Klarinet Archive - Posting 001317.txt from 1998/07

From: "Matt C. Palasik" <mattp169@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Classical Music and Young People
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 18:55:13 -0400

Mary Sotnik wrote:
>
>
> I get what you're saying and I think you've got a point, though I think it
> can be a bit dangerous to say that a type of music's bad because 'just about
> everyone' thinks it is, unless you yourself don't mind people calling
> classical music boring (or whatever) because it's *also* a minority taste.
>
> I think people like something (rap, classical, whatever) because it appeals
> to them - they mightn't know why, but it does, and it's 'their thing'. I
> think it's good to try to widen people's tastes, but if you think (rightly
> or wrongly) that someone's taste needs changing or improving, you've also
> got to be prepared, I think, to try to understand what it is that they see
> in *their* music.

> I also think that while it *is* a good idea to encourage love of classical
> (etc.) music, it's dangerous to decide that the music someone else likes is
> *bad* and that they shouldn't be listening to it (though if you do
> personally think it is bad, *you* don't have to listen to it). I think if
> someone's going to 'grow out of' rap (or whatever), they'll do it when they
> can, but you can't force them to (though I'm not saying you personally would
> *want* to force them to). I'm all for educating kids to be decent human
> beings (whether they like rap or classical or whatever), but I think you
> have to try to understand them first, and let them express themselves
> (safely if possible).
>
> People all have their own reasons for doing things and liking what they do.
> If you had swopped places at birth (or before) with someone who likes rap,
> and if you had been given exactly their body/brain/circumstances, it would
> be you who liked rap and *you* might be upset and angry if someone disliked
> your music, in the same way as many classical-loving people would be if
> pop-loving people came along and made fun of them for liking classical. I
> hope this makes sense and isn't too irrelevant.

Excellent points and very well said.

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