Does music affect
teenagers?
Prepared by
7/E students:
Başak Ünal
Cansu Yener
Doğa Usturga
Doruk Acar
Ecem Kütükçüler
Feride Sencer
Advisor:
Ceyda Basmacı
İZMİR (April, 2006)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PRESENTATION
I)
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION
A) Survey
B) Interview with Ruhsar Gencer
II)
WHAT KIND OF MUSIC IS PREFERRED BY TEENAGERS?
A) Rock
B) Rap (Hip-hop)
1) Instrumental Rap
2) Gangsta Rap
3) Mafioso Rap
C) Pop
III)
THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC ON TEENAGERS
A) What do parents think about the effect of music?
B) How are teenagers effected by music?
1) A scientific research
C) What does media say about the effect of music?
IV)
CONCLUSION
A) Who should decide what’s best for kids?
B) What can be done to prevent the explicit content in the songs and videos?
REFERENCES
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First, we wish to thank Ruhsar Gencer for her help in making us conscious of the subject we’ve chosen.
Next, we’d like to thank the contributions of our friends.
Then, we thank our families for their continuing support for our important work in this project.
Last, we are very grateful that our English Teacher Ceyda Basmacı took the time to encourage us during
this difficult time.
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I) METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION
A) SURVEY
Last week, we surveyed the 7th and 8th grade students and here are our results.
ROCK
RAP/HIPHOP
90
80
POP
70
60
50
40
Rock
30
20
Rap/Hip-hop
10
Pop
0
Rock
Metallica
Rap/Hip-hop
Pop
System
of a
Down
System of a
Down
Ceza
Ceza
50 cents
50Cent
B) THE INTERVIEW WITH RUHSAR GENCER
1) Recently what kinds of music do teenagers prefer listening to?
Today teenagers prefer heavy rhythms which make their minds tired and melodies that give damage to
their brains.
2) What kind of music do your students want to listen during the lessons?
Hip-Hop, Rock and Hard Rock music
3) Why do teenagers tend to change the type of music they like as they grow up?
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People are open to progress like in other areas music can also make difference. Sometimes they choose
more emotional and more realistic type of music
4) How does music effect teenagers in a positive or negative way?
Among all kinds of arts, music is the one which adresses a larger number of people. In this aspect, It's
very important. It's possible to listen to music in different places. If teenagers listen to high quality music,
they think positively and become controlled and conscious. If teenagers listen to more rhythmic and loud
music, they become aggressive, violent, and uncontrolled.
5) Why do our parents think rock music is a noise?
Your parents are at least 20 years older.Their perception of music is different from yours so preferences
depend on age. As they feel mentally tired, they find your music noisy.
II) WHAT KIND OF MUSIC IS PREFERRED BY TEENAGERS?
A) WHAT IS ROCK MUSIC?
Rock and roll first emerged in the Southern United States in the 1950s, and quickly spread to the rest of
the country, and the world. Rock 'n' roll is played with an electric guitar, a bass guitar, a drum set, and
maybe a piano.
Later, the term ‘rock and roll’ started to have 2 distinct meanings. The first term ‘rock n roll’ of 1950s was
different from the ‘rock’ of today.
From the late 1950s to the late 1990s rock was perhaps the most popular form of music in the western
world.
Without a doubt, Elvis Presley became the best superstar rock musician of 1950s.
Elvis Presley (on the
stage)
Through the late 1940s and early 1950s, R&B music (Rhythm and Blues) became popular with artists
such as Fats Domino and Johnny Otis. They speeded up the tempos and increased the backbeat.
Despite their efforts, black music was still taboo on many white-owned radio outlets.
With John Lennon’s hit called "The Quarrymen", which was formed in March 1957, the group called The
Beatles became the center of rock and roll. This was seen as a respond of the United Kingdom to
American rock and roll which had an impact across the globe. In Britain lots of young groups began
forming their own bands. In Britain, things were easier because the ‘color barriers’ were less of an issue.
The Beatles
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Today Rock music is criticized by the media because of the violence among teenagers.
They say that some rock bands such as Limp Bizkit, System of a Down, and Korn give negative
thoughts and violence.
S.O.A.D (System of a Down)
Limp Bizkit
“Day, is here fading ’
My time has gone away
I flirt with suicide
Sometimes kill the pain”
The vocal of KORN; ‘Jonathan Davis’
Suicide is serious subject for teenagers both in America and around the world. Every day they are faced
with the thought of suicide so Jonathan Davis, the vocalist of Korn understand teens’ problems.
B) WHAT IS RAP (HIP-HOP) MUSIC?
The terms rap and hip-hop music are similar. However, some hip-hop songs are without vocals. Also
some people confuse hip-hop music with R&B music which is not similar.
It’s a cultural movement with break-dancing and graffitti. It’s composed of two parts. One is rapping, the
other is DJing.
