Decline of Music Literacy and Quality
Decline in Music Literacy
One of the main things we prioritize here at Klassik Arts is music literacy. We believe that music literacy is the foundation for good, high quality music. Once the base of music literacy is built, musicians are able to properly expand their musical capabilities. However, due to the decrease in prioritization of music classes in schools, less students are acquiring music literacy, let alone any music education at all. The only places available now to learn how to read music are music schools or at-home music lessons. Without these, students are not being exposed to music education; therefore, leading to the decline in music literacy.
Why is Music Literacy Important?
While reading this blog post, you may think: “Why is music literacy so important? Why does it matter if people do not learn how to read music?” Well, without music literacy, it is difficult to produce high quality music. Without knowing how to read music, musicians will find it challenging to write pieces that are intricate with detail, which leads to very little distinction in style and structure between songs.
Due to the lack of music literacy, pieces become less defined and pieces have no choice but to become similar in style and form. This decline in quality of music has been scientifically proven by Joan Serra, a postdoctoral scholar at the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute of the Spanish National Research Council in Barcelona. In this study, 500,000 pieces of music published between the years 1955-2010 were compared through a set of complex algorithms. These algorithms focused on three different elements:
Timbre: the sound color, texture, or tone quality of music
Pitch: the harmonic content of the piece; including chords, melody, and tonal arrangements
Loudness: volume variety, richness and depth of the music
Decline in Music Quality
The results of the study were alarming. The study revealed that timbral variety had gradually declined over time, meaning that more and more songs were becoming similar in timbral style. In other words, most songs sound the same. Researchers also noticed that pitch content had also decreased, which meant that number of chords and variety in melody were decreasing. Unlike, the levels of timbre and pitch diversities, loudness in music actually increased. Due to the technology of compression, loudness is now being manipulated so that even the quietest parts of the song match the loudest parts, which actually create a very mumbled and muddled sound with less vibrancy and dynamics. So in conclusion, music now sounds all the same and the quality is drastically declining.
Another reason that results into all music sounding the same is the fact that music literacy is declining. Crazy how everything is interrelated huh? Less composers knowing how to read music results in less people being able to make high quality music, which then results in songs from the same music-literate composers being what we hear. This makes it inevitable for music to all sound the same, thus decreasing variety and quality in music.
So what do we do?
To prevent further decline in music quality, we must advocate to prioritize music education. Through music education in school or through lessons, music literacy will be come more popularized; therefore, increasing the number of people and musicians who can read music who can create great quality music with different varieties and styles. You can have your child learn a musical instrument or enroll them into music classes. By spreading music literacy, music we hear will be better and more genres will be available for everyone.
