[Dixielandjazz] Fw: How to Kill Orchestras

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

Hi Stan:

Mr. Holland unfortunately speaks the absolute truth on this matter, I have 
watched it happen right before my own eyes as have many others, and some of us 
have even offered programs and professional advice to help some of these 
Orchestras overcome their audience and financial difficulties. 

Alas but it always falls on deaf ears, primarily because they have built 
themselves a wall around themselves and established a self serving special welfare 
system to protect their jobs ( mostly Adminstrators and the Art for Arts sake 
bunch ).

If they are to continue to exist they certainnly must continue to reinvent 
their audiences from younger generations which they have mostly ignored in their 
almost non-existent marketing to the masses of school children who have never 
even seen a symphony hall much less been invited inside to hear the orchestra.

There should be mandatory school field trips on those thousands of school 
busses we tax payers pay for every year, not to mention the thousands of tax 
dollars we pour into inefficient over administrated school systems in this 
country, and then they still want the Government to give them additional money to 
stay afloat.

I say nay nay, force your administrators to learn marketing and be 
accountable for the financial bottomline of theit operations realistically or get rid of 
them and hire someone who can and will.   They have been on corporate and 
government support so long they have inbred the ideaology of several generations 
of regular Welfare recipients in  this country.

The vast difference between our Symphony Associations and those of Europe in 
my observance is that the Europeans have a greater appreciation for their 
music than American audiences and they implant those seeds deeply in their youth 
who grow up with a real understanding and appreciation for classical music and 
in turn teach it to their children and they ( the audience support their music 
by purchasing tickets to the events in large numbers.)

Tom Wiggins