I find myself wondering if I’ll like the music my kids listen to. I’ve recently began wondering about it again in light of the Jonas Brothers reunion. My sister and I forced my parents to go to—not one, but—two Jonas Brothers concerts. I’m sure they weren’t thrilled to listen to their albums on repeat, but they did.

Would I do that for my kids? Surely. If they liked boy bands, metal, mumble rap, whatever. I’d listen to it with them. But will I like it? Will music progress past the point of my comprehension? Will I, one day, be an old woman grumbling about some new trending genre the way oldsters gripe about pop and rap?

Let me back this up: I don’t have kids; I’m not sure if I’ll have kids. This is entirely hypothetical. Really, I guess, I’m just wondering if, at some point, I’ve found the bands/artists I like, and if I’ll be open to newer music.

On top of Aaron Carter, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Jesse McCartney, Jonas Brothers and One Direction, I found my way to modern rock through recommendations on a Neopets chatroom. I, then, found my way to screamo through YouTube, the aggressive subgenera of emo. I dragged my dad and sister to a Black Veil Brides concert. I went to Warped Tour. My music was subject to critique, blasting from the family’s computer in the rec room, not like how my little brothers listened with headphones and their own laptops or phones.

If I had kids, would I even know what music they discovered themselves? I’d like to think that they’d share their music with me, yes. Will they like “Fluctuate” by Catfish and the Bottlemen the way I liked “Hurts So Good” by John Mellencamp? Will they vibe with “Take Me To Church” by Hozier the way I vibed with “Stairway To Heaven”?

Who will be the next big boy band? Will we keep recycling old songs the way movie studios keep remaking old classics? In ten years, who’s gonna be the next big rockstar? Rapper? R&B artist? Which orchestras will record the best movie scores? Will orchestras even be used anymore?

Forbes predicted that songs are going to get shorter since streaming has already changed the music industry immensely. (Artists can make more money if a shorter song can be played twice in place of one long song.) They also said that the charts have been ruled obsolete since playlists from streaming devices hold more influence. Every year, I look forward to Spotify compiling my most-played favorites into a playlist. Just at the end of 2018, they offered you statistics of which artists you spend the most time with and have included a “Tastebreaker” playlist to introduce you to new, but alike, music.

Music has already changed so much in our own lifetime. Really, what will music be like in a decade or two?

Megan Keane is a senior English and psychology major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or at 

mkkeane@eiu.edu.