Hip-hop or Rap music has an impact on young people’s language as well.
1)
2)
3)
4)
“izzle” means : “for sure”. It’s mostly used in Snoop Dogg’s songs.
“phat” doesn’t mean “fat”. It means”something cool”
“crunk” means “being relaxed”.
“bling-bling” means “expensive” and “fancy”
Snoop Dogg
Both rock and rap music influence teenagers’ clothes. For example if teenagers wear baggy pants, large
shirts and long necklaces they are most-likely hip-hop fans.
They are usually alternative rock bands or teenagers who have pierced tangues, colorful hair, and wear
tight leather pants most likely listen to rock music.
The way a rapper dresses
The way a rock fan dresses
Rap music has 3 different types.
1) Instrumental Rap
In this type, DJs and producers create their own music freely.
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2) Gangsta Rap
It focuses on the life-styles of inner-city criminals. It was pioneered by Ice-T, Dr-Dre and Public
Enemy.
3) Mafioso Rap
This type is mafia extension of east-coast- hardcore rap and west-coast G-funk rap. Kool G-Rap is
one of the most famous Mafioso rappers. Here’s an example of Kool G-Rap. He tells about the
glamorous life-styles of criminals.
Gettin' richer and richer, the police took my picture
But I still supplied, some people I knew died
Murders and homicides for bottles of suicide
Money, jewelry, livin' like a star
And I wasn't too far from a Jaguar car
In a small-time casino, the town's Al Pacino
For all of the girls, the pretty boy Valentino
I shot up stores and I kicked down doors
Collecting scars from little neighborhood wars
Many legs I broke, many necks I choked
And if provoked I let the pistol smoke
Eyes of hate and their hearts get colder
Some young male put in jail
His lawyer so good his bail is on sale
Lookin' at the hourglass, how long can this power last?
Longer than my song but he already fell
He likes to eat hardy, party
Be like John Gotti, and drive a Maserati
Kool-G Rap
C) WHAT IS POP MUSIC?
Popular music (or more commonly abbreviated to "Pop Music") is a subgenre of popular music. Popular
music is influenced by rock, hip hop, (R&B), country, and dance so it’s hard to say that it’s a distinct
category. It may also be classified as soft rock or pop/rock.
Pop music grew out of the sounds of the Swingbands of the 30s, the Blues of Chicago, and Country
music from Tennessee. In the 50s there were famous vocalists like Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, and
Peggy Lee.
In the 60s there was the Soul scene - Aretha Franklin, Isley brothers, Ray Charles; and more Stevie
Wonder, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye and the California Surf sound of the Beach Boys.
Ray Charles
Stevie Wonder
In 1963 the Beatles revolutionized pop music. At one point they had the 5 top selling records on the US
Charts. In the 70s the Beatles broke up and Pop Music drifted into a variety of sounds.
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In the early 70s singer-songwriters and pop dominated the charts with the disco of the BeeGees, the
piano sounds of Billy Joel and Elton John, there were also the rockier pop of artists like Rod Stewart,
Steely Dan, and Fleetwood Mac.
Rock music became more popular with Pink Floyd and The Queen.
The Queen
Pink Floyd
80s pop, saw the arrival of the punk rock bands. There was Duran Duran, The Police, Madonna, Abba
and Phil Collins.
Thriller from Michael Jackson which has become the largest selling album of all time. Thriller confirmed
Michael as the "King Of Pop".
In the 90s, age of the 'Boy and Girl band’s were born. In the UK there was Take That, Westlife, Blue, the
Spice Girls and more, and it was a highly successful formula. The first successful creation in the U.S. was
New Kids On The Block followed by the Backstreet Boys.
Westlife
Blue
Spice Girls
In the beginning of the 2000s, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears occupied the scene. Today the most
famous pop artists are Shakira, Jennifer Lopez and Kelly Clarkson.
Britney Spears
Shakira
There are also different types of pop music.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Arabesque-pop music
Electropop
Futurepop
Indie pop
J-Pop
Latin Pop
Mexican pop
Operatic pop
Synthpop
Turbo-folk
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III) THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC ON TEENAGERS
A) WHAT DOES MEDIA SAY ABOUT THE EFFECT OF MUSIC ON TEENAGERS?
Ice-T
Eminem
In 1988, rapper Ice-T was blamed by the media because of a song called “Cop Killa”. Because when this
song was released all the police murderers said they did it because of Ice Tea’s song. However,police
officers were being killed before that song.
So this is not Ice-Tea’s fault, it’s the fault of people who can not control themselves.
If people did whatever they heard from the lyrics of Eminem, they’d all be evil or start to shoot people or
use bad words.
However, lyrics are just for entertainment,because we can hear much worse words in the school canteen
than on a rap album. What rap music tries to tell is not to “behave badly!” but to “understand how poor
communities are”.
