Clarification

I’ve gotten two e-mails about my “Media world” post, from people who got the idea that I’m impressed because guys in the Marines put Carmina Burana — a classical piece — on DVDs they made about their time in Iraq. So I guess I didn’t write clearly enough. Really, I do know that Carmina Burana has been heard a lot in pop culture; I wouldn’t conclude that anyone who uses it on the soundtrack of their homemade movie is sophisticated in any way about classical music. What I wanted to say, instead, was that guys in the Marines are making such capable DVDs, no matter what music they use. I see classical music organizations trying to bring new listeners in, and assuming that these new listeners need to approach classical music by taking baby steps. And then I see people out there in the world, with no special education, making movies on their own. Our hoped-for new audience, I have to conclude, is far ahead of us.