Ask any classical music boffin, and they’ll tell you that you can’t just listen to classical music. It’s a skill that you have to learn. But what about our gut response to music – where does that come into it? 

In this episode, we ask: is there a correct way to listen to classical music? 

We recount our own experiences of being taught how to listen at school and university. We discuss what Bernstein thought the Beatles had in common with Schumann – and why drawing this comparison was controversial. And we explore how his broadcasts encouraged both emotional and intellectual responses to classical music in a way that was deeply countercultural.

From Bernstein’s archive, we meet a classical music educator eager to convert “lay listeners,” a high school senior for whom Bernstein became an emotional guide, and a young person whose concert viewing has made old before his time. 

Send us a text

Visit www.dearmaestro.org for bonus content, including letters read-out and discussed by their writers.

Email us at hello@dearmaestro.org - we'd love to hear from you!

Producers: Rowan Bishop and Kate Guthrie

Hosts: Flora Willson and Kate Guthrie

With thanks to: Cheryl Melody Baskin, Michael Ellison, Cassandra Fenton, Mark Keedwell, Melanie Shaffer, Karen Skinazi, Chuck Talley and Justin Williams.

Funded by: the Arts and Humanities Research Council.