Although the media blames rappers for bad events, rappers donate thousands of dollars to charities all
over America.
All in all, rap and rock music are blamed for murders, crimes in cities all over America but all they tell
about is the problems of society.
Unless the media likes rap or rock music, they can try to help change the economic conditions of people
to make lyrics better, blaming musicians is not the solution.
B) WHAT DO TEENAGERS THINK ABOUT THE EFFECT OF MUSIC?
Music is a universal language and that’s why all music is important to someone. When teenagers have
problems, music always helps them feel better and it gives many young people hope in life.
1) A SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON MUSIC
The aim of this study is to understand if music can change EEG activation and stress hormone (cortisol
levels).
Parts of a brain
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The right frontal assymetry has negative and the left frontal assymetry has negative effects.
According to the test, 14 chronically depressed female teenagers were taken and they were listened to
rock music for 23 minutes. An other group of 14 depressed female teenagers just sat and relaxed.
EEG was recorded during these processes.
Electroencephalography, or EEG, is a neurological test that involves attaching electrodes to the head of a
person to measure and record electrical activity in the brain over time.
Their behaviours didn’t change but the cortisol levels decreased and the right frontal activation decreased
during and after the music.
So it’s scientifically observed that even though the mood doesn’t change, music has positive effects on
the physiological and biochemical measures.
Woman undergoing an
electroencephalogram (EEG). (Photograph
by Catherine Pouedras. Science Photo
Library, National Audubon Society
Collection/Photo Researchers, Inc.
Reproduced by permission.)
C) WHAT DO PARENTS THINK ABOUT THE EFFECT OF MUSIC ON TEENAGERS?
“My girls mostly listen to, you know, girl kind of music,” says Deedee, mother of 3 daughters. “My
youngest loves Ricky Martin, Britney Spears, Backstreet boys, that kind of stuff...”
“My son likes dance music”, says Beth, a mother of 9th grade and a 7th grade girl. “My daughter is a fan
of Backstreet boys. They’re harmless. But if I ever saw my son with something meaner or louder, I’d
check it out!”.
“My older son has gone through phases,” says Roger, father of two teenage boys. “He liked heavy metal
at one point, rap and then even swing.”, “My younger son listens to a lot of rap!” But Roger says he never
listens to the music his kids like. “I don’t buy that stuff.”
These parents agree that “parental involvement” and attention is the optimal way keeping children
controlled. Censorship is not the solution.
Deedee says “If they’re embarrassed to listen it with you, there’s a problem.” Beth offers, “Listening
responsibly is the key, watch what your kids are listening to, and make sure that you discuss it with
them!”
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IV) CONCLUSION
A) WHO SHOULD DECIDE WHAT'S BEST FOR KIDS?
In the 1980s some religious and parent groups started a campaign to limit variety of music messages that
were available to America's teenagers.
The campaign included the PMRC(Parents Music Resource Center) which called for warning labels on
recordings that offered lyrics about sexual, drug, alcohol, extreme, violence and suicide.
As a result in 1990 the parental advisory explicit lyrics warning label was started. However, no standards
or criteria of that was considered “explicit” were given. So, the recording companies were left to decide
what was appropriate for teenagers on their own.
Hundreds of warning labels are used on various albums and CDs every year. However, most teenagers
don't feel they work. Alec Shoemaker, a 13-year-old from Chester “I don't know any teen who looks at
warning label on a CD's and then say 'I’d better not buy that because it maybe in appropriate for me!”
B) WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT THE EXPLICIT CONTENT IN THE SONGS AND VIDEOS?
It’s hard to prevent the singers from using bad language. We can’t stop music channels broadcasting
explicit videos. Also, the warning label “Parental advisory explicit lyrics” doesn’t work. Teenagers don’t
care what the label says. They prefer what is popular. We think, the only solution is the relation between
parents and teenagers.
Parental advisory explicit lyrics label
Every teenager struggles and faces problems. If parents help them during their difficult time, they won’t
need to listen to such violent and explicit songs.
In addition, not every rock or hip-hop band effects teenagers negatively. We accept that some bands do
really violent music but there are such bands like Coldplay, Green Day etc. which make really high-quality
music. When we listen to them, we feel much more relaxed and forget our problems. Their songs make
us think that we are not alone. Every teenager is experiencing similar problems.
All in all, music is sometimes an excuse for “BAD PARENTING”. One person should look at the family
background of the child who commited the crimes before he/she blames the music.
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REFERENCES
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2248/is_n129_v33/ai_20740163
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/1997/november12/teenmusic.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1687975&dopt=Abstract
http://preteenagerstoday.com/resources/articles/mediaandkids.htm
http://www.rense.com
http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-294958.html
http://teenagerstoday.com/resources/articles/mediainfluence.htm
http://www.tolerance.org/news/article
http://voanews.com
http://www.wikipedia.org
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