You may have noticed that most collectors in most areas of collecting
are over 50.  We all complain about lack of interest by the younger
generations.  Most of the younger people do not even know what mechan-
ical music is.  Being a retired educator, to me the obvious solution is
education.

When was the last time anyone has gone to a school and done a presenta-
tion?  With the financial constraints they operate under, many schools
would welcome such presentations.  But remember your audience: they
will not want boring factual presentations.  They want to hear the same
things that originally got you interested in mechanical music, such as
the story of an instrument's history or how you found it.  If you want
people to be interested, you have to bombard them with media-like
promotion.  Why do you think kids smoke and want cell phones, iPods,
and computer games?

Greg Filardo