My statements:
This is not absolutely true here in Europe (Switzerland)
More kids learn to play an instrument (than in the sixties)
piano players play more boogie woogies and pop instead of classical
music. Sight reading and musical understanding is detoriating.
guitar players play more TABs and don't really learn to read music.
They learn to play power chords and solos right enough, but (see
piano players)...
All instruments learn to improvise more (which is good) but sight
reading won't be trained enough, as is technique (I still think you
need to play classics to learn a good technique)
wood, brass and string players (violin etc.) are better readers than
the rest, they play often in bands and orchestras.
percussion players may be great readers of rhythms, but not of musical scores.
Singers have no great chance to sight-read if they aren't "good"
piano players, as well, (playing the badly arranged modern fakebooks)
all kids have a more limited musical experience, listening mainly
pop, hip-hop etc. mostly produced by (almost) non-musicians.
more kids are interested in Jazz (Piano players), this is good, when
they also learn to develop their technique...
less kids like classics, less kids understand about what music is or
can be...:-(
there are a few kids who are really good and have learned (too) much
at an early age (because of their parents hoping they will be stars?)
There are less ensembles
There are more bands (punk, etc.)
All in all, even if there are more kids learning instruments, the
quality has become worse... all in all...
Kurt
At 21:37 30.03.2006, you wrote:
Friends,
In the interest of accuracy and precision, let me clarify by
restating what I meant when I wrote:
and the general level of music literacy among those who were
musically literate was higher in 1960 than it is today, when for
too many, the pinnacle of music literacy is knowing how to download
music into an iPod, and how to change the battery.
In the entire population, the percentage of people able to read
music, or to sing, or play any musical instrument with any
signiricant degree of proficiency has been declining probably for
about a third of a century. I think the decline took root between
1960 and 1970, and that the rate of decline has increased
since. Paradoxically, I also suspect that if one compares those who
are musically literate today, with those who were musically literate
in 1960, that those who are in comparable locations on the literacy
scale are at a higher point today than their counterparts on the
scale were in 1960; that is, the best today are more proficient than
the best in 1960; and the median musician today is more proficient
than the median student in 1960 was, but the number of musicians in
the population is relatively lower than it was in 1960.
I should also add that these observations are based upon personal
experience in the US., and may or may not be accurate in other
places, and indeed, may not be universally accurate in the US.
ns
_______________________________________________
Finale mailing list
Finale@shsu.edu
http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
_______________________________________________
Finale mailing list
Finale@shsu.edu
http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
