The reason that most Americans think of music as something that you download is that there isn't enough long-term planning in music education. Back in the 70's, my trombone instructor suggested that I learn to play treble clef so that I could buy & play sheet music for popular songs. I could keep my interest & skills by playing the vocal part of a piano / vocal arrangement. One thing that made it difficult was that my college did not make practice rooms available for non-music majors. Teaching treble clef to tenor & bass musicians & better access to practice rooms are an effective & economical way to help music survive the turbulent 20's years. Maybe there are some other disciplines that could use some similar long-term thinking.
