The remarks posted earlier about the need to welcome young people if
interest in mechanical music is to continue certainly hit home with me.
My own experience of bringing a child to an AMICA convention was far
more positive than Andy Taylor's.

I took my daughter, who was three at the time, to a convention in
Portland, and she was welcomed at the evening concert and other events.
Yet, on many other occasions, I have seen indifference and active
resistance to adapting events to involve younger adults and children.

The problem is not unique to AMICA; I recall discussing this issue
with a leader from one of the European collectors' groups whose
response was, "It is not my job to be nice to children."  And that
sensitive remark came from one of the younger people in the hobby.

It is disturbing to me that mechanical music events are very inward
looking.  The conventions that I have attended have not included any
type of outreach -- nothing at all to educate and interest the general
public in mechanical music.  Local events are focused on socializing
among members.

Although I can say that I've been graciously welcomed into many
homes to attend these events, I can't say that what goes on at them
would appeal to a novice.  I recall that on my first visit to a local
meeting, I used the term "player piano" to refer to a very fine Duo-Art,
and got a very snooty response for failing to say "reproducing piano".
Since I was no novice to the hobby, I had no problem holding my own
in that situation, but newcomers would surely have been put off.

On top of the snobbery, the mechanical music community suffers from
racism and homophobia to a degree which is obvious, thoroughly offensive
and out of keeping with the times, and this comes out in the small talk
at local meetings and conventions alike.

There are young audiences for all manner of old things -- witness the
popularity of Society for Creative Anachronism and Steampunk -- but
the young engage with old things in their own ways.

Mechanical music is inherently interesting.  Mechanical music hobbyists
are not.  If we want to interest new people in the subject, we must
reach out into their world on their terms.  We need meaningful outreach.

Meta Brown