Andrey wrote:

>But...  the numbers will be the same.  The majority...  and would think
>that we speak about 90 percent of general public will listen to commercial
>music, read trash literature, etc... .  And nothing will change,

Very true, Andrey. Ken Wilber, philosopher, speaking on the evolution of
consciousness, states that religion will never be done away with as there
is always a large percentage of humanity for whom that is the appropriate
path.  I am reminded of the receptionist for one of my clients who was
VERY happy to get a sound card and speakers on her computer so the she
wouldn't have to listen "to those sounds in my head.....", I still shudder
when I think of it, especially when I consider the time and effort I
take to cultivate the sounds in MY head......

That said, it is still a matter of what one is exposed to, especially
as a child and what is part of the general culture.  We live in a time
when profit is paramount in terms of everything, and in this country,
the US, we live in a circumstance where style is much more important
than substance.  Therefore packaging and presentation are of prime
importance.  Also, there is no profit in the past unless it can be
packaged and "nostalgia".

I taught humanities at a community college in the 70's and took the
approach of teaching people to listen rather than "exposing them to the
Masters", which I did as well.  But many of my examples for listening
came from popular culture.  My logic was that if the students care enough
about any music, then developed listening skills, the door would open
to appreciation of a much braoder spectrum of music.  I also felt, and
was proven right, that once they began to really listen they just might
find what they normally heard on the radio rather banal.  Quite often
it worked.  For years afterwards, I would encounter former students at
concerts, now as adults, who would thank me for it.

I also was an artist in residence in the North Carolina College system
for 4 years, as a classical guitarist.  Spent a LOT of time in rural
areas.  The kids, of all ages, were not into classical music but by never
mentionng the word and also having the advantage of playing an instrument
which in their eyes was both familiar and not necessarily associated
with classical music, I was able to reach audiences that would run away
from anything considered "classical".....

Roger Bogda