And as for high standards of entrance - I encountered one of these and her pushy mother at a music shop on Durham market, and it was abundantly clear that they didn't know their arses from a hole in the ground as far as music or musicianship was concerned. They were much more exercised by trying to establish who I was and who I knew - some bloody hope! Traditional music is older and far more durable than this consumer society nonsense. If universities want to offer courses in musicology, folklore, music history or whatever, fine. It won't make you a traditional musician any more than standing in a garage will turn you into a car.
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