Why don't kids nowadays know about Jazz and classi

I agree whole heartedly with Hack. I have a 2 year old, and from the time he was born, I have always made it a point to listen to ALL kinds of music every day with him. He danced before he walked. My father is the one who got me into Jazz and Mowtown by playing it when I was young. Most of my friends don't listen to it because their parents didn't. Don't leave it up to the media or your child's friends.

I hope you are wrong but I have no way of knowing. My guess is that every generation has said that about its offspring. Because of its complexity,because it is difficult to learn to play well,art music has never attracted more than about ten percent of the population.

Those of you in the biz,who know the numbers,can tell us the percentages of music recordings sold that are classical and jazz.

I do know that there are some great players out there in their twenties and thirties. A visit to the summer programs at Brevard or Aspin will demonstate that there are potentially great players in their teens.

I do not fear for the future of the genre as long as good players continue to develop.

It is an unwritten rule that kids with talent,who will practice,who have no money,get instruments and lessons. Years ago,Sixty Minutes ran a story about New York City doing away with instrumental music is its schools. Julliard stepped in and offered instruments and instruction to the kids who scored in the top ten percent of the Seashore test.

Art music always gets up off the deck and keeps swinging.

because they don't play that on MTV and as one of the MTV execs said "We don't go for the fourteen year olds, we own them."

Both of my children are musicians, my son 10 (piano) and my daughter 13 (piano and violin). Both enjoy classical music as well as jazz and 60's-80's rock. Neither one cares for current day pop or rock. So as others have mentioned I believe a childs musical taste is to a great degree influenced by what their parents like as this is what my wife and I listen too as well. Of course peer pressure (friends) are very strong as well but neither has given into this influence yet but we shall see.

Chuck

I have my fingers crossed ... I'm taking my 4 year old to her first show this summer. Government Mule and Blues Traveler at Teton National Park. I’m warming her up for the ABB next year at the Beacon. I feel your pain, but at the same time I hated the music my parents listened to when I was in my younger years. I was a typical rebel. I remember only liking stuff everyone HATED. Later on I learned a lot from my Dad about the big band era and some of the old jazz greats; now I love that form of music. My Mom used to wake up at 5 AM every morning and listened to old country (Hank, Waylon, Jerry-Jeff) while she sipped coffee. I used to laugh at her for it. History has a way of paying you back; I now own every old country CD and piece of vinyl I can get my hands on. I seem to enjoy them most early in the AM when I am drinking coffee – that’s what you get for making fun of your mother. I work with computer systems and data networks at a large community college so I have a lot of exposure to the new music scene. I volunteered to train the interns coming out of the Computer Science and Computer Networking programs. I work with 1 or 2 young adults for 10-12 weeks two or three times a year. They follow me around and help me out, I ask them questions and show them the “real world”. It seems like music comes up in our conversations quite frequently. I have noticed a few things:

1.
Classical music seems to appeal to young people who have learned to play musical instruments. I’m sure it has to do with an appreciation for the complexity.

2.
Classical music seems to be an acquired taste, some take to it right away some develop there love for it later on.

3.
It’s not currently considered “cool” to jam on Mozart – therefore very few young adults would be caught dead driving around with there windows rolled down and Wolfgang turned up to 11.

4.
Audiophiles and people who bask in the perfection of musical reproduction seem to be drawn to classical music, maybe because it brings out a greater dynamic in there systems.

Since most young adults don’t have the cash for the fourth point and haven’t been around long enough to be exposed to classical, few qualify for the second point as well. Maybe that explains why few are drawn to it until later in life. The vast majority of radio and video music is directed to whatever the current trend is. I have to rely on public radio to listen to classical, blues or jazz. One radio station out of maybe thirty. The good news is I see a real LOVE for music and if anything young adults today seem MORE drawn to music. Maybe thanks to technology (Ipods, cell phone MP3, Car DVD, home theater, computer downloads, etc)

I just cant see Britney or Nelly outlasting Beethoven … eventually we all come around.