"I can teach them..."

I sometimes hear a music director, pastor, or other leader mention that they are teaching a group of people to appreciate a new style of music. Chances are, they're deceiving themselves.

When I look at the group the leader is talking about, I don't see individuals growing and learning about the new style. Instead, I see people who don't like the style heading out the door, and people who already like the style coming in. I've seen it in orchestras, bands, choirs, and congregations.

In contemporary American culture, people groups use music to establish their identity. Groups are even named according to their musical taste. Punkers. The Beat Generation. People say to themselves, "if I even appear to like classical music, I'm a sissy," or "if I listened to that rock music, I'd be a heathen." Thinking that merely exposing someone to new music will overcome such strong barriers is optimistic.

People can learn to appreciate new musical styles--my tastes are constantly expanding. But that seems to be more the exception than the norm.