For the past couple of years there’s been a growing trend in Indonesian music school society to hold concerts in shopping malls. The reason is a cliché: where would be the best place to sell things but in a place full of people? And just like any marketing formula, people working to sell music education also seem to think that the product must be brought to the customer. In some part this makes a damn good sense, especially in the market where more and more competitors emerge. Another thing is, with the raising of middle-class society in Asian markets, including Indonesia, more and more households opt for music education for their children. So music schools must act quickly now by reaching out to its potential customers.
The music school where I work is one of those in business who is quite seized by this trend. When I started working there in 2007, I was asking myself like, “What??? Are they really going to sell performance of children who play 16-bars music to the public? (And often played badly too?)”Astonishingly though, a lot of parents don’t mind at all, and in fact, they are really proud that their children can already “perform” in public at such a tender age. Even more astonishing is that not so many teachers care so much about the content of the performance. Those who support this kind of event usually say that this gives the children an opportunity to build confidence before they could play in a “serious” concert. So it seems that this new marketing gimmick finds favour in pupils and their parents.
But then, on the first place, wasn’t it designed to aim for those people who are out there? This could seem like getting two things for the price of one: The schools are making their customers happy while trying to get new customers. But I don’t think we can measure the success of such program with the same sticks.
First of all, the questions I have in mind vis-à-vis getting new customers: (1) Is it really effective? Nobody hasn’t been able to prove that by doing this, the number of students enrollling increases by so-and-so percent. (2) Can music education (not so much as classical music) be taken as common good just like a piece of clothing or book or donut and thus be sold at public area like that? I think not. Being a still exclusive good (although no longer luxurious), music education isn’t something people impulsively “buy”. The decision in getting your children music education are influenced by so many things, just like when people are buying a car. Any sensible parents would ask themselves and their kids a lot of questions before they decide to go for it. I don’t think anyone who bumps into this kind of concert while shopping for a new pair of jeans will immediately enroll their offsprings to the nearest music institution the following day.
On the other side, when the school authorities say that this kind of event builds confidence in children, I must say that this is one of the biggest crap they could invent. I once prepared my kids for an event at a food court, and true, they played with more confidence that for a while I thought this trick really works. But then I found out that they were at ease because of one reason and one reason only: they think no one is really listening! They thought that people would just stop by for a while and with all the sounds from shops and cafes, no one could ever absorp anything and thus no one would critize nor comment any mistakes they’ve done. But once they’re back in even a small-scoped, closely-observed routines like studio classes, they’re back to having cold feet again. Once in a regular studio class where a lot of parents attended, all my kids played so badly that I had to make each and every one of them played everything again. When I asked one pupil, she said it’s because a lot of parents were there and the rest oft the class promptly shouting their amens. I think studio class is even more effective in building the “right” confidence in young musicians. It’s never easy playing for other people, even more for a lot of people, but when they want to do it they have to have the right confidence by knowing that they have worked hard to prepare themselves as best as they can and not by knowing that they won’t be reprimanded for any flaws in the performance. And sure, a lot of parents, when they enroll their children to music schools, have absolutely no idea what is required in a performance and how it should be done, but isn’t it our job as teachers to teach them that their children is never too young to share what is called a good music? And that they must take it seriously and see to it, because if they don’t, who else would want to do that?
A day after Christmas, the music school where I work gave a concert in one of the shopping center in the city. One of my students was playing Chopin’s waltz and I thought she played beautifully, but then her playing had to compete with all kinds of music from every corner of the plaza and the sound of people chattering that in the end, nothing good was much left. What a sad waste, if not complete. She worked hard for that piece and when she had the chance to share it, no one cared enough to appreciate the genius of Chopin and the process involved in bringing the music out. That night I decided to go my own way and hopefully, in time, some people can prove me wrong or they will finally see reason.
(Imported blog)
The music school where I work is one of those in business who is quite seized by this trend. When I started working there in 2007, I was asking myself like, “What??? Are they really going to sell performance of children who play 16-bars music to the public? (And often played badly too?)”Astonishingly though, a lot of parents don’t mind at all, and in fact, they are really proud that their children can already “perform” in public at such a tender age. Even more astonishing is that not so many teachers care so much about the content of the performance. Those who support this kind of event usually say that this gives the children an opportunity to build confidence before they could play in a “serious” concert. So it seems that this new marketing gimmick finds favour in pupils and their parents.
But then, on the first place, wasn’t it designed to aim for those people who are out there? This could seem like getting two things for the price of one: The schools are making their customers happy while trying to get new customers. But I don’t think we can measure the success of such program with the same sticks.
First of all, the questions I have in mind vis-à-vis getting new customers: (1) Is it really effective? Nobody hasn’t been able to prove that by doing this, the number of students enrollling increases by so-and-so percent. (2) Can music education (not so much as classical music) be taken as common good just like a piece of clothing or book or donut and thus be sold at public area like that? I think not. Being a still exclusive good (although no longer luxurious), music education isn’t something people impulsively “buy”. The decision in getting your children music education are influenced by so many things, just like when people are buying a car. Any sensible parents would ask themselves and their kids a lot of questions before they decide to go for it. I don’t think anyone who bumps into this kind of concert while shopping for a new pair of jeans will immediately enroll their offsprings to the nearest music institution the following day.
On the other side, when the school authorities say that this kind of event builds confidence in children, I must say that this is one of the biggest crap they could invent. I once prepared my kids for an event at a food court, and true, they played with more confidence that for a while I thought this trick really works. But then I found out that they were at ease because of one reason and one reason only: they think no one is really listening! They thought that people would just stop by for a while and with all the sounds from shops and cafes, no one could ever absorp anything and thus no one would critize nor comment any mistakes they’ve done. But once they’re back in even a small-scoped, closely-observed routines like studio classes, they’re back to having cold feet again. Once in a regular studio class where a lot of parents attended, all my kids played so badly that I had to make each and every one of them played everything again. When I asked one pupil, she said it’s because a lot of parents were there and the rest oft the class promptly shouting their amens. I think studio class is even more effective in building the “right” confidence in young musicians. It’s never easy playing for other people, even more for a lot of people, but when they want to do it they have to have the right confidence by knowing that they have worked hard to prepare themselves as best as they can and not by knowing that they won’t be reprimanded for any flaws in the performance. And sure, a lot of parents, when they enroll their children to music schools, have absolutely no idea what is required in a performance and how it should be done, but isn’t it our job as teachers to teach them that their children is never too young to share what is called a good music? And that they must take it seriously and see to it, because if they don’t, who else would want to do that?
A day after Christmas, the music school where I work gave a concert in one of the shopping center in the city. One of my students was playing Chopin’s waltz and I thought she played beautifully, but then her playing had to compete with all kinds of music from every corner of the plaza and the sound of people chattering that in the end, nothing good was much left. What a sad waste, if not complete. She worked hard for that piece and when she had the chance to share it, no one cared enough to appreciate the genius of Chopin and the process involved in bringing the music out. That night I decided to go my own way and hopefully, in time, some people can prove me wrong or they will finally see reason.
(Imported blog)
