VINTAGE SPEAKERS FIND NEW LIFE WITH IUPUI MUSICIANS

Toulouse is the program director and host of Classical Music Indy’s signature program, Classical Music with Michael Toulouse. His syndicated program airs on WICR as well as other stations. “I’ve been around long enough to witness a lot of change in broadcasting, but no matter what the current technology is, people will always be communicating,” Toulouse says. “That’s our real job and our bigger mission—communicating about the music.”

Covering central Indiana’s classical music scene gives Toulouse a strong local following, but he also hears from people who follow from afar through online listening and syndicated broadcasts of his show. “As I speak into the microphone, I want people to have the sense that I am talking directly to them, that I’m a companion, listening along with them.”

CULTIVATING AN APPETITE FOR CLASSICAL MUSIC

For Classical Music Indy and other like-minded organizations that want to spread passion for classical music, radio stations like WICR make natural allies. Radio and online listening are still the most popular ways to consume audio, and they make classical music affordable and accessible to everyone. Radio’s classical music audience has been stable for the past five to seven years, and stations that play it are committed to recruiting new fans. “Our challenge at WICR is the same as any performing classical music group,” Uecker says. “We have to find ways to get younger audiences to listen to the music, and we hope some of them will develop a love for it. It’s not that young people don’t like classical music; they just don’t know it.”

In the local market, one of the most visible champions for giving people their first taste of classical music is Kyle Long, host of a public radio program at WFYI, Cultural Manifesto. “My show isn’t tied to any particular genre or time period,” Long says. “I will have a classical musician or composer in the same episode as a rapper from the community. I am trying to engage a wide audience and encourage people to open up and listen to things outside their typical diet of music.”

As America’s broadest and most inclusive path to classical music, public radio has a growing audience, especially among listeners who are bored by corporate dominance and generic ideas. Their craving for local content gives Long creative freedom to explore arcane topics and to mine the local music ecology. “The same impulse that drives people toward the local food movement is driving them to the kind of radio programming we’re doing at WFYI and the kind of programming Classical Music Indy is doing, as well.” ■

On our 50th anniversary, we celebrate radio’s power to share music that stirs our imaginations, gives us refuge and transports us to places we’ve never been before. Keep reading and see how the digital age is changing the way we listen and expanding our taste in music.

My Music. My Story.

MUSICAL SCORES AREN’T JUST FOR MOVIES. HERE’S HOW YOUR NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS ARE CURATING MUSIC TO ACCOMPANY THEM THROUGH EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE. ____

by Crystal Hammon

I listen to various types of music, but R&B and Hispanic are my favorites. I’ve grown up listening to R&B, and I started listening to Hispanic music when I became interested in Hispanic culture. When we’re in the car, I listen to the radio. At home, I listen to a playlist I have set up in SoundCloud. I listen before school and when I get home in the afternoon until late at night. I turn to music when I’m sick or when I’m in a good mood. Usually, it makes me feel happy. Favorite groups: Migos and Destiny’s Child.

I’m all over the place with my listening habits. I listen to music every single way that you possibly can. I feel like a lot people my age do that, too. Radio has been a constant, and it’s probably the easiest way to listen to music. When I listen to radio, I feel like I listen differently than other people. I want to critique it. I’m constantly paying attention to what songs they are playing, what’s popular and who is popular. Despite all the other avenues for listening, it’s [radio] still a thriving industry. That said, I use those other avenues, too. I have Spotify on my phone, and I use it to look for music and search for new artists.

MALLORY MORENO

Digital Media Manager, WICR, University of Indianapolis I listen to music pretty much all the time. I love cranking up the tunes in my car. I listen to my iPod all day at work. At home, we have a stereo system that plays throughout the house, including outdoors. Experiencing music live is the best way to listen, though. Some of my favorite bands allow taping and streaming of their shows, which is a great way to get that live vibe when going to a show isn’t possible. I believe in supporting artists whose work I enjoy, and I purchase a lot of music, mainly digitally, but sometimes CDs, too. I don’t use streaming services like Spotify or Pandora partly for that reason, but I do appreciate how the Internet has made so much music available that wouldn’t have been heard otherwise.

LISA BENJAMIN

Information & Technology Coordinator, Coburn Place I listen to music every single day. I tend to use my ITunes to go back through albums I haven’t listened to in a while or to rediscover old favorites. You can get a good survey of new albums or new groups on YouTube, especially if they aren’t on Spotify. When I’m traveling long distances, sometimes an FM station doesn’t hold out very long. Trying to find a station can be annoying. I’ll usually listen to whatever music is on my phone to avoid burning through data. If I’m looking for new music in my favorite genres—progressive or post-progressive rock—it will be in the morning before work, based on website reviews from ProgReport.com, Prog-Sphere.com or ItDjents.com. To find new classical music, I’m a little biased toward New Amsterdam Records, one of the big, new classical music labels in the United States. They are releasing most of the new classical albums that interest me.

MACKENZIE LAMONT, PH.D.

Composer, percussionist and graduate of University of Indianapolis and the University of Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music, music faculty at Frostburg State University

At one time, my sister and I had a collection of over 4,000 different discs. Streaming is now my favorite way to listen because I can program what I want and make my own playlists, whether it’s cool club music, electric blues, Delta blues or soothing music to chill with. You can be specific to whatever your mode is. When I’m cleaning the house, I can put in strong upbeats to get me fired up and going. To me, that’s the beauty of streaming. I listen to music all day long. Music keeps us chugging along and happy in the store. I’ve created a Bob Dylan and Van Morrison station and it has their music plus a lot of music they thought was good. When I set diamonds, I love to listen to country music. It doesn’t highlow you. It’s kind of working-man-pullsyou-through. Repetitive, fine motor work doesn’t need crashing drums or guitars. Also opera is just fantastic to work by.

DAVID FISHMAN

Co-owner of Fishman Fine Jewelers, Carmel I listen to everything from classic rock to gospel and everything between. At school, we play classical, jazz and piano music every day for eight to 10 hours a day. Lately, I’ve carried an ITunes subscription for my family. Its For You section makes it very convenient to find new music. It pulls me away from the radio by creating playlists and stations based on my likes, but it also throws in new stuff that keeps you moving in different directions. I like that because you can get very stuck in what you know, and you don’t hear any new music. My radio listening is mainly for morning and afternoon news, and sometimes, 88.7 WICR for classical music, or 105.7 WYXB, which is family-friendly soft rock.

NATHAN TUTTLE, CEO

Head of School, Edison School of the Arts for kindergarten through eighth-grade students For me, music is a primary focus of my every day life. Everything I do revolves around it. It’s my source of creativity. When I’m working on a collection, I find songs that stimulate me. I daydream and visualize what goes with the music. That’s how I create runway shows. People will ask me, “What are we going to see?” And I’ll say, “I don’t know yet because I haven’t found the right music.” I listen to music more than I watch TV. In my boutique and workspace, I’m constantly listening to YouTube. I like the way they arrange two or three hours of uninterrupted music. It helps me maintain a certain energy. In the car, I have Sirius radio, but I notice it becomes redundant—no different from a radio station. It’s just not unique enough for me. I like chill, progressive trance music or instrumental music with a strong bass line.

NIKKI BLAINE

Owner/designer, Nikki Blaine Couture