At 8:42 PM -0400 5/25/07, Dennis Bathory-Kitsz wrote:
I taught elementary school music for six years.
[snip]
Beyond that, imagine eight-year-olds watching the complete ballet version of "Rite of Spring" (on video) or going to a performance of "A Soldier's Tale" -- both attended in rapt silence. Imagine a kid walking down the hall hearing a younger group listening, and sticking his head in and saying "Bartok!". Or four of them performing Larry Austin's "Square" as best their young skills would let them. Kids aren't fixed. Maybe later, when inundated with tonality, their aural view will narrow. But it doesn't start out that way.
Dennis is absolutely correct, of course. Which means that the obvious problem is the lack of preparation of elementary school teachers--including music education students--in 20th (and now 21st) century non-pop music.
But I do think Dennis may underestimate the enormous amount of tonal music pervading popular culture, including children's and youth culture. Cartoon scores, advertising scores, movie scores, elevator and supermarket music are all there and unavoidable. And this is mere background wallpaper compared with the pop music industry and its hold on the attention of not just teenagers but children and tweens as well.
So I think Dennis's point might best be interpreted in this way: Inundation with tonality is there and is unavoidable. There's no "maybe later" about it! But young minds and young ears ARE open to more than one kind of music, or more than one kind of ANYTHING!, and they CAN be attracted to anything that is skillfully and lovingly presented. What it comes down to is not just learning, but good teaching, and good teaching means careful manipulation of peer pressure and not just accepting it ready-made.
John -- John & Susie Howell Virginia Tech Department of Music Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A 24061-0240 Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034 (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
