Dear Vocalisters:
I feel a most important difference in the conveying of culture has occurred in the last 35 years that has never occurred in all of the history of culture in the world prior to this time.
Most of the culture that has been created in the past 35 years was and is created for YOUTH. The discovery of the large amount of disposable income available to the world's youth since the 1960's has spawned an entertainment industry that will service that disposable income in any manner that is successful.
This does not predispose the creation of a culture of lesser quality but it does mean that the consumers of this culture have little experience with which to judge quality.
It is for this reason that the most successful academic institutions demand a curriculum that includes heavy doses of the culture of our past. Without it, we are unable to make any kind of informed decision. Proof of this last statement is the constant, ever changing value systems displayed by a majority of the purchasers of our pop culture. One of the greatest difficulties of today's pop performers is trying to consistently hit the moving target of popular "tastes".
-- Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA Professor of Voice, Pedagogy School of Performing Arts Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ 86011
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