The modern audience for classical music compared to popular music in Australia and future development among young audiences

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ResearchProposal
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“Themodernaudienceforclassicalmusiccomparedto
popularmusicinAustraliaandfuturedevelopment
amongyoungaudiences.”
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DanielBertolini
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Supervisor:KerryMurphy
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ConservatoriumofMusic,TheUniversityofMelbourne
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Abstract
Thebasisformyresearchcentersarounddifferencemannerinwhichdeliveryof
classicalmusic;morespecificallyorchestralandinstrumentalperformances,is
beingalteredtoencompassmorevisualsandmoremodernworksthatappealtoa
youngeraudience.Myresearchwilllookintowhatfactorsyoungpeoplevaluemost
whenlisteningtomusicandhowthisdiffersbetweenclassicalandpopmusic.This
willleadontoadiscussionofhowAustralianorchestrasandartsorganizationsare
managinganddevelopingperformancestoincreaseclassicalmusicattendanceby
moreyouthfuldemographic.

KeyDefinitions:
ClassicalMusic:Seriousmusicfollowinglongestablishedprinciplesratherthan
afolk,jazz,orpopulartradition 
.
1
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PopularMusic:Commerciallypurveyedmusicthatisnotintendedforpermanent
displaybutcreatedforinstantaneoussuccessratherthanlongtermappeal 
.
2

Youth:Forthepurposeofthispaperandanyfurtherresearch,youthwillreferto
peopleaged1630,butwillbereferredtobroadlyinregardstothegeneration
thathavegrownupwithintheageoftheinternetwithdigitalandondemand
mediaandmusic.

BackgroundtotheStudy
Classicalmusichasinrecentyearsdevelopedastigmaagainstitasbeingthe
mostboringformofmusic,appreciatedonlybythericheliteandtheelderly.
Thiscolloquialmisconceptionhasinrecentyearsgaingreaterfactualstanding,
asaudiencedemographicsgrowolder.Withmusicnoweasilyaccessibleforfree
viatheinternet,theexperienceofliveperformanceislesssoughtafterwhile
1RichardTaruskin,MusicintheNineteenthCentury:TheOxfordHistoryofWesternMusic

(OxfordUniversity
Press,USA,2009).
2Ibid.

thoseyoungpeoplewhodoattendliveperformancearemoreinclinedtoattend
moremodernformsofmusic.Thisposesthequestionastowhatcanandisbeing
donetomaintainandgrowthenumberofyoungpeopleparticipatinginclassical
music.Thisreportwillanalysethecurrentdemographicspreadofclassical
concertattendanceinAustralia,discussingwhenandhowyoungpeopleattend
andinteractwithClassicalmusic,incomparisontoothermusicalstylesthatmay
garnerastrongerfollowingandappreciationamongayoungaudience.This
informationwillallowforadiscussiononwhatarethecurrenteffortsbeingput
intoplacetogrowanddiversifytheclassicalaudienceandhowfurthermethod
andtacticscanbeappliedfromamarketing,developmentandmanagement
perspectivesoastoimprovetheoverallparticipationandappreciationoftheart
form.

AcrossallDemographicsClassicalMusicexperiencesafarlowerattendance
comparedtoothervisualandperformingarts.InAustraliabetween20132014;
8.9%ofthepopulationattendedoneormoreperformancesofclassicalmusic,
comparedto32.6%thatattendedperformancesofpopularmusic 
.Withinthis
3
smallpercentageattendingclassicalconcert,Figure2showsthatthoseintheage
groupsbelowtheageof34makeupthesmallestpercentageofattendees 
.The
4
numericinformationprovidesproofofthedemographicandclassicalmusic
discrepancythatexistsamongAustralians.Thesefactsposethequestionofwhy
isclassicalmusicmarginalisedbytoday’syouthincomparisontopopularmusic
andnearlyallotherformsofperformingandvisualarts?
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3“StatisticsMainFeaturesIntroduction.html,”accessedMay11,2015,
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4114.0.55.001Main+Features1201314?OpenDocum
ent.
4Ibid.

Figure1:SelectCulturalArtsattendanceinAustralia20142015 
5
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Figure2:ClassicMusicAttendance:AgeGroups(%)6

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

5Ibid.
6Ibid.


ResearchQuestions
Inundertakingthisresearch,thefollowwouldbethekeyareasofanalysis;

•Definefactorsthatappealtoyouthinaconcertsetting.

•Howhasclassicalmusicevolvedtomatchthechangingdemandsofits
audiencesandgrowattendance?

•Arethechangesbeingmadebeneficialforclassicalmusicordotheyloose
sightofthetruevaluesofthegenre?

