music is my life

as i mentioned in one of my first posts, music has been a part of my life for as long as i can remember.  so much so that i made it a career.  i was recently accepted to graduate level studies at the university of saint thomas and will begin pursuing my degree in music education with an instrumental emphasis.  i would love to eventually teach music education courses, piano and flute lessons, and help prepare college students to be music teachers.  that's probably years down the road but it's good to have goals and aspirations. 

there are several new trends in music that make me so excited.  one of those is music business. it is spectacular to see how music is branching out beyond performance and education!  so for those students who love music and want to work in the industry, they no longer have to major in business, minor in music and find a way to combine the two with teachers who are completely confused by the combination...  mcnally smith college of music in saint paul is cutting edge and offers a totally new, contemporary approach to music in the 21st century.

i also am quite satisfied with the internet radio options that are now available.  if you weren't already aware,  pandora streams radio through computers, handheld devices, and now even tv's, dvd players, and gaming systems.  i am incredibly impressed with the content of their artist biographies.  they are comprehensive, well researched, and composed extremely well.  another application i am completely in love with is spotify.  its interface is similar to iTunes, which, as an apple enthusiast, is helpful.  it also streams radio, allows you to star albums, individual songs, create playlists, and see what your friends on facebook are listening to.  i like how people have made their playlists public, which exposes me to music i haven't experienced yet.

UPDATE:
iTunes radio has changed my life!  Ok. Not really. But it is pretty cool.  And Minihe knows how to use it!  It's pretty amazing my almost-6-year-old can unlock the computer, recognize the iTunes icon, find the radio area, and scan through artists.  That's pretty amazing for a kid who can't really read yet.  But then again, he has had a gadget in his hand since before he was two.....  Kids these days.

you weigh in... what music do you listen to?  what service do you use for listening to music?  who or what is your biggest influence in your music selections?