Response to challenge

You bring up several interesting points, and I’ll attempt to touch upon those which I found most interesting. Classical music followers are probably made up of middle and upper classes. This separation comes from a variety of reasons, as you mentioned, however, I feel as though the make-up also stems from age and generational differences. Each generation has had to acknowledge more variety in music than the last, and with the rise of popular music and all of its genres, classical music has suffered in popularity because it is viewed as anachronistic and as music worth only preserving. One only needs to attend a rock concert and an orchestra concert to see the difference in audiences. The community is really what matters and dictates who is and can be a part of this culture. These days, the communities of classical music participants and followers definitely appeal to a certain set of people, those who have probably been brought up in a household of classical music appreciation. Directly, money may have less to do with the apparent elitism than class structure or community, seeing as rock, drumming, jazz, and other music all require relatively expensive instruments.
Also, I agree that it is the degree of emphasis of the written score that is key to defining classical music. The reasons for this emphasis are definitely practical, but regardless it leads to splits in a culture. Many do not have the time and means to not only learn how to read a score but also translate it into music, partially because classical music is not really commercial and popular anymore. There are the same issues with jazz. If, like you said, classical music could focus more on progress instead of preservation, I feel more people would relate, more new composers could succeed, and a fresh, interesting beginning could come around.