One style of music to know all?

Hello everyone, this week I would like to tackle a rather large myth that exists amongst many people looking into what style of music to get their kids into when learning an instrument. I have often heard plenty of people ask about what style their kid should start with. What style would be best for them to learn. The answer is very simple actually – whatever they like. One of the things I hear people say repeatedly is “learn classical or learn jazz because then you can play every style of music there is.” This comment is inaccurate for many reasons, let me explain why.
To be clear, I am particularly focusing on guitar, one of the most played instruments parents get their kids to learn. Almost every style of music has a foundation of technique very much its own. It would be very difficult for someone who committed their entire time to Jazz to suddenly jump onto a flamenco guitar and expect that they would be technically proper on their right hand, which is far more involved than it usually ever is in Jazz.
Many times, flamenco guitarists work with and watch flamenco dancers to percussively accentuate sections, the sense of timing and metronome is far from structured. On the same note, you would be hard pressed to go from strictly classically trained right into country and expect to pull it off with the same swagger and “dirt” that a lot of country has. It is a very specific style of music that requires as much time that one would put into Jazz or Classical. There is no one magic style of music that would let you easily float through all other styles. That being said, all styles share the same chords. An E major in a Country song is the same E major in a Classical song, in a Blues song, in a Pop song, etc. What you decide to do with your right hand (once again on the guitar) determines what you are playing style-wise.
I will offer up this form of explanation as well to show what I am getting at. One would say that if you learn to drive manual transmission or standard, that you can drive any vehicle. But that would be incorrect to make that statement, knowing that if you climbed into an 18-wheeler or a forklift, things would not move so easily. There is a specific learning curve to those respective vehicles, no different than the fact that all music styles have their own respective learning curve to the techniques you would need to play them.
Specifically for that reason, is why I suggest you let your kids pick what they would like to learn. Music is supposed to be fun, learning music is supposed to be self-rewarding and fun. Therefore, you will find your kids responding most to the style of music they love. Don’t force them into a style of music you think will give them success across all other styles, it will not work and you will find your investment into the lessons not going far. Their interest and enthusiasm is what will make them thrive.