Why don't kids nowadays know about Jazz and classi

Say what you will, kids learn from one another. They do what they must to be together, and that usually dictates a lot. If their attention spans seem short it is because they have found something of greater interest to pay attention to, something that applies to their lives. I think it is sad that some adults assume children are stupid or apathetic because those same children dont regard all that is served up to them as valuable. All these adults are really saying is that they cannot recognize how it is their children learn, that they find their childrens lives difficult to access...that they do not know the world their children are preparing to live in. I think a different assumption is in order if there is going to be an exchange of respect and willingness to learn from one another, and certainly you must ask a person to want to learn. Our minds may not be much, but they are completely our own.

I've played in our local symphony" The Skagit Symphony",
for the past 15 years,and its been my experience that not even 5 percent of the audience is young people,maybe 1 percent.
Even when we showcase a young artist concert featuring a talented youth at 14 playing a Piano Concerto in A Minor,OP.54 by memory still no youth show up what a shame.
I know the word gets out to the schools.Our PR people circulate to the school districts but still they don't show.

In the original post, there was a comment about some educators feeling that today's kids are smarter than previous generations. Not all educators would necessarily say that. I have known many teachers who've taught for decades and who lament the quality of today's students. One professor, who taught since the sixties, commented to me that he felt that today's students were much worse--the only area where they are better, on average, than students of yesteryear is that they have more "street smarts."

Secondly, a lack of interest in jazz and classical is nothing new--it's probably existed, to some degree, with every generation. Often, it's an image thing--classical, in particular, has the image of being for the highly cultured or whatever. My grandmother, for example, had no interest in either classical or jazz. I can remember her hearing me play a Mozart recording once when I was in high school, and she partly liked it. She asked what it was. I told her. She immediately lost interest. She wanted to hear something for "ordinary folk." I don't know what her feelings about jazz would be--but I do know that she would have a great deal of trouble accepting a black musician. The irony, I think, is that she did like some big band material that was probably influenced by jazz.

Everyone, I feel so drawn in to this topic and my post will be 'winded. You have been warned.

As a child, my home was veried on thier music habits. My mother loved R&B (a part of my heart goes to the late Luther Vandross....what a musician). Her mother (grandma 1) loved gospel (I still like the Winans, Andre Crouch, etc). My grandfather loved jazz. My father's mother loved jazz. I had a mix of different types of music.

To be brief (or at least try), I see a major difference between the music exposure of my generation (I'm 25) and the 16-18 year olds today.

The major reasons that most kids today don't know about jazz or classical is:

1. School teachers are not as 'stringent' to teach these art forms to students as 10-20 years ago.
2. The ear (ability to discern and appreciate music) is lost in most comtemporary music. Ability to extract melodic, harmonic and poly-harmonic details doesn't help you keep 'jiggy' with J-Lo or 'crumped' with Lil' John and the Eastsiders.
3. Kids who do actively listen to 'instrumental' music are hiding behind it--no more 'loud pride' in loving jazz. Lucky for me I knew lots of 'band geeks'. Miles was the man!

Do I fear for what music is to come? Yes. Not personally--I don't mind finding the $3 Coltrane albums or the $1 Lee Morgans.....all the better for me. What I fear is what is happening to literature and already has started in paintings--disconnection with the emotional.

See, music is a language. (Ok, you guessed afro18 is black) In my heritage, music was the spirit of strength being passed from fieldhand to fieldhand. On Sunday, it was a way to connect with The Master, the Eternal. In the early century (blues), it helped you understand the depression that man felt.

I feel power in the ability to commmune with the past. When I listen to Coltrane, I feel what he felt. Trane's music speaks to the inside of me. Same for Bill Evans. Ditto Art Pepper and Miles (although Miles is more difficult for me). Let me add also Billie Holiday, "Mama" Mahalia Jackson, John Lee Hooker, and more.

So, in conclusion....I must say that the main reason kids nowadays don't know about Jazz and classical is because they don't know about music. Music is a language.

God bless my father's mother (grandmother). Had she not spent those hours playing Eddie Harris, Trane, and Lionel Hampton on the old Dual with me in her arms I might not know either *watery eyes*

thanks for letting me speak.

Afro18:

Moving and to the point... I agree with every word.