Daily Bow: Lang Lang and the Next Generation



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Pianist Lang Lang Takes Responsibility for Inspiring the Next Generation of Musicians

For many musicians, there is often a specific piece or moment that they associate with their decision to become a musician. Whether it’s a radio broadcast or a live concert, one composer’s work can capture a child’s imagination and lead them to years of subsequent musical discoveries. For the world-renown pianist Lang Lang, it was as simple as watching Satruday morning cartoons. At the age of three, he heard Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No.2, which was in the accompanying score of a Tom and Jerry cartoon. He has been hooked on piano ever since.

Although a little Liszt in a children’s TV show may seem trivial, it can really have a big effect. Lang Lang’s parents, who were musicians, seized upon the opportunity and started teaching him piano. But the less musically inclined might not know what to do if their child asks them about the music playing in the background of a cartoon, even less if they say they want to start playing an instrument just because of the show. But it really can be that easy to get a kid hooked on classical music. A first discovery leads to another, and eventually these experiences can add up to a lifetime of musical involvement.

One might ask, however, how kids can start learning more about music if their parnets aren’t particularly musical themselves. The answer, as Lang Lang acknowledges, is that the current generation of musicians is responsible for teaching and inspiring the youth:

We need to take responsiblity to inspire kdis because maybe a simple conversation with kids can inspire them and give them passion and confidence in music. And also, as artists, we need to show our caring toward the next generation. Because, in today’s society, classical music is not in the main spotlight. That’s a reality, especially among the younger generation. A lot of them have never experienced what a classical music concert is or what a music class is. So we have to give extra care to the kids who have music talent in themselves but never discovered it in their lives.

In a society that has experienced difficulty bringing the younger generation into concert halls, the duty to fix that falls upon the musicians. While we all had our experiences that brought us into music and had the teachers and opportunites that allowed us further develop that love of music, it’s not as easy for the younger generation to do so. The interent gives them access to an entire world of culture and media, and classical music isn’t always on the frontpage of Reddit. That’s why artists like Lang Lang have a responsiblity to the younger generation. Just as they got hooked on music at an early age, they can help inspire kids too. Even “a simple conversation” can change the course of a child’s life forever, helping them to discover music in their daily lives.

Did you have a childhood experience that started your love of music? How else can we bring children closer to musical experiences in their daily lives? Comment below!




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