I have often wondered how young people can stand the unrelenting uniformity of beats that accompany much pop music these days. The answer may lie in the unrelenting uniformity of electronic signal that bombards the brain now in more than one frequency: First there was television, which ramped up our sensory-processing systems seriously interfering with attention span.
Now I suspect that computer signals are wreaking their own brand of havoc.
I see effects in the work of a student who is working full-time as a computer animator, and who has also been a quite sensitive improvisor at the piano. We are working on bringing together his reading skills and his innate musical sense. It is interesting to observe what is now a highly disciplined visual system drowning out a sensitive auditory life.
