Comment on Open Thread: October 2009

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:39:53 GMT

Mightn't that just be because those courses are specifically to teach appreciation of those kinds of music?

Music theory, no, but the others, yes. (I wouldn't think music theory would increase classical appreciation more than other genres, though.)

There is very little net benefit to learning to appreciate a new kind of music

Disagree. Whatever the genre, more variety means listening is less tiring (because less monotonous) and, on the whole, more edifying. Each genre is enjoyed differently, and stimulates different parts of the mind. And in the specific case of classical music, on the theory that it is deeper and richer than other music (in the same way that set theory is deeper and richer than propositional logic, or Netflix is deeper and richer than Blockbuster) the limit of enjoyment is actually higher.

Discuss