[Dixielandjazz] What music do young people hear?

[Tramette89 at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/1/2005 1:44:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
hcmsjo at gmail.com writes:
The best way to get your friends interested in OKOM  is to lay hands
on a lot of CD's   (or records if you are equiped to play them) and
invite your friends over to listen.... and play along with the
recordings.   In a month or two you will be playing without the
recordings and you are on your way.
Well, that's part of the problem. Getting other kids interested. The kids who 
have talent generally don't want to screw around with this stuff because they 
think it's uncool, or too easy, or something. I've gone through my CD's and 
found songs that just excited me the first time I ever heard them, and I play 
them for the other kids sometimes, but it just goes right over their heads. 
"Why do you listen to this stuff, why do you want to play this stuff? I can get 
you some good music, I've got an extra copy of 'Kind of Blue'..."

It's a bit of a hassle because everyone's minds are closed enough as it is, 
what with rock and rap and all that junk. It's almost a miracle if a kid wants 
to listen to any sort of jazz, these days. I suppose it all boils down to 
pressure in the end. Peer pressure makes them want to avoid jazz in the first 
place, and pressure from adults makes them only listen to the newer stuff. The 
fact that there are virtually NO trad bands in the state doesn't help things 
much. (I think a lot of kids have problems relating to a scratchy old record, but 
hearing it live sorta opens things up for them. Of course, the fact that most 
of the musicians are older isn't much of a selling point for them...the other 
kids in band enjoy ribbing me about that!)

-Lily Korte