A Step In The Right Direction: Youth Orchestras

Everyone is well aware of the fact that in general today's youth seem to be pretty uninterested in Classical Music. This worries me as Classical Musicians are aging fast and someone needs to step in eventually to fill their shoes. The El Paso Symphony Orchestra may have the solution to get today's youngsters involved in the music making process. They have announced that they will be starting three youth orchestras. There will be three ensembles: The El Paso Youth Orchestra for the most experienced musicians aged 14-23. The El Paso Youth Symphony is a full-orchestra for musicians of intermediate experience older than 11. And the El Paso Youth String Ensemble is a string group for musicians with very limited ensemble experience. Benjamin Loeb, music director of the El Paso Youth Choir and a piano teacher at the El Paso Conservatory of Music, will lead the ensembles. Hopefully this trend will catch on and spread to cities all throughout the United States and help bring about a whole new generation of Classical Music lovers. [From The El Paso Times]