-  Faculty Experts   -  News by Topic   -  News by School Search News & Info WUSTL in the News   - Powered by Google WUSTL Home Public Affairs Home University News Medical News Sports News Radio Service Business, Law & Econ Culture & Living Science & Technology Contact Information TV/Radio Studio Visiting Our Campuses Campus Images Sports photography Commercial Filming    and Photography Commercial Use of    Names and Symbols Domain Name policy Record (newspaper) Campus Calendars WUSTL News Summary Publications Online Facts, Guides & Maps		Tip Sheet: Culture & Living Tip sheets highlight timely news and events at Washington University in St. Louis. For more information on any of the stories below or for assistance in arranging interviews, please see the contact information listed with each story. For comments on the Culture & Living news tips service, please contact the editor, Sue Killenberg McGinn at (314) 935-5254 or susan_killenberg_mcginn@aismail.wustl.edu. Tips Sheets: Business, Law & Econ | Culture & Living | Medical Science & Health | Science & Technology Take advantage of outdoor summer concerts to expose children to the standards Media assistance: Liam Otten - (314) 935-8494 Source: Sue Taylor - (314) 935-4841 Related: Festivalfinder.com Related: Festivals.com [St. Louis, Mo., June 2002] - Summer concerts in the cities and towns of America offer relaxed and inexpensive opportunities for parents to introduce their children to all kinds of music, says Sue Taylor, Ph.D., a lecturer in musicology at Washington University in St. Louis. John Philip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever," composed in 1896, is still a popular song at outdoor summer concerts. The 1898 sheet music cover page above is part of the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke University, which holds a significant collection of 19th- and early 20th-century American sheet music. Performances of light classical music, Broadway show tunes, concert band and jazz band music are offered in parks and other informal venues throughout the summer months, notes Taylor. "These concerts offer much of what we call the standards, which children today seldom encounter on their own." From the village bandstands of the early 20th century to contemporary concert shells in parks around the country, most cities and towns historically sponsor outdoor concerts, and many of them are free, Taylor notes. "Outdoor concerts are where America hears and enjoys its own music -- Broadway show tunes, jazz and pop favorites," Taylor says. "Can any American sit still as the piccolos and brass section stand up in John Philip Sousa's 'The Stars and Stripes Forever?' "These concerts afford us the opportunity to hear medleys of patriotic tunes like 'Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean' and 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' -- which children often aren't exposed to -- as well as beloved works of Vivaldi, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Copland, Gershwin, and Rodgers and Hammerstein and others. "This is the music that most parents would like their rock- and rap-loving youngsters to know," she adds. "A lawn setting allows children to move around with their friends, yet remain in contact with the music." Outdoor concerts also provide a prime opportunity for families and communities to gather together. Taylor adds that the sense of public spirit begins with the musicians themselves. "Community orchestras and bands are filled with players who donate their weekends to rehearsing and performing for the weekly concert in the park. They view it as a civic duty, despite bugs and humidity, the lugging of instruments in the heat and the inevitable summer downpour."
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