I suppose it was inevitable – people list their favorite music on Facebook, and the average SAT scores for colleges are published in other places. It only took Virgil at CalTech to put it all together into a chart of SAT levels and musical tastes. He took the ten most-mentioned favorite musicians from many colleges, and made a chart
Check it out at musicthatmakesyoudumb – the chart is far too big for this page.
It’s mostly non-informative – most musicians are somewhere in the middle. But there are some outliers – Sufjan Stevens and Ben Folds, who I don’t know, and Dylan and Radiohead and U2 and Counting Crows are on the far right of the chart. It appears that the lowest scorers follow Lil Wayne, Gospel, Hip Hop and Beyonce.
Draw your own conclusions. Mine: It’s tongue-in-cheek. As the author says, correlation ≠ causation. And hip hop has got to be a form of protest. Why else would it exist?
Piece of Mindful 
The only thing that surprises me is that Linkin Park ends up at over 1,000 – but the rest of it makes me feel pretty good about myself.
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Sufjan Stevens? Ben Folds? Let me know–I’ll make you a mix tape. You’d be amazed how good current rock music is. I realize, though, that music tastes are very personal…
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Not only personal, but generational. I tried to keep up with new music into my early 40’s, but the mind is like an old-fashioned LP, with grooves formed that cannot be undone. As I flip through the radio channels, I am looking for things that are familiar. It’s very hard for me to like a new song.
But I should try, no? I’ll give Stevens and Folds a try over at Itunes. Thanks.
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I can burn you a couple of CDs before I come through later this month if you want…
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Mark, if you cruise itunes for music by those bands, here’s some you might start with:
Sufjan Stevens: To be alone with you
Ben Folds: The Ascent of Stan, Landed, or Brick–you’ll recognize these tunes, I guarantee it.
Guster: (also on that chart) Amsterdam, Satellite, Careful, or rainey day. These are greats songs
Fleet Foxes: (I didn’t see them on the chart, but amazing sounds) Mykonos, White Winter Hymnal, Your Protector
Death Cab for Cutie: Styrofoam Plates (this song alone will restore your faith in today’s youth. A song about the church, a dysfunctional family, that rocks & can make you cry.)
Music is generational, and regenerational
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Thanks – can’t say I’ll do anything, but I know where to look.
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