The majority of teens, or at least the ones I know, do not enjoy classical music. Why? I couldn’t tell you. I like classical music, and I’m a kid! Whatever the reason is, it obviously transcends simple matters of taste because the sheer number of young adults that dislike the style is astounding. In fact, according to the Los Angeles Times, classical music is used all over the country to repel teens from public places: so not only is classical music disliked by the youth of today, but it is used like bug spray to shoo them away!
Classical music has been a staple of world history for centuries with famous musicians such as Beethoven and Bach composing tremendously popular pieces. So what I want to know is why have pop, rap, and hip-hop completely taken over the charts today and captured the hearts of teens everywhere? Not to say that those genres are in anyway inferior to classical but it’s interesting to consider why the popularity of one has risen at the expense of another. The explanation that classical is boring is not a substantial argument considering the exciting crescendos and dynamic sweeps that characterize a lot of classical concertos. And the lack of words is made up for by the aforementioned characteristics that illustrate emotion and tone as clearly as any lyrics. The thumping beat of rap can be found in a conductor’s motions, guiding the constant timing of the music just as in any popular tune created.
An important factor that seems to play a big difference in the loss of interest in classical music is the fact that today’s style of dance among young people is very different from what we would have seen in the last few centuries. Rather than the formal setting of a ballroom, dancing has moved to the club and to house parties where dancing has become a very different type of tradition. I suppose it is easier for kids nowadays to meet up and dance in homes rather than take the time to learn the more traditional dances of that past and get to settings where classical music is played. The types of hot trends that blow up on the internet are sometimes new dances, set to the tune of the latest rap or pop song. And what’s to stop those very same people from jamming out to a nice orchestral piece?
In any case, what I refuse to accept is the stigma that classical music is boring, because if anything, that is the last thing that it is. I understand if you don’t like the sound of classical songs, because you are entitled to your opinion, but what I don’t understand is the total rejection of the genre as a whole. So, if you are someone who completely disagrees with everything I just said, I’d love to hear your opinion because I really don’t understand why such a beautiful style of music has been so utterly rejected by millennials.