Music has become a private thing in our student’s lives as they put in their earphones and close out the world. But we all know that music is an important part of their lives, and can hold influence over what they perceive to be true.
Here is an excellent article looking at the top ten songs among teenagers – how many of them are on your student’s ipod? Can you find a way to engage them about the messages that these songs are putting forth?
An excerpt:
Every parent and youth worker – regardless of age or marital status – knows two truths: love is difficult but lust is easy. True love is tough to find (and give), but gratuitous lust can be found as easily as a puddle after rain. The rarity of love is enough to lament on its own, but the problem is compounded by the abundance of lust.
Unfortunately, this is the reality in which today’s young people are forming their opinions about both.
Take today’s music for example. Love is still the celebrated way of life, but little by little, it’s also being subtly twisted and/or labeled as unattainable. Meanwhile, lust is advertised and flaunted as the simple alternative to love. Why struggle with love when lust will get you (most of) what you want?
As I perused the top ten songs on iTunes and Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart this week, I found four songs that undermine love or accentuate lust (or both). That’s right; 40% of this week’s most popular music is providing young people with a message that’s less-than-good.
Here they are, with some brief discussion, in order of their Billboard ranking.
To read the rest, follow the link below.
http://www.thesource4ym.com/youthculturewindow/article.aspx?ID=226
Most of our students hear these songs…if not on their phones/ipods, they are everywhere, the radio, even school dances and events, friends houses, public events with music. I talk with my son about how while we may like the music/beat itself, the words/message are bad, mostly encouraging “sex as recreation” and sometimes partying with alcohol/drugs. I think we need to have these conversations with the teens, encouraging them to critically analyze for themselves what the message of the songs are and whether they think they or their peers are influenced by the messages.