You might always hate free jazz, but research by neurophysiologist Prof Alice Mado Proverbio has shown that the more we listen to complex music (Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring, for example), the more we start to appreciate it.
Meanwhile, if you want to pass on your unconventional music taste to the next generation, the trick is to influence young minds. Prof David Hargreaves at the University of Roehampton uses the term ‘open-earedness’ to describe how young children are more able to listen to unusual forms of music – a skill that drops off at around the age of 10 or 11.
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