Music illiteracy

Have we really lost our knowledge in music?

Just this morning in my Humanities class, our professor invited a guest speaker. The guest speaker talked about music, music, and nothing but music. And as a music lover, of course, I got interested in the discussion.

But it wasn't really the topic that captured my interest; it was his introduction that hooked me. "We are now suffering from music illiteracy." That was what he said in our class. And that made me think...is the present generation really undergoing 'music illiteracy'?

In my Philosophy class, I have learned that there is only one concrete answer in every yes-or-no question. Obviously, it's either 'yes' or 'no'. But, I guess this one is an exception because honestly...

If we would really observe the music nowadays, we will notice that not all songs are worth listening for. No offense meant to some music fanatic out there. (Anyways, I guess no one will be offended 'cause I'm not stating any specific music genre here.)

I admit that I'm a certified music lover. But it doesn't mean that I appreciate any kind of music. I mean, it depends on the kind of music, and sometimes, it also depends on the accompanied lyrics.

Let me state this as an example. Just three weeks ago my brother sang this new song from a new group of rappers discovered through the internet via youtube.com. It was a really nice song; the kind of song which they call 'singable'. It has a pretty nice beat. As he was singing the song, my mother came in and heard him.

"Are you insulting your sisters?" That's what she said. And it made me think. No matter how beautiful the beat of the song is, one cannot fully appreciate it if its lyrics is not that nice. And, vice-versa.

And honestly, there are a lot of songs in the present that are of this kind.

Well, I just hope that no matter how long the time will change, we will not lose our knowledge in music and will continue to love it.