Rock musicians with musical education.

Lake Street Dive was formed iat the New England Conservatory of Music. They're gifted but don't take themselves too seriously. Cheers,

Spencer

I've heard too many virtuoso musicians who couldn't come up with a memorable tune to save their lives. I would always rather hear a good song than somebody showing off how 'great' they are on their instrument. 

I think some of you miss the point. No one has claimed that being a virtuoso guarantees that they will produce memorable music. The point is simply that having a larger, more diverse musical arsenal opens up a lot more musical possibilities to the player and can elevate the playing of a tasteful player to a higher level. That is a simple reality.

On the subject of "complexity" in a musician’s playing, or in music in general. Open minded listeners who like a "simpler" style should consider that SOMETIMES it is simply a personal preference for that particular style, or can be a negative reaction to a style that is outside his/her comfort zone as a listener and not necessarily a reflection of the player’s talent; or depth of the music in absolute terms.  It is usually a good idea as a listener to keep an open mind toward expanding that comfort zone; just as it is for musicians.

I think some of you miss the point. No one has claimed that being a virtuoso guarantees that they will produce memorable music. The point is simply that having a larger, more diverse musical arsenal opens up a lot more musical possibilities to the player and can elevate the playing of a tasteful player to a higher level. That is a simple reality.

On the subject of "complexity" in a musician’s playing, or in music in general. Open minded listeners who like a "simpler" style should consider that SOMETIMES it is simply a personal preference for that particular style, or can be a negative reaction to a style that is outside his/her comfort zone as a listener and not necessarily a reflection of the player’s talent; or depth of the music in absolute terms.  It is usually a good idea as a listener to keep an open mind toward expanding that comfort zone; just as it is for musicians.

This sounds almost exactly like something I would have written.

Who gave you permission to root around in my brain?

Here's the thing, at least with respect to pop/rock music.  Music school can teach you certain stuff, like about playing your instrument and arranging.  But it can't teach creativity and inspiration.  The ones that have that, don't need music school (or leave it early), and the ones that don't, won't gain it, in a meaningful way, from music school.  The weakest part of music school is songwriting, always.  

There are plenty of songwriters who incorporate "sophisticated" musical elements into their compositions (e.g.,Paul Simon, Brian Wilson, Lennon/McCarthy, the Steely Dan guys) and plenty who use simpler elements to make music of the highest caliber (e.g., Dylan, Springsteen, Taylor Swift).  None of them had anything to do with music school.