Kimberley Martin wrote:

>I'm 19 and in college, majoring in music education.

Good luck with it!

>I've already found myself creating a massive gulf between "real" music
>(an expression one of my professors unwisely used) and popular music.

There's good music and bad music.  There's complicated music and
(relatively) straightforward music.  There's elitist academic music for
"insiders" and populist (as well as "popular" music) for the rest.  But
"real" and what? Unreal music? Imaginary music? Fantasy music? To my mind,
this professor has a lot of explaining to do.

>Recently, the gulf between heavy metal and symphony music has been brought
>together through Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.  I'm
>curious as to what other music-appreciative people feel about this blend.

Can't comment on it because I haven't heard it.  But although I'm not
confident that this sort of experimentation will produce results of lasting
value, I'm all in favour of it being done.  Anything that gets people who
like one kind of music to try to open their ears to other kinds is good as
far as I'm concerned.

>However some of my professors think it is a mockery of the orchestra.

Orchestras are big and tough and they've been around a long time.  They
can take it.  They'll survive most things, even music professors as daft
as that.

>Also, does anyone know of any other blends of this sort?

I seem to remember that Deep Purple and the London Symphony Orchestra did
something similar in 1970, give or take a year or two.  But not much in
between, as far as I know offhand.

>Thank You,

No trouble.  A pleasure to reply to you.  I take it from your address that
you're a percussionist - tell us more!

Ian Crisp
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