Dear Melvin (age 11 and 1/2),
Thank you for your letter and your question. Let me tell you, if you plan on spending any time in a music school when you grow up, it is a question you will encounter many times. It’s a good way for a professor to kill time in class, to “start a dialogue,” and, on the surface, it seems important and thought-provoking and something all good musicians should spend time pondering. It’s none of those things, but that’s beside the point.
So, dear Melvin, what is the difference between classical music and popular music?
If you hear a piece of music and ask, “Who wrote that?” it’s classical.
If you hear a piece of music and ask, “Who sings that?” or “Who’s playing that?” it’s pop.
Yours truly,
Dave