closed-earedness

English

Etymology

From closed-eared +‎ -ness.

Noun

closed-earedness (uncountable)

1. A reluctance or aversion to listening to new styles of music.

   Antonym: open-earedness

   • 2010, John Flohr, Valerie Trollinger, Music in Elementary Education, Hoboken, N.J.: Prentice Hall, →ISBN:

     An interesting concept that has gained some momentum over the last twenty years has been that of open and closed-earedness.

   • 2011, Ian Cross, Michael Thaut, Susan Hallam, Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology, Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 238:

     Children appear to experience phases of 'open-earedness', such as middle childhood, where they tolerate a large amount of musical styles, and 'closed-earedness', such as adolescence, where their preferences are far more constrained.

   • 2018 March 25, James Gillespie, quoting Alexandra Lamont, “Teenage picks: our musical taste set by 14”, in The Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 2021-07-06:

     In childhood we are 'open-eared' and like lots of different things. In adolescence we have a period of 'closed-earedness', when we pick our allegiances and music is very important.

   • 2020, Alexandra Lamont, Catherine Loveday, “A New Framework for Understanding Memories and Preference for Music”, in Music & Science, volume 3, Thousand Oaks, C.A.: SAGE Publishing, →DOI, →ISSN:

     All this research implies that lasting preferences seem likely to be formed at the critical adolescent period, coinciding with a phase of closed-earedness, although they are subject to further development over the lifespan.