I think maybe the wider SE stance on this issue has changed somewhat between when we entered beta and now. Back when we were starting out, the "what's our awesome/clever/catchy site name going to be?" meta topic was practically one of the "essential questions of every beta", giving rise to sites like Ask Different, Cross Validated, Seasoned Advice, Arqade, etc. I think many of us have simply been expecting (for the past three years :-) that graduation would come with a more appropriate site name.
Of course, that's all incidental. I think the real reasoning is along the lines of "the current site name is okay, but it could be better." We want a site name that:
- Makes its members feel like they belong here
- Effectively communicates what we have to offer
- Attracts more of the people for whom this site exists
Some of the issues with MP&P are:
- The name excludes a large portion of our question base around theory, history, composition, musicology, improvisation, etc.
- It's kind of a difficult name -- it's long, this particular contextualization of "practice" is hard to understand for the uninitiated, and overall it takes more time to parse out than many first-time posters are willing to put in. While it's technically sound (aside from the lacking bits noted above), I don't think it effectively communicates with our entire audience -- particularly those with questions more suited to a different site like musicfans.se (and we're pulling for them for that reason!)
And some of what we have to gain are:
- A deeper sense of ownership and community with having chosen our own name, or at least have a name chosen that fits the community rather than the other way around.
- Hopefully a bigger draw to the more academically inclined what with the presence of "theory" in the title of the proposed new name.