And in education and youth development, beyond the entertainment factor, orchestras still have a vital role to play. Youth orchestras, outreach adventures, school partnerships and numerous symphonies are underwritten by the symphony in order to inspire the future of music. TO be taught to play in an orchestra is something we teach our young people that exactly transcends the merely technical, and shows them what it means to be disciplined and patient, how to work with other people toward a goal everyone has understood concretely from the start. These are skills that far surpass music and make performers better individuals – more focused, empathetic, and well rounded. To many students, that exposure to orchestral music, be it through going to a school concert or joining a youth orchestra, proves educative in ways the classroom rarely does and in turn becomes providing him pleasure throughout his life.
Orchestras as Cultural Ambassadors.
In the orchestras of today, no longer bound by the walls of concert halls or home cities. Instead, they are excellent cultural ambassadors, carrying the age-old traditions and values of their countries–and the art forms too — where ever they go. International touring has become one of the calling cards of many larger symphony orchestras, and audiences worldwide have been able to experience the grandeur, and the visceral thrill, of a live concert by a world-class ensemble. Where large ensembles are not so accessible, the opportunity to hear the glorious full sound of an orchestra live can be one in a lifetime, and is likely to remain as a lasting memory, bringing music closer and raising appreciation of the arts.
Making Bridges with Music.
What makes orchestras effective cultural diplomats is that they speak without talking. The language and culture of music transcends borders in culture, politics and geography. It even has the same emotional reverberations, among non-Western classical classics audiences, of a Beethoven symphony in New York and Tokyo and Cape Town. In doing so, orchestras build networks among individuals who might otherwise have few common experiences, finding again within the audience our shared human emotions of joy on one hand and grief, triumph and longing on the other. In that sense, they can prompt a dialogue and an understanding that speeches and negotiations don’t always manage to reach.