Some music; Jazz, for instance, is an acquired taste. The issue about education is not about general education, but education centered around the particular art form. Winton Marcellis is overpowering and obnoxious but committed to education in the area of Jazz and Jazz history. There are many others. Thankfully, there are mechanisms in place that make that happen.

The situation is, some music art forms are not sustainable as commercial endeavors. The great debate is, if no one wants to pay to listen or buy recordings, is it worth preserving? That's where organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts and others come in.

The world is full of music educators and "leading edge" perrformers who couldn't/can't make it solely as performers. We have concentrated here on whether or not it's up to us to educate. Probably not for most of us.

But, I think having someone do it is valid.

Look at all the brilliant musicians from the past who were plagued with poverty, addictions...even insanity, in some instances. They STILL made priceless contributions to the over-all advancement of music styles, structure, compositions, etc.

It's pretty hard not to at least recognize these contributions to a better world.


Russ