Each and every musician should focus on developing a wide-
ranging and original musical voice... Careful observation of the
past fifty years or so of musical study has identified two
alarming trends — a rigid separation of performers from
composers, composers from performers, (and audiences from both!)
and an inflexible specialization by young musicians, training to
gain a professional foothold in a rapidly changing musical
world. Musical societies in the coming decades will require
musicians to be increasingly flexible, original, and to have an
ever broadening set of skills. We believe that rather than
simply fostering a steady accumulation of inert, skill-based
knowledge, each and every musician should be focusing on
developing a wide-ranging and original musical voice in order to
become the type of artist who will thrive in the emerging world.
Music education has to not only keep pace with change, it must
foster change as well. As traditional ways and places to make
music evolve, musicians will be required