musical influences Essay

When I was in fifth grade, I was caught between two worlds, playing a woodwind or string instrument. If I played a woodwind instrument I would have to blow in it to make music, but string instruments are played with a bow to make music. After much thought, I decided that the violin was the best instrument for me, because it has a beautiful, unique sound, plus the possibilities are never-ending. I could receive a compliment from a teacher, or even get accepted to the symphony.

This reference shows how music lays a foundation of teenage values beyond school or parental teaching. A musical artist can influence a young mind by the chosen lyrics with greater effectiveness than formal education. Music can control or enhance moods. A good mood can get better or a bad mood can be worked through with the choice of music. A bad mood can also be enhanced by lyrics about suicide or violent behavior. Teens can also use music to gain information about the adult world, to withdraw from social contact, facilitate friendships and social settings, or to help them create a personal identity. (O'Toole, 1997)

“Numerous studies indicate that a preference for heavy metal music may be a significant marker for alienation, substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, suicide risk, sex-role stereotyping, or risk-taking behaviors during adolescence” (http://www.aap.org/policy/01219.html). This statement, and others like it, has been used as a hypothesis as to why the students opened fire killing 13 and wounding 23 at Columbine. The explicit lyrics have been thought to motivate teenagers into committing acts of violence. Take, for example, the lyrics from a band named Drowning Pool, “Push me again, this is the end, skin against skin, blood and bone, you're all by yourself, but you're not alone, you wanted in, now you're here, driven by hate consumed by fear, let the bodies hit the floor” (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/drowningpool/bodies.html). This song is titled Bodies and speaks out about committing murder because of alienation. All teenagers feel these feelings at some point while they are growing up. While most teenagers can look to someone or something to get them through this difficult time, some find release in music. If they are exposed to these types of lyrics, without any rationality, the teenagers can find themselves in

Later on, countless of parents thought that the new rock and roll showed a lack of respect and “promoted sex, delinquency and sexual connotation” (Unknown 1). Parents started to blame rock and roll for anything that their teenage children started to show as disobedience or anything went against their values. They blame rock music for sex, drugs, violence, delinquency and as well as suicide. For example, “In 1985, the parents of a California youth sued CBS Records and rock singer Ozzy Osbourne” (Martin, Segrave 283) because of his song “Suicide Solution” and “influence their son to kill himself” (Martin, Segrave

Now a days, we are used to shocking lyrics and eye catching looks. It seems that every artist now is fighting to be so different that everyone is drawn to them. It was not always like this. In the late nineties and early two-thousands, most artists tried to fit in with the other blonde, processed pop stars that the industry was spitting out. When there was an artist who was not always happy and did sing about PG rated topics, they were blamed for what was wrong with the world, especially teenagers. In his article ‘I’d Sell You Suicide: Pop Music and Moral Panic in the Age of Marilyn Manson”, Robert Wright delves into and debunks claims that rock music, especially that of Marilyn Manson, is a main cause for teenage suicide.

Throughout the article there are the previously mentioned highlights of the document, and the highlights include assumptions made about the connection of youth to violence, and the connections disregarded in order to strengthen their claims. Some of the points include a fact from a Dr. Joseph Steussy, who is a credited professor of music history, who "confirm[ed] that music affects behavior, psychologically and physiologically" . This is a general statement, which is a fact, but misused in its context and certain other factors are overlooked. Music is a type of stimulus, which does affect youth. However comparing music and

“Heavy metal music has been a source of criticism ever since its’ birth in the late nineteen eighties” (Coss). Many people criticize this type of music because there is anger shown in the lyrics. Although the lyrics can be controversial at times, there is no evidence saying that heavy metal music causes violence. “Its’ controversial lyrics and harsh sounds have made it the target of much blame for psychological and behavioral problems in teenagers” (Coss). Parents of teenagers now and in past decades have worried about their kids listening to this kind of music. Most parents do not want their kids to listen to this kind of music; they are afraid that the music will lead to devastating effects in society. Another reason why parents do not like heavy metal music is that the music is extremely loud and ear shattering. Most people over

In life, music affects everything many people look at all the different stories of teenagers committing violent acts and have begun to wonder can violent songs make teens violent? With all the violent acts that music glorifies as of recently many psychologists and parents alike have begun to wonder why certain types of music cause their children and teenagers to become so violent. Because of the questions that violent songs raise and why teenagers have started to gravitate towards violent songs more than ever before. Some factors that could be reasons as to why violent songs have such a powerful effect on teenagers could be that: teenagers learn violence from their surroundings, teenagers can have a history of violence, and violent songs give teens a place to vent their frustrations at,

Music has more of an influence on the people in the twenty-first century than it ever has before. Teens, especially, are surrounded by some sort of it in everything they are around or do. Many disagree on how music impacts one’s mental state and behavior; however, all agree that the impact depends on how the listener feels before and how they allow it to influence them.

