INSTRUMENT OF CHANGE VIOLINIST JOSHUA BELL HOPES THAT PERFORMING FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES WILL ALTER THEIR PERCEPTION OF CLASSICAL MUSIC.

Byline: Sandra Barrera Staff Writer

Joshua Bell was too young to have grown up watching Leonard Bernstein's ``Young People's Concert'' on television.

The program -- said to have introduced a generation to the joys of classical music during its 14-year run -- went off the air shortly after Bell received his first violin. Because of that, the 38-year-old behind the just-released ``Voice of the Violin'' disc says he doesn't know how effective the program was in reaching its target audience.

But he has his doubts.

``From what I understand, it was mostly adults that ended up getting something out of it,'' says Bell, whose belief that ``we need to experiment with ways of reaching young people'' finds him performing on Saturday with the college-age members of the Colburn Orchestra in a 2 p.m. concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The performance comes midway through a 2 1/2-week stint with the L.A. Philharmonic, which picks up on Wednesday with a chamber concert and follows through that Sunday with the Brahms violin concerto, including a casual Friday event.

Bell is a big fan of dressing down. The boyishly handsome native of Bloomington, Ind., is, in fact, known for performing in casual trousers and untucked button-down shirts -- a sticking point for members of the L.A. Phil who recently joked, ``Don't forget, it's a casual concert tomorrow.''

Taking it to the streets

All kidding aside Bell believes his laid-back style has helped win over students at the inner-city schools he often visits.

``I like visiting schools where kids don't get exposed to classical music,'' he says. ``I feel like I can go in there and be some sort of role model in a way because I love music. I love doing what I'm doing. I've made a career out of it, and I think it's good for young people to see that someone can make a life out of music, like I saw when I was a kid.''

Bell was given his first violin at age 4, after his psychologist parents noticed him plucking out tunes on stretched-out rubber bands. He didn't get serious about the instrument for another eight years.

There were too many distractions, from video games to competitive tennis. Then he met Josef Gingold, a renowned violinist who would become his beloved teacher and mentor, and the music rubbed off on him.

Bell made his national debut at 14 with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Carnegie Hall, the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and a recording contract at 18 further confirmed him a prodigious talent.

In the two decades since his first album, Bell and his 18th-century Stradivarius continue to amaze listeners. Just last week he got the first-ever standing ovation in the history -- albeit a brief one -- of ``The Megan Mullally Show.''

Why he connects

But that doesn't surprise P.J. Ochlan, host of ``The Arts Report'' on the classical music radio station K-Mozart (KMZT-FM 105.1).

``He's got that all-American-boy appeal,'' Ochlan says. ``He's young, attractive and remarkably talented, so there's a crossover appeal because his talent seems to transcend the classical barriers. But what's truly remarkable is that he sticks primarily to the classical repertoire.''

Bell doesn't believe classical music has to be dumbed down in order for it to appeal to the masses.

``It doesn't have to be elitist,'' he says, recalling a performance at a middle school in Boston where the mostly African-American student body had never heard a violin played.

Granted, he admits a lot of them just sat there looking bored. But he still tried to win them over.

``At the end, a handful of kids followed me out the door to the parking lot and didn't want to let me go,'' he says. ``They were asking me millions of questions like they were really excited about what they had just heard. For me, that's very rewarding.''

Sandra Barrera, [phone]

[e-mail]

JOSHUA BELL WITH THE COLBURN ORCHESTRA, CONDUCTED BY YEHUDA GILAD

Where: Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

When: 2 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets: $15 to $39. [phone] or www.laphil.com.

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no caption (Joshua Bell)