· Engagement of the body and mind are two very different concepts that need to be defined when analyzing performance. First of all, I need to clarify that everyone experiences music differently in their mind and body. As a musician and consumer of music, I subconsciously attach meaning to every piece of music I hear. I experience different kinds of music in a certain way due to my life experiences and surroundings.
After participating in performances and being an audience member several times in my life, I have appreciated the difference between these two roles. Although these two roles look different in various genres, they are equally important. The listener’s job is to observe the music, and the performer’s job is to convey the music’s messages effectively. Naturally, the role of the performer and audience causes a divide of emotions and responses in the body. The performers are experiencing emotions in their bodies that they have tied to the piece.
In contrast with the performer, the audience hears the music for the first time, which triggers a genuine and vulnerable reaction. To fully experience music, a listener must feel comfortable letting down their guard. Since the listener is experiencing the music for the first time, it is more likely that they will use the music to relate to different aspects of their lives. It is not socially acceptable to fully engage at the moment when listening to a performance of classical music. Because of this and these rules of classical music set during the romantic period, people engage intellectually rather than physically with classical music.
This is an unspoken rule stemming from presidents set in during the Romantic Period. Before this time face, people could move freely throughout classical music concerts. The prestige centered around how an audience member should engage with classical music puts up barriers that make it hard for me to engage with the music fully. I am not saying that engagement in classical music is not accessible to me, but it takes more brainpower to appreciate the music entirely; I find myself engaging less physically. I have a hard time connecting with many parts of classical music after listening to it for the first time. Classical music is an intellectual experience because I am pushed to find deeper meaning. Pop is more accessible to engage with, in my opinion, because it is structured around a participatory performance. The performer feeds off of the audience’s energy and vice versa. I think this is because there are no preconceived notions of how audience members should act; everyone is free to experience the music in the way that best suits them.
The genre of the music is a critical factor in determining the behavior at a classical music concert. If the music is more innovative and if the performer is engaged, then it will pull the audience in. Although the type of music that is being performed influences the audience’s behavior, the weight lies on the performer. If a performer is actively working to draw the audience in, it will reflect in their behavior. Generally, there is an unspoken word of an edict in classical music concerts. At most classical music concerts, it is the norm to be silent end have minimal movement. Classical music is profoundly intellectual and requires the listener to want to be part of the audience and think deeply.
In contrast, popular music serves as more of participatory performance. At a famous music concert, everyone is expected to move and feel the music in their whole body. In Alicia Keys’ performance for “Falling,” she feeds off the audience’s energy and vice versa. In popular music, it is up to the audience to set the performance’s mood. The connection between the performer and audience in Classical music forms an emotional bond that helps the audience relate to the music. In Classical music, the audience observes the performance but does not participate.
Q Classical Explosion 