Kids Should Learn Drone, Too

Listening to experimental music and thinking to myself: contemporary music education is too narrow and self-serving!

If you’ve read Cities: Backlines before, you probably know some of  my history with classical orchestras. At age 8, the members of my local high school’s electrified rock orchestra were my superstars. As soon as I could, I wanted to pick up one of the four major string instruments — violin, viola, cello, or bass — and perform. And I did: in fifth grade, I started on the cello in the elementary orchestra, and in sixth grade, my director moved me to bass since I was already tall enough for a full-sized instrument. That bass became a source of tension and release for me over the next ten years as I practiced, performed, and traveled to local orchestral engagements. I cultivated a tactile relationship to music on that instrument, meandering through the foundational workbooks of Simandl and Vance. It was a vector through which I sought accomplishment and approval.

Anyone who’s been through the youth orchestra industrial complex will tell you the trajectory is much the same. You start lessons with teachers who mold your skills and prepare you for auditions, you perform with school orchestras desperate to play familiar showstoppers on a budget, you attend summer string camps, you audition for regional and state honors ensembles, and maybe eventually you land a coveted spot in an institutional youth orchestra. At every step in this process, the path is drawn for you; there are standards in the canon to study and master. It can feel constricting. But, maybe when you’re through that process, and rigorous conservatory training and advanced degrees, you can branch out as a performer into more esoteric spaces.

This is the part of my experience as a youth orchestra kid I couldn’t quite articulate in my essay for Bandcamp. As much as I enjoyed learning the legendary concerti from the likes of Dittersdorf, Dragonetti, Capuzzi, et al, I did, at times, feel lost in the world of classical tradition. What brief glimpses I did steal of today’s dissonant, challenging contemporary music stimulated and intimidated me. Plus, learning what it took to compose my own music sounded like a daunting task between college-prep coursework and existing expectations from the youth orchestra world. I played in one of those institutional youth orchestras as a high school senior; it remains a highlight of my time as an instrumentalist and it was, for me at the time, a huge commitment. Entertaining the possibilities of experimental music or composition felt like a wrong turn.

But whenever I listen to musicians who’ve pushed their classical training to sublime experiments (think Sarah Davachi, Louise Bock, Georg Friedrich Haas), I again feel some kind of loss. While there’s little doubt that anyone can pursue understanding a musical tradition on independent time, I think about the lack of institutions that let young people know what’s possible with classical training. At 14 or 15, I had no idea that there was this experimental music universe out there. I wasn’t aware of performers like JACK Quartet. I didn’t have the confidence to look into, or study, the electroacoustic tradition. A mix of doubt and unawareness kept me from discovering what was possible. I played in the classical tradition until I didn’t have easy bass access, never really cultivating a terribly independent or forward-thinking practice as an instrumentalist.

Now, when I listen to experimental/art music that’s heavy on strings, I feel a slight grief. I think about Bjork and her music school in Reykjavik, where the works of John Cage were a part of her youth curriculum. I suppose there’s never a bad time to pick up an instrument and learn how to make “noise,” but even then, I think the narrow focus of the youth orchestra circuit is a problem. There’s talk about the whiteness and maleness of the canon that is vital, and will hopefully continue to play a role long-term in the classical world. But, I also hope there is a push to represent more experimental ways of making music. If you’re interested in making music like Brian Eno, what can you learn on your current instrument-of-choice? What possibility is there for a youth modular synth ensemble? Wouldn’t it be better if we learned this in school?

Making a living as a musician is challenging, but for some contemporary classical/experimental traditions, there’s a niche to be found in the fine arts realm that can’t be discounted. The funding sources available and the institutions that could support a contemporary classical experimentalist outstrip the trappings of indie rock. It’s hard to get into, but it’s a pathway that students deserve to learn. Adhering to strict classical traditions may be a great way to guarantee that orchestral students can play the hits for their parents well enough to convince them to donate to Music Boosters. And, practically, for any musician, it’s important to learn the staples. But, it’s not the only pursuit, and all budding instrumentalists should be encouraged the dabble in the dark art of the avant-garde.

What Am I Listening To?

Cole Pulice - If I Don’t See You in the Future, I’ll See You in the Pasture (super futuristic experimental longform jazz)

The Big Net - Like Dogs (indie rock, folk, post-Americana, members of Lightning Bug)