Margaret Kartomi and Kay Dreyfus

Melbourne: Lyrebird Press 2007

ISBN 978734037688 ISSN 13255266 186pp

Reviewed by Iain Giblin

One of the most notable features of music in the West is that over many years different kinds of institutions have emerged to service the music. When thinking of youth orchestras it is reflex to think of concerts and the like, that is, the most conspicuous aspects. Perhaps it is not surprising then that the function and structure of these institutions is not immediately obvious. Growing Up Making Music: Youth Orchestras in Australia and the World (Lyrebird Press, 2007) is a valuable scholarly resource that investigates many of the hidden aspects of youth orchestras, such as repertoire selection, equity, access, and funding.

This collection of papers is based on archival and field research by academics from Monash University and although the main focus is on the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) there is plenty of comparative work on international youth orchestras. The emergence of the youth orchestra in the first half of the twentieth century in Europe and America, and its subsequent replication across the world, has not been a consistent phenomenon. The book traces the different kinds of youth orchestras and the different issues that attend these orchestras.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect that emerges from the book is the explicit concern youth orchestras place on their political role. Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said's courageous West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is an example of a youth orchestra with a political goal, and Ben Etherington's chapter on this provides an admirable treatment of the intellectual framework that motivates the subject. However, nearly all of the youth orchestras mentioned in the book incorporate social goals, such as assistance to under-privileged families, social inequalities, regional disadvantage. It is clear that youth orchestras have a role that extends far beyond their functional ability to train young musicians for a career as an orchestral musician.

There are some interesting issues that emerge when considering the ages of the members in the youth orchestra, and these issues are not consistent across instrumental groups. For example, the popularity of the flute creates greater demand and higher standards, but this means flautists tend to be older and then the demands of the orchestra compete with work commitments. Another interesting issue is repertoire selection: do youth orchestras (and their audiences) place special constraints or opportunities on the selection of repertoire? This particular question moves from mundane concerns like whether a young percussionist can sit through the extended silences of Tristan and Isolde, to more difficult themes, such as the young musician's ability to appreciate and express the broader significance of complex works. David Pear's chapter on repertoire selection is a valuable guide to the finely nuanced questions that arise from this issue.

Growing Up Making Music: Youth Orchestras in Australia and the World is a fine academic work that will provide researchers and participants with a significant framework for the study of this important cultural institution. The detailed and comprehensive research addresses numerous questions without sacrificing depth. The topics are well chosen and approached in a variety of ways so that scholars from many different musical traditions can learn a great deal about the structure and function of the youth orchestra.