One of my flute students asked today why everyone has to learn a Mozart concerto (even if you don't like that music) and, kid, it's gatekeeping.

You're supposed to be able to demonstrate certain skills at an audition/competition/whatever that only repertoire like Mozart demands. So if you want "in," you have to be able to show you can do that

But there it is: it's repertoire *like* Mozart, not necessarily him. Why don't we play music by _anyone_ of that period/style to demonstrate our pearly Classical articulation, scalar/aprpeggiated passage work, etc?

If it were *just* about the player's technique, any stylistically appropriate rep would do (even by a non white dude, gasp!). But it's also about reinforcing, intergenerationally (ie requiring all students to absorb *this* rep), what music matters...

...and which musical skills are worthy of being judged. Because different rep demands different things of the player. So every student has to develop Classical lightness in their technique but not necessarily the stylistic language of rep deemed unworthy for gatekeeping auditions

Later you can "branch out" to other rep, but only after you've proven that you can get "in." And then there's the risk of being seen as someone who couldn't hack it at the real rep.

And also, like, doesn't turning Mozart into a rite of passage do it a disservice too? In a whole other kettle of fish I'm tired of hearing 14y olds play Mozart concerti