GRANT WIGGINS

Hopewell, N.J., Nov. 19, 2012

As someone who grew up thinking I was the only one my age who listened to classical music, I am as concerned as you are. But you say we need to be “weaned away from the cacophony of rock.” This is where you lose me.

That argument is, frankly, condescending and counterproductive. Nothing about classical music is intrinsically superior to any other kind of music. You will find as much artistry in certain parts of the rock world as you will in classical music, albeit of a very different kind. Young people need to come to classical music on their own terms, and telling them they should abandon another kind of music that they love is not the way to accomplish this.

Also, think of how many great classical pieces were condemned as cacophonous when they were premiered: Beethoven’s “Grosse Fuge,” for example, or Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.”

I appreciate your concern for the future of classical music, but please, please, never pit classical music against rock, because the latter will almost always win, and it isn’t a choice anyone should ever have to make anyway.

CHARLIE VOLOW

Williamstown, Mass., Nov. 19, 2012

It is not children who should be wooed to the classical canon, but young and early middle-aged adults. Although I was lucky enough to attend Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts as a child, it wasn’t until my late 20s that I realized, as a sometime rock musician and composer, that the New York Philharmonic was as thrilling in concert as The Who or Eric Clapton.

Once one comprehends the high level of precision that goes into classical performance, the multitude of varying melodies presented by each piece and the emotional ride that a symphony orchestra can provide, there is no going back. In addition, pop music often doesn’t wear well with the years, and its audience is pining for new adventures in music.

BERNARD LANGS

New Providence, N.J., Nov. 19, 2012

Exposure to classical music (and sneaking it in through movies and cartoons) is fine, but what is really likely to make a difference is experience playing classical music. Until recently this was possible only for children whose parents had the means to buy instruments and pay for private lessons.