Do you think Rock music will die like Classical and Jazz?

First, thank you for your devotion to jazz. That's the first thing that will help keep jazz alive. There are a lot of young people here in Seattle who are very active in nationally recognized school jazz bands.

Many of them go on to successful music careers. You are not alone, and I am grateful to you all for your contributions. There are a lot of institutions working to keep jazz education going and this gives me hope.

The second thing that will keep jazz alive is an audience. I really don't know whether it's growing or not. Your question has started me on some research.

So far, I see unclear results with no firm conclusion. The fact that there is information available on jazz audience demographics at least demonstrates that there are people and institutions working to understand what's really going on. That also gives me hope for jazz.

What I can say, from my own experience, is that there are a lot of people, young and old, who are deeply interested in jazz here in Seattle. Jazz lovers are a small but devoted bunch. I can go out to a club or concert hall any day of any week here (well, not Christmas Day) and hear live jazz by local musicians- and I'm not alone in the audience.

I can also say that there are lots of people may not count jazz as their favorite type of music, but who find some kind of jazz that they enjoy at least part of the time they listen. So this gives me hope. The music industry as a whole is, has been, and probably always will be a tough business focused on the latest thing and a fast buck.

Jazz musicians - musicians in general - have always had a challenging time. I know that there are people here in Seattle who, through a combination of teaching, gigging, recording, arranging, whatever, are raising families on jazz. Maybe not getting rich like Kenny G, but getting along and doing it while doing something they love.

Also, since it's alive, it keeps changing. It's mixing and merging with new classical music, world musics, rock, even hip-hop and rap. Jazz is not going to die out, but it will change.

And that's as it should be. There are young people out there who share your interest in jazz. I wish I knew how to help you get in touch with them, but I don't.

Garfield High School and Roosevelt High School here in Seattle have excellent jazz band programs. There are high school jazz band competitions all over the US - maybe there's one near you. Cornish College and University of Washington in Seattle have strong jazz programs.

Check out "Racer Sessions" on Facebook to see what a lot of young folks here are doing. YouTube has some videos recorded at The Royal Room here, jazz and otherwise. I hope this helps.

Good luck and best wishes.

Oh my Gosh! That's exactly what happens to me! I play the saxophone too.

I especially love the swing era jazz and Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller. My iPod is full of music made before 1950! Let me tell you, I've dreamed of becoming a jazz musician too and had to except that jazz pretty much faded away after World War II.

I hate that we're left with either people singing like they're throwing up, n----r used 100 times, WUB WUB WUB, and the rest auto tuned. My opinion is that the music industry is now judged on appearance, not talent. Jazz probably won't die in our generation because of bands like the Preservation Hall or Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, but it's just not all the rage like it used to be.

Trust me, you aren't the only teen who loves jazz and deals with this screwed up generation of music. It's nice to hear someone else my age that loves jazz!

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.