Methodology
Keytothediscrepancyinclassicalmusicalattendanceamongyoungpeopleisthe
perceptionofthemusicandtheconcertgoingexperienceinvolvedwithineachof
thegenres 
.Theetiquetteofpopularmusicconcertsisdifferenttothatof
7
classical.MileyCyrusisanexampleofamusicalartisthighlypopularamong
Australianyouth,whoinlatelastyearperformingaseriesofsoldoutarena
concertsacrossAustralia.MusicreporterRebeccaVukoviccritiquedthefirst
AustralianconcertatRodLaverArena,commentingonhowherfans“gravitate
towardsher,throwinggiftsofstuffedtoyanimals,mulletwigs”,describingthe
overallconcertexperienceasbeing“completelyoutrageous,andperhapsevena
littlebonkers,buttheyoungfansgowildforit” 
.Theoverallexperienceis
8
describedasbeingunique,withemphasislessonthemusicalstyleandquality
andmoreonthevisualspectacleandlevelofaudienceparticipation.The
experienceinattendingaclassicalmusicconcertisaneventthatinvolvesno
audienceparticipation,withtheetiquetteofattendingclassicalperformances
beingtostillandquite.AccordingtotheAmericanAcademyofPaediatrics;
“Musicplaysanimportantroleinthesocializationofchildrenandadolescents”
7AlanS.BrownandJenniferL.Novak,AssessingtheIntrinsicImpactsofaLivePerformance

(WolfBrown,
2007).
8“MileyCyrus,”theMusic

,accessedMay16,2015,
http://themusic.com.au/music/livereviews/2014/10/11/mileycyrusrodlaverarenarebeccavukovic/.

andmorethanbeingsomethingtotakepleasurein,it“takesanimportantrolein
thesocializationofchildrenandadolescents” 
.
9

Thereisagreaterexpectationputonmusictodeliversocialandemotional
stimulationamongyouths.Thiscanbeattributedtotheconsumablenaturethat
musichastakenoninrecentdecades 
.Platformssuchasitunes,youtubeand
10
spotifyhavecreatedaworldinwhichtherearenolimitstowhatpeoplecan
listento,withmusicconsumershavingaccesstoallperiodsandgenres,
developingagenerationaldesiretocontinuallysearchoutnewcontent,leaving
olderworksoflessthanexceptionalqualitytobeforgotten.

AsevidentbytheappealofartistssuchasMileyCyrusandtheconsumable
mannerinwhichyoungpeoplelistentopopularmusicofthisnature,itisevident
thatthattheexpectationsputonmusicnowgobeyondmusicalquality.Musicis
beingusedasameansofstimulatingemotionalexpressionandtodefinesocial
andsubculturalboundaries 
.Astudyon2760teenagersagedbetween14and
11
16conductedbytheAmericanAcademyofPediatricsfoundthatonaveragethey
listenedto40hoursofmusicperweek .Whilstthislargeamountoftimecanbe
12
attributedtoradioandtheemergenceofonlineaccesstomusicaspreviously
stated,thelargeamountoftimeequalingalmostsixhoursperdaydemonstrates
thetrendofusingmusicasmorethanapureformofentertainment 
.
13
Increasinglymusicisbeingusedasameansofstimulationorrelaxationin
conjunctionwithotheractivities.

Withtheincorporationofmusicandvisuals;throughmusicvideos,televised
advertisementsandothersuchforms,theexaggeratedandoverthetop
9CouncilonCommunicationsandMedia,“ImpactofMusic,MusicLyrics,andMusicVideosonChildrenand
Youth,”Pediatrics

124,no.5(November1,2009):1488–94,doi:10.1542/peds.20092145.
10DanLaughey,MusicandYouthCulture.[electronicResource]

(Edinburgh :EdinburghUniversityPress,
2006.,2006),
https://ezp.lib.unimelb.edu.au/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat000
06a&AN=melb.b5550751&site=edslive&scope=site.
11CommitteeOnCommunications,“ImpactofMusicLyricsandMusicVideosonChildrenandYouth
(RE9144),”Pediatrics

98,no.6(December1,1996):1219–21.
12Ibid.
13Ibid.

