Note: a version of this piece originally appeared in the Traverse City Record-Eagle as part of the "Tuning In" series.
One challenge we face on Classical IPR is finding the right balance of music and talking.
Our hosts tell the stories of the performers, composers or pieces of music. We also talk about upcoming concerts in the region or promote special features coming up in our broadcasts.
We want to be informative without being intrusive, but we don’t always get it right.
“You must really love the sound of your own voice because you just talk so much,” one listener wrote to me recently. “Just SHUT UP and play the music!”
Humbly, it’s not the sound of my own voice that I love but rather the information I’m sharing. I get excited and want other people to know it too. But apparently I go overboard sometimes, at least according to this listener.
We also invite musicians on the air for interviews. These conversations are usually focused on upcoming concerts in the region, so we talk with the musicians about who they are and why they’re here.
We recently profiled Interlochen Arts Academy students who went on the Imagine US: Celebrating America at 250 tour in March.
Currently, we’re talking with adults who are learning a new musical instrument in the Traverse City Philharmonic’s Act 2 beginner band.
We think these conversations shed light on musical life here in northern Michigan.
For some listeners, those interviews involve far too much talking and detract from the music.
As one listener wrote recently after hearing an interview, “All of this talking is not a pleasant listening experience. I humbly request going back to scheduling beautiful classical music.”
We also play short clips of listeners’ voices talking about seasonal topics. In the last few months, we played listeners’ voices telling us what they like about fall and winter.
Right now, in celebration of America 250, we’re asking listeners to tell us about the most beautiful place they’ve visited in the United States.
But not everyone enjoys hearing these listeners' voices on the air, either.
As one person wrote, “I listen to IPR for the music and am increasingly tired of these interruptions to programming. You may lose my support.”
As I’ve written here before, we can’t please all the people all the time. We want our listeners to hear classical music, of course, but we also want them to hear the poetry that inspired a piece of music, or learn about an Interlochen alum who has a new album out. We also like to share listeners’ voices and give a sense of our community on the air.
What do you think? What is the right amount and kind of talking on Classical IPR? Are interviews with musicians on Classical IPR an enjoyable listening experience? Do you enjoy hearing voices of fellow listeners talking about seasonal topics? Does talking enhance your listening experience or detract from it? Send your thoughts to amanda.sewell@interlochen.org
