Writing Project: Orchestra Mythbuster by Amy Mbawuike Pd. 2 (Intermezzo)

Myth #1: Orchestra is dying out in America.
Many people believe, due to shifts in demographics and spiraling ticket sales, orchestra in the U.S. is fading away. However, American orchestras are evolving their business models in various ways, likeplaying in unique and extremely popular venues, like the National Parks and movie theaters, to cater to younger audiences. Smaller-scale chamber groups are adopting the symphony model by offering subscription concerts and concert tours, while orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, are teaming up with music ensembles to produce a more timely sound that is befitting of the new millennium.
Myth #2: Orchestras only play music that is archaic and irrelevant by today’s standards. For centuries, orchestras have played the works of greats like Mozart and Bach, imbuing modern audiences with the …show more content…
There are an immeasurable amount of superb and highly distinguished second violins. For instance, Ralph de Souza from the Endellion Quartet could easily lead a quartet if he chose to do so, but he would rather stick to playing second. Furthermore, with the amount of top, competitive orchestras, the Chicago Symphony and the Berlin Philharmonic being prime examples, second violins must be as good as the firsts in order to secure their spots.
Myth #6: “Forte” means loud and “piano” means soft.
When first getting acquainted with the concept of dynamics, most music students learn that the term forte means loud and piano means quiet in order to minimize any confusion. However, dynamics can be played or interpreted a variety of different ways, for each dynamic does not have any specific decibel equivalent. Forte simply means strong in Italian, and piano can mean gently or slowly, alongside its definition of “quietly.”
Myth #7: The more expensive the instrument, the better its