Volume 10 Issue 4 - December 2004

Editor's 0
Reflections on "Family fare"
SOMETIMES our announced "Special Focuses" in WholeNote are
pretty straightforward, such as the three for February at the foot of
page 5.
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A theme like "Music and Health" bas obvious variations:
staying healthy as a performer, music as therapy, the role of music
in mental development, keeping your "instrument" in good repair.
But it doesn't spiral out of control. The editorial department can collaborate
in a focused task.
•
Once in a while, however, we choose a "focus" like this
month's "Family Fare" that proves to be a shapeshifter. We thought
it would provide a way of stepping back from our individual trees to
view the wonders of the musical forest as a whole. Instead we found
ourselves flat on our backs in the bushes under a shapeless canopy
of endless green.
This month's deceptively friendly theme has provoked (variously)
paroxysms of despair, glee, and claustrophobia in our ranks.
Despair: "But we've announced 'Family Fare' as our theme,
and there's no mention of it anywhere in the magazine except in this
little 'Op Ed' piece."
Glee: there are more than six hundred performances mentioned
in this issue. More than x of them have a specifically familycentered
theme, more than y take place during the day, more than z
are either free or with prices for children, students and seniors less
than the cost of a typical movie ticket.
Claustrophobia: "Just about everything in the issue could be
taken to be about the theme. Look at the nice mother/daughter thing
with Mary Lou Fallis and Anne Madgett in 'How I Met My Teacher';
or the WholeNote Dec 6 salon (titled, what else, Family Fare) -
- a rare early evening opportunity for the WholeNote family (staff,
readers, advertisers, contributors and their families) to meet, greet
and even make music on our all-ages open stage; or our cover story
about an ensemble, the Canadian Brass, that bas done so much to
convert "children of all ages" to the love of music; or ... the list
goes on and on.
Granted, a lot of programming at this time of year celebrates midwinter
festivals and communal gatherings of one kind or another.
(guest columnist Chris Dawes has some sobering and inspiring
thoughts on this topic on page 43). We could have called it "lighter
fare" instead-- an antidote to the season's heavy meals! But that description
certainly doesn't apply to all the concerts between now and
the new year. And besides, we potentially do as much damage as
good by implying that music has to be jazzed up or dumbed down to
appeal to children.
The second thing to beware of with a theme like this is what
you might call the "Groundhog Day" effect. There's a danger in tipping
an annual hat to "Family Fare", like Groun.dhog Day. After
all, what do we go back to doing with the little critters after that?
So my point? The turning of the year is a fine time for all of us to
compile an inventory of where music fits, and doesn't fit, in our
own and our society's plans. As always WholeNote is a fine resource
to assist in this stock-taking exercise. There's evidence here
to justify celebratory back-slapping all round. Forty-four live music
events on December 5th alone! But there's also cause for discomfort
-- provision for music in our schools is at its lowest ebb in decades.
Our research for this planned survey of the "Family Fare"
forest revealed extraordinary things: innovative audience outreach
programs of many kinds; people living inspirational musical lives.
The bad news is that in this issue we barely scratch the surface. The
good news: every day is Groundhog Day in WholeNote! We'll be at
it all year round.
Have a blast! Over-indulge (musically). We'll be back in
late January.
David Perlman