Musical Genre and PreferenceThere are so many different musical forms and genres that people admire. Even older genres that seemed extinct still have fans like disco or polka. Many researchers debate why people prefer the music they make. This has been a popular topic in music research considering how important music has become in everyday life. Music plays in cars, on the Internet, on cell phones, and even behind commercials on television. It's hard to imagine a world without it. Now there are many reasons discussed as to why people prefer one type of music over another, such as age. Age can determine what music was popular when he was a child or what genres he experimented with. Age is an undeniable factor when you also consider how much music changes from generation to generation. For example, before mp3 player technology arrived, music was played via CDs and cassettes. Now you can store and transfer thousands of songs on just one MP3 player. It has become so easy now to have all your favorite music in one pocket. Age is just one of countless factors that can be considered. Another thought is that musical preference is something formed in the mind. This idea seems very believable considering how easy it is to remember catchy patterns and repeated rhythms. Some believe that another factor that could contribute to musical preferences is ethnicity, or even the cultures in which one grows up. However, I think that genre plays an important role in a music listener's selected preferences. If a male listener told his friends that his favorite music was by Justin Bieber, would his friends take him seriously? Nothing against Justin Bieber... half the paper... one day these gender stereotypes won't matter anymore, but for now they still seem to have an effect. Works Cited Harrison, Scott D. (2007). “A Perennial Problem in Gender Participation in Music: What's Happening to Kids?” Cambridge University Press. Network. April 14, 2011. http://www.alexruthmann.com/articles/Harrison2007.pdfO'Neill, Susan and Michael Boulton. (1996). “Boys' and Girls' Preference for Musical Instruments: A Function of Gender?” Psychology of Music, vol. 24, pp. 171-183. Network. April 14, 2011. http://pom.sagepub.com.huaryu.kl.oakland.edu/content/24/2/171.full.pdf+htmlSchwartz, Kelly, and Gregory T. Fouts. (2003). "Musical preferences, personality style, and developmental problems of adolescents." Journal of Youth and Adolescents, Vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 205-213. Network. April 14, 2011. http://www.familywise.ca/documents/MusicPreferencesPersonalityStyle.pdf