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On Tuesday, 20 April 2004 at 8:56 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] spake thus: >The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (part of the >Associated Board) has launched a consultation on the >principle and practice of a grades system for Scottish >Traditional Music to parallel those which currently exist >for "normal" music and jazz as well as the two systems which >ahve been in existence for Irish traditional music for some >time. All contributions are welcome at: > >http://www.music-consultation.org/ > >Stuart Eydmann Well, that'll separate the sheep (read: conformists) from the goats (read: the real 'folk' musicians who have gone, and I hope will always go, their own way, just as real goats - the individualists - do, and thumb their noses at grades and their intrinsic restrictions). IMNSHO, Musicians should play with, not against, each other. Music should be for pleasure (mutual if possible <g>), the enhancement of social gatherings and most importantly of all ... for the love of it, not for status and the acquisition of prestige and prizes. It's the 'competitive spirit' which is the cancer which has eaten out the musical core of art music. I don't believe it will do the same with 'folk' music because there will always be people who will pick up an instrument for the love of it - that's how 'folk' music started, and that's what separates it in essence from all other kinds of music, however brilliant and talented its players may be - but a grading system may be a divisive thing, the thin end of a wedge which could lay open the driving forces of individual players to the light, be those forces ambition or love of music or a combination of the two, and I can't see any good coming of that. We may even end up with another music category - 'Art Trad'. I want no part of that. End of rant. (And yes, I did go to their website quesionaire and tell them just that) Erica Mackenzie Assistant Curmudgeon and music lover Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
