Modern Musical Lessons?

Sometime in my university music education, someone impressed the significance of keeping up with musicalogical trends. Some years later, I fully understood this significance. However, I now feel it equally important that classical music educations should include the current popular cultures and trends. My undergraduate 20th-century music history class ended before Elvis was born!!


There is an apparent arrogance with musicologist in researching the history of music. Very rarely do you see research of 20th c. topics. I feel it is short sighted of us to ignore the recent and current popular cultural and musical ideologies. With music changing so rapidly, we have much to learn to fully understand where we are going. I have to say, it is almost a betrayel of educational responsibilities if universities do not offer a class or classes in current music and performance practices.


I suppose to understand musical trends one must understand social trends. And, to predict a future trend, one must fully understand the historical paths and project a future based on where we have been and what we have accepted and denied as social and musical "norms". Perhaps I just described a successful Marketing campaign, but I hope I have also ignited some interest in current musical trends. Now we can take this to the next level and discuss music technologies, because much "new" music is electronic and perhaps a bit aleatoric. But, I'm currently interested in what can be recreated in a live performance.


Hmmm, perhaps I'll ponder this more with a holiday cookie.





Cheers and cookie up!