An average adolescent will hear approximately eighty four references to explicit substance use per day, five hundred ninety one references per week, or thirty thousand seven hundred and thirty two per year. An average adolescent who only listens to pop would be exposed to at least five references per day, whereas an individual who listens to just rap would be exposed to at least two hundred and fifty one references per day. A core principle of music is repetition. It appears in runs, trills and stanzas, as well as pounding rock rhythms and dance music. Music, rhythm and repetition have a hypnotic effect that can lull people into following a pattern in unconscious ways, but is music powerful enough to sway the mind? To form an idea in a young mind and cause the adolescent to act

Musical instruments have played many major roles in helping with the construction of many societies around the world today. Many people do not realize what musical instruments have been responsible for and how they have helped shape the world today. There have been many instruments that have helped create and sculpt the world, but one instrument that I want to inform readers about is the trumpet and where it came from, as well as how it has changed over many years. The point that I am arguing is the fact that many people do not know where the trumpet has come from and how it has affected society.

Can delinquency be attributed to heavy metal music, the research conducted a survey on the effect of heavy metal music on delinquency of youth and whether parental supervision can reduce the likelihood of behavioral issues by monitoring the heavy metal music. To support the hypothesis, the researcher had to conduct a survey from a sample group of 1,475 youth and of that 705 youth were surveyed. The sampling method used to obtain the study represented was the systematic sampling. According to Michael Maxfield and Earl Babbie (2015), the researcher chooses all elements in the list for inclusion in the sample (p.215). A survey was given to all participants, which was used to measure the response of the likelihood of metal music on their behavior.

In the study completed by Fiona Malpass, David Havard, Karis Benford, Ana Costescu, Angeliki Sofitiki, and Donna Taylor of the University of Westminster, results show personality outcome of heavy metal listening to be “…stronger composite preference for the heavy metal tracks was associated with higher Openness to Experience, more negative attitudes toward authority, lower self-esteem, greater need for uniqueness, and lower religiosity” (377). They also state that “In addition, men showed a significantly stronger preference for the tracks than women. These results are discussed in terms of the psychological needs that contemporary heavy metal fills for some individuals” (377). This shows that music can also effect personality differently based upon gender. Further research was completed just on women with the genre of heavy metal by Milton Becknell, Michael Firmin, Chi-En Hwang, David Fleetwood, Kristie Tate, and Gregory Schwab who are college student researchers from Cedarville University, Cedarville, OH. They state that “More recent research, however, suggests that Arnett's position is more representative of females than males (Lacourse, Claes, & Villeneuve, 2001). The general assumption is that heavy metal music listeners release or unload their pent-up frustrations into the loud and intense sounds which they

I’m sure you’ll all agree when I say that music is changing very fast. It’s either that or we keep changing our tastes in music every five minutes – which is far more probable. Today if someone put on a record from just 10-20 years ago we’d probably think of that music as being incredibly old or very simple. I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand to watch some (if not most) of the early Top of the Pops because the music is so old. We think of this as being old, but in

Which do you prefer “cultivated” or “vernacular” that is the question? Music, the idea of using sounds for thoughts. Cultivated music can be defined in many different ways, although it is defines as being music that comes from another country, it is also defined as music that is consciously well put together. The word culture is almost visible. However, the term “cultivated” brings a deep contrast to that of “vernacular”. Vernacular can be defined as music of the present place. It will be safe to say that cultivated music carries over into Vernacular music. Cultivated can also be described as imported music or brought over music. For example, Beethoven Symphony No 9, which sounds like the telling of a story of conquest, has been performed in many places around the world. Vernacular music can be thought of as music that has been created and raised within a country. Whether you listen to rap music or not, some critics say the sound changed and is not the same. For instance, taking into consideration culture and history; the music of 2Pac Shakur was said to be, too politically charged, while also discussing social issues that haunted the black community. Although Beethoven Symphony No 9 is a cultivated piece, and the vernacular piece being from Pac; both music has the same militaristic approach in style. As said before, taking culture and history into consideration; there are comparisons as well as differences.