performancesseenatpopconcertsisacontinuationoftheconceptthatmusic
canonlybeconsideredpartoftheentertainmentprocess,requiringanotherof
activityorinthecaseoftheconcertgoingexperience,needstobeaccompanied
byeyecatchingvisuals.Forthiscurrentgenerationaldemographicwhoputsuch
heavyemphasisontheneedforvisualaccompanimentstoinvokeemotional
stimulations,theconcertgoingexperienceforclassicalmusicwouldbe
considerablylacking.Whilethetermclassicalmusicencompassesmany
centuriesofmusicofdifferingstyles,lengthsandgenres,inthemajorityofcases
thevisualaspectsoftheseperformancesareverysimilarandminimalistic.This
standardizationofthepresentationofaclassicalperformanceisalsocarriedon
bytheexpectationsofwhatisthestandardpracticeforaudience,withconcert
hallsandtheiraudiencehavingstringentrulesrelatingtodresscodeand
etiquette.AsisstatedbyMaryWilsonintheJournalofEthicalHumanPsychology
andPsychiatry;

thegeneralexpectationisto“havealevelofformalityand
decorumaswellasquietsothenuancesofthemusiccanbeheard” 
.
14

Inthewakeofthechangesbeingdevelopedinmusictasteandperceptionby
youngpeople,itsuggeststhatadvancementsneedtobemadeinthemanner
classicalmusicisdelivered.Withthegrowingdemandforfurtherinteraction
duringconcertsandapersonalconnectionwiththecomposerorartist,itpushes
theconceptofalteringthemannerinwhichclassicalmusicisdeliveredtomatch
thatofpopularmusicthatissuitedtothemoderndemographic.Australian
Orchestrashaveactedonthesedevelopments,offeringnewformsofconcerts
experiencesandprogramsmoresuitedtothetastesandpreferencesoftoday’s
youth.Orchestrashavedevelopedathemeofperformingfilmconcerts;
performingthelivesoundtrackstofilmswiththeaudiencewatchingthe
projectedfilmabove.Thisconceptofplayingfilmaccompaniedbyliveorchestra
wasfirstpopularizedbytheproductionof“BugsBunnyonBroadway”
premieredbytheSanFranciscoOrchestrain1990beforebeingeventually
14MaryKatherineWilson,SarahMarczynski,andElizabethO’Brien,“EthicalBehavioroftheClassicalMusic
Audience,”EthicalHumanPsychologyandPsychiatry

16,no.2(August1,2014):120–26,
doi:10.1891/15594343.16.2.120.

premieredinAustraliabytheSydneySymphonyin1996 
.Sincethen
15
filmconcertshavegrowninpopularity.The2015oftheMelbourneSymphony
Orchestraseesthreesuchmulticoncertproductions;withStartTrek(2009)

,
Babe(1995)

andBackToTheFuturePartII(1989)

.

Theideainproducing
16 17
theseconcertsistomatchthevisualappealofpopmusicconcerts,indelivering
ontheexpectationofhavingavisualspectacletomatchandcomplementthe
music.

Aswellascreatingthisvisualappealthereisthecontentionofbreakingaway
fromoldfashionedtraditionandetiquettethathasbeenassociatedwithclassical
concerts.OrchestrasinAustraliahavetakenituponthemselvestocorrectthese
nowdatedmisconceptionsbyincludinginformationandassurancesofthe
relaxeddresscodeandinformationonperformances 
.Furtherdevelopingmore
18
accessibleimageforclassicalpersonaforclassicalmusichasbeentheincreased
usageoflessformalconcertsettings.VenuessuchasSydneyDomain 
andthe
19
SidneyMyerMusicBowl 
areexamplesofoutdoorvenuesnowregularlybeing
20
usedasconcertvenuesforfreeoutdoorconcerts.Thesearefurtherexamplesof
effortsbeingmadetomarketanddeliverclassicalmusicinarelaxedandcasual
mannerandtonullifyanyfinancialrestrictionsthatmayhavepreviously
impededconcertgoersfromaccessingclassicalmusic.

Withthesechangesbeingmadetoattractamoreyouthfulaudience,itcreates
issuesinregardtomaintainingoftheoriginalclassicalmusicexperience.While
thechangesbeingimplementedbyAustraliaOrchestra’smaybemoreattractive
toamoreyouthfuldemographic,itcreatesasituationwhereorchestra’sare
15“WarnerBros.ConsumerProductsStrikesAChordWorldwideWith‘BugsBunnyAtTheSymphony,’”
WarnerBros.

