Youth Engagement and the Future of Orchestras

INTRODUCTION

As orchestras work toward greater equity, diversity, and inclusion, can any group be more important to the future of the art form than youth? Each successive generation of Americans is more diverse in terms of race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and each is increasingly concerned for equity in the workplace. To engage with Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012, now in their teens and twenties) is to engage with the diversity of our communities, and to face up to our shortcomings when it comes to inclusion. Younger and more diverse generations expect us to up our game. And when we do, we can expect to see transformation, both in our institutions and in our art form.

Through an educational lens, orchestras have already done much creative and effective work in concerts for families and schools, classroom residencies, coaching for young musicians, and so much more. But through an inclusion lens, many have a long way to go in attracting and cultivating future musicians, leaders, and audiences from all backgrounds in ways that respect and help to address the serious challenges faced by today’s youth.

This Catalyst Guide from the League of American Orchestras shows the steps that League member orchestras are taking to center youth creativity, empower youth voices, and develop pathways to careers onstage and off, all while communicating with young people on their own terms. These are forms of inclusion that combat “adultism” (the devaluing or patronization of young people’s views and contributions) and that can unlock the new thinking needed by our institutions if we are to remain vibrant and relevant.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Empowering Youth by Fostering Growth and Inclusion

Youth, professional, and community orchestras all have the ability to foster young people’s growth as artists and leaders, in ways that promote ownership of the artform and an authentic sense of belonging. By building trust, respect, and collaboration through music, orchestras help create inclusive communities where each individual’s experiences, identities, and interests are honored. Using approaches such as student-centered teaching and Creative Youth Development can empower young people to find their authentic voices and build agency and confidence alongside musical competence.

Securing the Future Through Youth Engagement

Professional and community orchestras that actively engage and welcome youth are not only performing a vital civic service, but are also ensuring their own future vibrancy, sustainability, and relevance. Connecting with young people, adapting to their needs, and learning from their worldviews can elevate our organizations, ensure our relevance in a rapidly changing landscape, and transform the future of the art form itself. Now is the time to bring the whole organization together to authentically and consistently embrace new generations and explore what makes us truly valuable to the communities we serve.

Inclusivity: The Foundation of Youth Engagement

Inclusivity and belonging are critical to all efforts to engage a youth population that is increasingly diverse in terms of race, sexual identity, and gender orientation, and that is focused on new socio-economic priorities. Youth orchestras often lead the way in this work.

Empowering Youth Voices in Orchestras

Youth orchestras place young people’s individual interests and identities at the heart of their programs, and many professional and community orchestras are now following their example. As a result, youth are not only shaping their own learning journeys but are also inspiring new initiatives and innovative artistic works. In the most progressive orchestras, young people are contributing fresh perspectives to management and governance or composing fresh new works, becoming vital changemakers where they’re needed most. Furthermore, some orchestras are creating inclusive pathways for young people towards both musician and management roles, ensuring a future for the field that is diverse, dynamic, and bold.

Creating Safe Spaces and Building Trust

Youth, professional, and community orchestras all have a responsibility to foster a safe environment for the youth they serve, especially considering the mental health challenges faced by many young people and the ongoing marginalization of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. It is essential to continually evaluate the impact of our efforts on each individual’s life and to implement trauma-informed practices that protect today’s youth. Collaborating with other organizations trusted by young people is crucial for our success—these partnerships not only provide critical expertise and broaden the opportunities we can offer, but also help us establish a safe, supportive environment and build trust.

Creating Safe Spaces and Building Trust

Youth, professional, and community orchestras all have a responsibility to foster a safe environment for the youth they serve, especially considering the mental health challenges faced by many young people and the ongoing marginalization of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. It is essential to continually evaluate the impact of our efforts on each individual’s life and to implement trauma-informed practices that protect today’s youth. Collaborating with other organizations trusted by young people is crucial for our success—these partnerships not only provide critical expertise and broaden the opportunities we can offer, but also help us establish a safe, supportive environment and build trust.

Transforming Orchestras Through Youth Engagement

Prioritizing effective youth engagement can significantly transform professional and community orchestras for the better. The expertise of education and community engagement (EdCE) staff in listening to and responding to young people’s needs can enhance many aspects of orchestra operations, from audience experience and marketing to strategic planning. To realize this potential, strong leadership is essential, along with a thorough assessment of departmental needs and a commitment to balancing tradition with the need for change.

CHAPTER 1: WHY YOUTH ENGAGEMENT?

There are three key reasons why youth engagement is central to the future of orchestras. First, it’s a moral imperative to provide young people with equitable engagement with the orchestral art form. “We’re working with an education system that was not designed for all young people to have equitable resources,” notes Gary Padmore, Vice President, Education and Community Engagement at the New York Philharmonic. “Our work is not just supplementing but truly creating awareness of systemic issues and how they can change.”

Second, it’s a creative imperative. Ultimately, this is about building a future stronger and more dynamic than our present. How can we give youth the chance to create their own emotional connection to orchestral music? How can youth help us build the future of our art?

Third, it’s a business imperative: American orchestras need young people representing the full diversity of all Americans. Plenty of young people are clamoring to get involved as players, staff, audience, and donors, inspired to help us evolve and remain relevant from within.

A 2023 survey of over 500 young classical musicians from about 30 youth orchestras and college music programs paints a telling portrait of Gen Z’s most orchestra-oriented members. Lindsey Nova, Executive Director of Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestras in Pittsburgh, and Sonja Thoms, Executive Director of the Wheeling Symphony in West Virginia and Founder of the next-generation orchestra leadership organization OrchestraCareers.com, designed the survey and presented results at the 2023 National Conference of the League of American Orchestras.

Key findings are promising: two-thirds of respondents had interest in or a primary goal of becoming a professional musician, just under half had interest in or the goal of becoming orchestra staff, and almost all aim to become audience members and donors. But the open-ended responses offer critiques. Many called for professional and community orchestras to do more to diversify repertoire, orchestra musicians, and guest artists, and to communicate more effectively with younger people.

Reflecting on the survey, Nova urges orchestras to take young people seriously. “It’s such a no-brainer. Get them in early and you’ll have them forever.”

While Nova and Thoms’ survey results can’t be analyzed by racial/ethnic group, there are signs that students from all backgrounds are not yet equally bought in. Young BIPOC musicians in the orchestra program at the Talent Unlimited Performing Arts High School in New York City recently talked with our co-author Megan Delatour, director of the program and an alumna of the League’s Essentials of Orchestra Management Program. Did the young musicians want to be in a major U.S. orchestra one day? Based on what they’d seen, their answer was no: they did not feel seen by these institutions. Delatour reported the students’ insights to the League of American Orchestras board. The students’ response illustrates that, as with all equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) work, authentic and inclusive youth engagement takes humility, focused effort, and field-wide efforts to address under-representation and exclusion.

Read the League’s new Youth Engagement and the Future of Orchestras Catalyst Guide online or directly download the PDF.

The Catalyst Fund Incubator, Catalyst Guides, and Catalyst Snapshots are made possible by the Mellon Foundation. Additional support for this Catalyst Guide is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.