Week Six: Music Thinking Skills

    "Did you hear Blank's new album," and "Oh My Gosh this song is my jam," are popular sayings teenagers use when talking about music. "Teenagers listen to an average of nearly 2.5 hours of music per day." They spend more time listening to music then they do watching TV. Artists as well as their music play a massive role on the very persuasive teenager. 

     According to a new report by The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescence Medicine, 1 in every 3 songs teens listen to use drug or alcohol references."Studies have long shown that media messages have a pronounced impact on childhood risk behaviors." Teens can't stop musicians from writing about drugs or alcohol but their different tastes in music saves some while destroying others. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine conducted a study using 279 songs released in 2005. This research shows that 9 percent of pop songs, 14 percent for rock songs, 20 percent for R&B and hip-hop songs, 36 percent for country songs and 77 percent for rap songs had lyrics relating to drugs or alcohol. "The study authors noted that

music represents a pervasive source of exposure to positive images of substance use." 
     I think that artists have a choice to use their music as a positive or negative influence. But, I understand that teens are also peer pressured into participating in drugs and drinking. I think that every musician has a choice and there's no way to change it. Music is following trends in society and right now having a WILD time is one trend.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/under-the-influence-ofmusic/?_r=1
Under the Influence of...Music? (2008, February 5). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/under-the-influence-ofmusic/?_r=1