Does Music Affect Youths' Mindset?

I picked this topic because at my age, 16, I feel like majority of teenagers love to listen to music and it has such a big influence on teenagers. From the way a teenager thinks to the way a teenager dresses and acts, music plays a role whether or not its role is big. I personally listen to wide range of music which includes classical, alternative, country, rap, and R&B. At first, I didn’t think that music would have anything to do with teenagers, we just listened to it. But as I grew older, I started seeing the similarities between regular people and the way they talked or dressed. I often wondered how new words became fads, such as 2 Chainz’s “true!” or Drake’s “YOLO!”. This issue does affect me directly because I am a teenager and a very big fan of music.

Music has evolved along with society. Back then, music had a different message-raising a family, how hard it was to get by, telling someone they love them, or simply having a good day. As time moves forward, artists changed their message to making money, smoking, drinking, partying, and degrading women. In the article “Under the Influence of...Music?”, the writer Parker-Pope did studies on music and students to observe how much of an influence music has on them. She makes a good point when she says

“Studies have long shown that media messages have a pronounced impact on childhood risk behaviors. Exposure to images of smoking in movies influences a child’s risk for picking up the habit. Alcohol use in movies and promotions is also linked to actual alcohol use.”

 I definitely agree because I remember when my sister was younger, around 4 or 5 years old, she wanted to do whatever she saw in music videos or movies. These actions included drinking, sex, smoking, and cursing. I remember having to tell her that specific words and actions that she picked up in songs were not appropriate for her to say and that she wasn’t able to say or do them again. I never really thought there would ever be a time in my life where I would have to say that to her, especially when she was so young.

“Notably, smoking references aren’t that common in music today, with only 3 percent of the songs portraying tobacco use. About 14 percent of songs spoke of marijuana use, 24 percent depicted alcohol use, and another 12 percent included reference to other substances. About 4 percent of the songs contained “anti” drug and alcohol messages.”

                                                                                                        Tara Parker-Pope

I interviewed three people in total: Chandra Clark (Youth Worker), Anita Hudson (Parent), Nina Hudson (Youth/Student).

Chandra Clark works with both girls and boys whose ages range from 8-14. The dominant races are African American and Latino thus making Spanish music and Hip-Hop the dominant genres of music that the youth listen to. I decided to pick Ms. Clark because working with youth on a daily basis can open some insight into how much youth rely on music to get their mood up, to remain calm, to make them think, or to just fit in with everyone else. She believes the music the students listen to definitely has an effect on them; the girls usually listen to Spanish love music which may lead to them setting idealistic expectations for their future love life and the girls trying to find the one they love. With boys, music changes their mentality to making money and having sex. Even sexualizing women is displayed through their actions even in the littlest ways. The music sets gender roles.

“Youth aren’t just influenced by the music, they are also influenced by their community.”

                                                                                                            Chandra Clark

I personally agree with this statement because if everyone else didn’t try to live the lyrics they listen to or do what the artist does, then nobody would be caught trying to do the opposite. Music makes people want to fit in, to find a common ground between them and another person who may listen to the same music or does something similar to the artist such as dress, speak, or even make the same type of music as them.

“The more positive the music, the more positive the impact. Music doesn’t just affect their mindset, it affects their emotions as well.”

                                                                                                            Chandra Clark

Anita Hudson is a single parent of a 16 year old daughter, Nina. I decided to interview Ms. Hudson because I wanted a variety of people of people to interview. After I interviewed a youth worker, I though a parent would be perfect since majority parents spend a lot of time with their children and may know what kind of style they’re into if it’s based on music.  Nina mainly listens to R&B and Rap. Ms. Hudson believes music dictates everything, from fashion to one’s mentality.

“Music’s that powerful, youth look up to artists as role models and mentors. ”

Anita Hudson

Having a teenage daughter also provides an opportunity to observe how much of an impact music has on Nina. She believes that music has a strong influence on people’s mindset since thoughts that lead to actions. Being such a big fan of music, upon hearing the new suggestion of taking out music from schools’ curriculum, her reaction displayed clear disagreement to the action.

            “Music should be back in school 100%. Music provides variety and creativity, youth shouldn’t absorb just one genre.”

                                                                                                                        Anita Hudson

            I definitely agree 100%! Music plays a big role in youths’ lives even if it’s just calming them, providing an outlet, giving a peaceful method of thinking, or just taking a break from reading and writing. Music provides a different way of thinking-spatial thinking-pulling noises and actions and lyrics together to become a song, a beat, or even a poem.

            Nina Hudson, Anita Hudson’s daughter, is 16 years old and is in high school. I decided to interview Nina Hudson because she is a youth/ student and is surrounded by friends of all ages who listen to all kinds of music. After asking a youth worker and a parent, asking a youth directly may provide a few key points into why music is so powerful. High school is a playground of music, a variety of mainstream artists and music to up and coming artists and unheard songs. Hip-Hop, R&B, Alternative, Rock, and Mainstream music are quite popular in high school. The music Nina mainly listens to is Hip-Hop but she’s open to every genre and she strongly believes

            “music is a way of life.”

Nina Hudson

Nina Hudson believes that music changes people, and that goes for every genre. If EVERY artist changes their message to something positive, listeners would take note of that and live the lyrics. But if one artist attempted to make a change and changes their message, the outcome would be weak and have little impact. When listening to music, some teenagers tend to like the songs that portray a story while others tend to be attracted to repetition in phrases and beats known as “party music”. Not every teenager has the same opinion towards either type of songs but there are some that listen to both and still are affected by them regarding moods and emotions.

“Unlike visual media, music is a powerful social force that also taps into an individual’s personal identity, memories and mood.”
                                                                                                        Tara Parker-Pope

            The issue at hand is very important since music artists aren’t even caring about what kind of music they’re trying to make anymore. I feel like I want to do more research and interview more people regarding this topic to see if I get any other kind of answers since the people I interviewed gave me the same general answer. I want to get my message across and hopefully motivate a music artist to change their mind about what kind of music they’re making. If I were to do extensive research, I would most likely interview more youth but also perform experiments on them, observing their behavior after being under the influence of certain types of music for so long. Other than that, the answers and results I received didn’t surprise me much since I am a teenager and see how big music is in teenagers’ lives. The answer in general was yes, music is powerful enough to influence people even in the smallest ways.


Links used: 
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/under-the-influence-ofmusic/