A writer of my generation named Robert Slichta reminisces as follows
about "music appreciation" in elementary school, and its consequences
(from the American Thinker).

   "That fall, in a New York City public school, I had to attend
   a twice weekly class called Music Appreciation. The idea was
   to train us to enjoy classical music. The method was to play the
   piece through, and then, in subsequent 'quiz' classes, to start
   an unannounced record and award a point to the first raised hand
   that correctly identified it--the boys being pitted against the
   girls. To help us remember the title and composer of each piece,
   we learned to sing a little jingle to each melody. For example:
   This is the symphony / that Schubert wrote and never finished.

   ...  Such were my introductions to classical music, with diverse
   results.  Sixty five years later, I don't merely dislike "Voices
   of Spring", I hate it, almost as much as I hate "Happy Birthday
   to You", which makes me so rigid with revulsion that I can barely
   blow out the candles."


I enjoyed the same educational experience as Mr.  Slichta, and it
elicited in me a deep loathing for Schubert's 8th symphony that lasted
about 40 years, but finally evaporated.  In fact, I eventually even
bought a CD of the piece for my own collection.  This leads to the
following important conclusion: the hatred of classical music which
American public school music appreciation used to stimulate IS NOT
IRREVERSIBLE.

Jon Gallant                and                    Dr. Phage
Department of Gnome Sciences
University of Washington