"Does Classical Music Matter?" - Prof. Stephanie Pitts
Wednesday, October 8th, 4.15pm - The Fothergill Theatre
"'Does classical music matter?' is a question that regular concert-goers would answer with a resounding "Yes!", but which might get more mixed or ambivalent answers in the wider population. During this platform we'll look at research that shows that audiences for classical concerts are getting older, and that there are many barriers to attendance amongst younger listeners. I'll be interested to hear whether you experience those barriers, or have a view on whether classical music matters to you. We'll talk about how audiences for many different kinds of music behave, and how the rituals of classical concert halls have formed and what they might say about the way the music is valued now and has been in the past. We'll also consider the
ways in which people use all kinds of music in their daily lives, to regulate their moods, shape the passage of time, and form identities and friendships. The answer to our question, as with all the most interesting questions, is unlikely to be straightforward - but our aim will be to find it by the end of our discussions..."
Professor Stephanie Pitts’ research and teaching interests lie in musical participation, concert audiences and music education. Her current research explores the audience experience of live listening, the teaching and learning of music in higher education, and various aspects of lifelong engagement to music. This latter idea forms her latest book, Chances and Choices: Exploring the Impact of Music Education (OUP, 2012), in which she takes a life history approach to understanding the long-term impact of music education. She contributes to MA teaching in the Psychology of Music and has founded the Sheffield Performer and Audience Research Centre (SPARC) in 2010, exploring performer and audience loyalty with a regional orchestra. Stephanie is currently the Director of Student Experience in Sheffield University’s Music Department, was Acting Head of Department (2011-12) and for three years was Assistant Director of Learning and Teaching for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. |
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