since hardly anyone else I knew listened to it. It was fun and easy to listen to, but not stuffy like some the music I would hear at the symphony or in choir.
As I’ve grown up and continued to pursue music, I have held on to the idea of the American Songbook being the real ‘middle ground’ between higher art music and what we hear on the radio. While upholding certain standards of musical excellence (a moving melody, advanced chord progressions, historically virtuosic composers and performers), the best of this genre is still completely accessible to someone without a master’s degree in music.
I often wonder what classical musicians thought of ‘pop’ music back in the early-mid 20th century… Were jazz and standards considered too ‘dumbed down’ by ‘real’ musicians? Nowadays, there is an intense divide between most ‘trained’ musicians (those who go to school for traditional musical training) and most of the people that create and sell today’s hits. I think that a large part of this problem comes from the musicians’ attitude (I’m overgeneralizing, but stick with me) of superiority and entitlement. A lot of musicians do not think their job is to play for ‘the people’ or society at large. Classical and even jazz music often times has to be supported almost completely by sponsorship and subsidies. We have to do a better job of communicating with people. Music is the universal language, after all.
At any rate, I’m interested in finding that middle ground. I would like to feel like I’m creating at a higher level while still making a product that means something to people. I’m hoping to make my first real dive into this effort through a series of concerts currently being planned for the summer of 2012 involving myself, composer Sam Wells, and the Belin Quartet. Yes, that’s a teaser.
Stay tuned for more ramblings. Feel free to send me your thoughts via facebook or email me at max(at)maxwellmanmusic.com .
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wellman
The Middle Ground
I’ve always had the benefit of a unique perspective when it comes to music and culture at large. I grew up in a pretty ‘typical’ family… Actually, they’re not typical at all except that there aren’t any trained musicians in the household. I grew up listening to the everyday Top 40 in Mom’s car while running errands. On the flip side, I was trained from a very young age as a classical musician. I joined choirs, took classical voice lessons, studied classical piano, etc. After discovering the world of jazz, I remember thinking of it as a kind of compromise between the radio and my lessons. It seemed like MY music, since hardly anyone else I knew listened to it. It was fun and easy to listen to, but not stuffy like some the music I would hear at the symphony or in choir.
As I’ve grown up and continued to pursue music, I have held on to the idea of the American Songbook being the real ‘middle ground’ between higher art music and what we hear on the radio. While upholding certain standards of musical excellence (a moving melody, advanced chord progressions, historically virtuosic composers and performers), the best of this genre is still completely accessible to someone without a master’s degree in music.
I often wonder what classical musicians thought of ‘pop’ music back in the early-mid 20th century… Were jazz and standards considered too ‘dumbed down’ by ‘real’ musicians? Nowadays, there is an intense divide between most ‘trained’ musicians (those who go to school for traditional musical training) and most of the people that create and sell today’s hits. I think that a large part of this problem comes from the musicians’ attitude (I’m overgeneralizing, but stick with me) of superiority and entitlement. A lot of musicians do not think their job is to play for ‘the people’ or society at large. Classical and even jazz music often times has to be supported almost completely by sponsorship and subsidies. We have to do a better job of communicating with people. Music is the universal language, after all.
At any rate, I’m interested in finding that middle ground. I would like to feel like I’m creating at a higher level while still making a product that means something to people. I’m hoping to make my first real dive into this effort through a series of concerts currently being planned for the summer of 2012 involving myself, composer Sam Wells, and the Belin Quartet. Yes, that’s a teaser.
Stay tuned for more ramblings. Feel free to send me your thoughts via facebook or email me at max(at)maxwellmanmusic.com .