Growing up I played guitar. A lot. I played many genres from metal to reggae and studied Jazz. You could say I had a “traditional” jazz training. I was accepted into Cornish College of the Arts for Jazz guitar and I ended up dropping out the first day to explore the South Pacific. I didn’t consciously know what I wanted. I was 19.
With all my training I watched electronic music become more accessible from the 90’s into the mid 2000’s. Many classically trained musicians didn’t like untrained musicians creating music. This sounds bad but there were a lot of nay sayers about what a musician was or is. I would hear “It’s not real music if they use loops(samples).”
This doesn’t have any truth in it but the old world doesn’t like it when the new world can accomplish something much easier and still excite users. A music listener doesn’t typically base what music they listen to on the way the music was created. “I won’t listen to this, they didn’t even make that sample!.” No, doesn’t quite work like that. Most listeners, listen, and then respond to the music. Do you like it or not? How does it make you feel? Sounds great to me 🙂
This same pattern happens in all industries especially ones facing current digitization.
Everything is in movement.
But this concept of tradition, if thought to be a black and white thing, would be a limiter on potential. Instead the relationship of everything is much more complex than this. Tradition can be a great tool that builds on ideas into the future. A tool to maintain and build on. To label something traditional and non-traditional in black and white terms is not useful in a world that is exponentially changing. Instead we must deconstruct ideas and methods very intentionally, consciously without bias.
This is another way to practice inclusivity and diversity. By looking at methodologies as a living and breathing ecosystem that evolves over time based on the needs and wants of people. People 🙂