Revolutionizing Karaoke?

If one develops their musical sense with Wagner, Mahler, and Beethoven, then there is a pretty solid chance that Karaoke will strike that person as unbelievably tacky. It brings out the worst in music: bad songs, bad voices, and a strong streak of exhibitionism. Needless to say, there is a disconnect between Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Met and "Like a Rhinestone Cowboy" at the neighborhood dive. My post should end here, but it won't.

Is there any need to take what should be a dying "art" and bring it to kids? No. However, for various reasons, I was made aware of a video game called "Karaoke Revolution." The premise is ghastly. I don't know how to explain the game, so here is the IGN review. Let's face facts, we live in an age where test scores are on the decline, music education is at its nadir, and kids have the attention spans of fruit flies. Two hundred years ago, Beethoven could start a riot. One hundred years ago, people went about whistling Wagner. Fifty years ago, classical music was on major radio stations. To take the basest metal in the musical periodic table and alloy it with the ultimate pacifier for the masses is abhorrent.

If I told a potential purchaser (i.e., one of the kids) that Das Rheingold started with an E-flat Major triad, they would have no idea what I said. If I told them that Mozart wrote Die Zauberflöte, they'd be somewhat less confused, but still be at a loss. It boggles the mind that the brains of the "kids in America" are being rotted-out by this intellectual tripe.

It boggles my mind, anyway.