From a recent conversation with a 14yo student:
Me: So, what kind of music do you normally listen to? Do you have a favorite artist?
Him: *blank look*
Me: Do you listen to the radio, or stream? YouTube? Soundcloud?
Him: *crickets*
Me: Do ever just listen to music?
Him: Not really
This seems really strange to me. But stranger still is the fact that I've had similar conversations with many students in this age group for several years now. Lots of my students are more interested in playing music than listening to it. If they listen now it's because it's part of a movie or video game that they like. Or I assign listening as part of their practice.
Growing up in the fifties and sixties I was obsessed with music and musicians. Not just the famous ones either. Standing right behind Ricky Nelson was lead guitarist James Burton. When I watched "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" Burton was the one I waited to see. I wanted to have a job where I could have that much fun. Ricky Nelson seldom smiled but Burton seemed to smile a lot.
We listened to all styles of music back then. Not because we wanted to but because we had no choice. Radio was our primary source of music and the stations weren't formatted back then. They played a little something for everyone, mixed in with the news, weather, and farm report. If we wanted to hear Chuck Berry we would have to listen to Johnny Mathis, Hank Williams, or a couple of polkas as we waited.
Today we live in an "on demand" world. We've taken instant gratification to a new level. With free, on demand streaming we can instantly listen to just about any song we want. If we go to YouTube we can see a video with it. DJs are being replaced with playlists. It's not special anymore.
I find it interesting that students who do have musical goals most often mention Praise and Worship music from church or sixties pop music. (I've been asked if I've ever heard of the Beatles.) At that age I would never have been interested in my grandparents music.
It would be wrong to suggest that these kids aren't interested in music. They show up for lessons nearly every week and it's clear they have been practicing. But pop music today is more about selling tickets to a show where everything is a major production. Whether it's Hip-Hop, Country, or Pop. For most of my students the music they seek is more personal and intimate. So my job is to introduce them to alternate styles and teach them to play that. I confess, however, that I have not yet taught any polkas.