Many of these families live in down-and-out Southwest Philadelphia, and the triumph of after-school energies being diverted to the pursuit of something positive was lost on no one - least of all the nuns who run the school and are familiar with the often-trying circumstances of their students' lives.
Everyone in the room knew something significant was happening, something more than musical baby steps. Music-making often aligns with achieving greater things in life. Classical music takes discipline, focus, consensus, and a well-developed kit of problem-solving skills. Perhaps there's something, too, about re-creating the past that leads to being able visualize the future. You feel part of a bigger cultural continuum.
It's quite something to sit in a room and sense fate perhaps changing the course of children's lives. But there are implications far beyond the question of whether these particular musicians have a shot at someday playing Mozart and Mahler in Verizon Hall. This pilot program is not just about them - it's about all of us, the long-term health of arts and culture in the city, and the proliferation of an art form.
As classical music fights for its life, it has spent most of the last two decades implementing quick fixes: image-refurbishing marketing, splashier halls, social networking, changes in concert times and formats. A younger presence on the podium may bring in first-time listeners. But as audience behavior demonstrates, getting people in the first time is no hurdle; getting them to come back is.
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