Making Multimedia Work

Most arts orga­ni­za­tions grossly under­uti­lize the power of mul­ti­me­dia to add a whole new dimen­sion to their art form (with fund­ing being what it is, most arts orga­ni­za­tions have piti­ful web­sites, never mind mul­ti­me­dia.) But, mul­ti­me­dia has the power to add lay­ers of mean­ing and under­stand­ing to the per­form­ing arts and, in turn, get ‘bums in seats.’

It is com­mon knowl­edge that younger folks lack inter­est in sym­phony. The San Fran­cisco Symphony’s Keep­ing Score ini­tia­tive is tack­ling this issue. With ded­i­cated web­sites on com­po­si­tions by Beethoven, Stravin­sky and Copeland they make the most of the media by offer­ing fun, inter­ac­tive opportunities. 

Try your hand at being a con­duc­tor for Stravinsky’s Right of Spring. Prac­tice mod­u­la­tion like Beethoven did. The deeper you dig the more you find. It’s rather addic­tive. And, the web is inte­grated into a pro­gram that includes TV, radio, class­room workshops. 

It’s a les­son how to keep the arts rel­e­vant to audi­ences who may not pick up a haughty brochure or read sym­phony reviews in the paper. It’s not just about adding a face­book link or mak­ing con­certs avail­able on youtube. It’s about mak­ing the medium work for your intended audience.