when does one's musical tastebuds solidify?
Since I hold 2 degrees in various forms of music performance, I consider myself fairly educated and accepting of most forms of music. Lately I have been wondering, at what point do people cease to be open to new music? I am not speaking of those that simply prefer one genre over another. It's the time factor. I remember my mother being very in to Elvis in 1985. What prevented her (and other people) from continuing to be interested in that style of music as it evolved? Is it happening to me?
I have realized (since becoming employed on a college campus and interacting with people mostly 10 years my junior) that with the exception of 2-3 outstanding groups per year - The Gorillaz, OkGo, Joss Stone, etc. - that my favorite music is music that I collected when I was in college. To be fair, Tori Amos, Dave Matthews, and Madonna are timeless talents. :) Also, many of the songs played on my college radio station are still in fairly constant rotation on the local alternative rock station. (Whether that is due to the time warp that most relatively rural Midwestern areas exist in is open to debate.)
I have discovered a love of jazz post-college, but that doesn't count because it is an appreciation for an older musical style. It is, one could say, a type of musical regression rather than evolution. I still buy music, mostly iTunes rather than actual CDs, but usually I buy new releases from artists that I have loved for the past 10-15 years.
I cannot believe this is a singular phenomena, or most parents would have a lot more in common with their children. I am not generally behind the times. I myspace, text, and am pretty plugged in to most of the things my students enjoy. But I cannot (will not?) get into current music trends. Rap and hip-hop leave me totally cold, with the exception of Kanye West and Eminem. There are always a few artists or songs that rise above their peers to wiggle into the part of my brain that sings most of the day. Am I too critical? Have I lost the ability to listen without judgement?
Has anyone else experienced this kind of musical slowdown?
