You don't dumb down or smarten up any art.  The composer wrote it, the
performer realized it, the listener heard it, each in keeping with his
or her own readiness to communicate.  You like it or you don't; all an
education will do is give you more words in which to express your
reactions.

At the risk of pushing the topic in a different direction -- I'm less
afraid of "dumbing down" and more afraid that classical music may be
running out of refuges.  Let's face it; a 90 piece orchestra is one hungry
animal to house.  Classical radio stations are neck and neck with the
left-handed pika for extinction.  I suppose you could argue that without
education there won't be people willing to go to concerts and support local
orchestras.  You could also argue that unless concerts start vending bagel
dogs and peach wine coolers, even educated people are more likely to stay
home and watch Monday Nitro.

Classical is a hard sell.  It does take some time to listen and a
willingness to let the music talk to you, instead of passively letting it
bypass the ears and send shock waves directly into the skull.  But does
that make a "good" listener an "elitist"?

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