,January28,2010,
.warnerbros.com/studio/news/warnerbrosconsumerproductsstrikeschordworldwide“bugsbunnysy
mphony.”
16“MSO,”MelbourneSymphonyOrchestra

,accessedMay23,2015,
http://www.mso.com.au/news/2014/10/msos2015seasonofcultclassics/.
17“BacktotheFuture,”MelbourneSymphonyOrchestra

,accessedMay23,2015,
http://www.mso.com.au/whatson/2015season2/mcfly/.
18“MSO.”
19“SymphonyInTheDomainSydneyFestival2015,”SydneyFestival

,accessedMay24,2015,
http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2015/symphonyinthedomain/.
20“SidneyMyerFreeConcerts,”MelbourneSymphonyOrchestra

,accessedMay24,2015,
http://www.mso.com.au/whatson/2015season2/sidneymyerfreeconcerts3/.

movingawayfromthelongstandingtraditionsofclassicalmusicespeciallyin
termsofrepertoire.Theplayingpopularsoundtracksfrommoviesisan
attractiveideaforayoungeraudiencewhodonotholdtheinterestand
understandingofclassicalmusicheldmoreprominentlybypreviousgenerations
.Forthisreason,itcanbearguedthat“thismusichasstoodthetestoftimeand
21
beenjudgedas“greatmusic”bysuccessivegenerations” 
andussuchtheworks
22
oftheofthegreatcomposerssuchasMozart,Beethoven,Haydenandetc.needto
bepreservedandmaintainedbyremainingpartoffutureorchestralrepertoire.
Worksbycomposerssuchastimelessclassicsthathaveremainedpopularfor
numerouscenturiesandassuchhavetranscendedtheconsumablenatureofpop
music.

ReviewQuestions
Asthisisacurrentandongoingtopic,furtherresearchisneededtofullyanswer
thesetresearchquestions.

TodefinedefinitivelythefactorsthatappealmosttoyoungAustralians,the
gatheringoffirsthandaccountsandinformationisnecessary.Partofthenext
aspectofresearchwouldbetogatherfirsthandinformationfromyoung
Australiansforwhichthisresearchpertains.Thiswouldcomeinformofasurvey
createdtohelpbetterunderstandboththeconsciousmusicpreferencesofyoung
people.Thesurveywouldbeaimedatpeopleagedbetween1630,covering
questionsinawrittenformatthataddressmusicalpreferences,concert
attendance,andassociationsmadewithclassicalandpopular.HeiniMielonenof
theSibeliusAcademycompletedasimilarstudyinrelationtoyoungstudents
attendingclassicalmusicinFinland 
,butresearchintothisareawithspecific
23
relationtoAustraliaislacking.

21JulianJohnson,WhoNeedsClassicalMusic?CulturalChoiceandMusicalValue

(Oxford:OxfordUniv.Press,
2002),89.
22Ibid.
23HeiniMielonen,“AttractingNewAudiences:AttitudesandExperiencesinAttendingClassicalMusic
ConcertofStudentsinTheirTwenties”(DepartmnetofMusicEducation,SibeliusAcademy,2003).

Whilethedataforthepreviousyearsartsattendancecreatewithdatafromthe
AustralianBureauofStatistic 
hasaidedinunderstandingwhatthecurrent
24
stateofconcertattendanceis,thisrelatesonlytoasmallperiodoftime.Asthis
researchrelatestopresentmusicpreferencesandhowitwillevolveinthe
future,accessingdatafrompreviousyearswillgivekeyinsightintohowmusic
preferencesmayhavechangedovertheyears,aswellasallowforthepossibility
topinpointcertainshiftsagainsttechnologicalthetechnologicaladvancements
alreadydiscussed.Studyintotheseareaswillaidinansweringtheresearch
questionsregardingthechangeandfutureevolutionsofclassicalconcerts.

Summary
ThepreferencesofmusicamongtheyoungpeopleinAustraliaisfardifferentto
thatofolderdemographicsbothintermsofpreferredgenreandmeansof
delivery.DatacollectedbytheAustralianBureauofStatisticsshowsthe
discrepancybetweenAustraliansattendingclassicalmusicagainstpopular
musicandthediscrepancyinagedemographicswithinclassicalmusic
attendance.Withtheabundanceofmusicthatisnowavailabletotheyouth
withinAustraliaasaresultoftheInternet,musicisnownotonlyaformof
entertainmentbutusedasplatformfordevelopmentandemotionalexpression.
Withthevastarrayofvisualstimulinowpartedwithmusicespeciallyinthe
formatofapopularmusicconcerts,thereisgreaterexpectationplacedupon
classicalmusictomatchthesamelevelofconcertexperiencethatyoungpeople
haveexperiencedatpopconcerts.Whiletheincreaseofconcertsthat
incorporatethesefactorssuchasmovieconcertsandperformancesinlarge
outdoorsettingshaveproventobepopularandsuccessfulinattractinglarge
numbersofnewandyoungaudiences,itcreatesthequestionofwhetherthese
changesmadearebeingmadeatthecostofloosingwhatis,thoughunappealing
toyouthinAustralia,thestandardandtraditionlongassociatedandrespected
forclassicalmusic.



24“StatisticsMainFeaturesIntroduction.html.”


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Psychiatry

16,no.2(August1,2014):120–26.
doi:10.1891/15594343.16.2.120