According to Marrou, music fell out of favour as a part of the antique curriculum for the same reason athletics did: Music became far too specialized.
The specialization of music is framed as problematic because it limits expertise in it to those who study it from their childhood onwards. However, Marrou does give some credit to the state educated music lover, noting that the true amateur was one who closely listened, while also dabbling on his own (195).
Specialized or not, the ancient method of direct instruction sounds miles better to me than learning to write music before you really play it. Having to copy an instructor as you have to copy the skull kids in that Lost Woods minigame in Ocarina of Time would at leat have let me reforge my somewhat tinny ear.
Twist of twists, though, among the music loving Greeks, musicians were despised. Why? Because they were paid for their work and were therefore tradespeople. Apparently the upper echelon didn't much care for the "working classes."
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