Negative Effects of Music

            Although I think that it is not just the music that negatively influences the youth, I do think that some music can have an impact on the actions of certain youth. This is all depending on many different factors such as what music it is, the person is listening to it and mainly on the person themselves. One person can listen to a negative song and think that they have to emulate the artist to be perceived as “cool” by others. While someone else can listen to the same song and not think that they have to act like or try to be like the person portrayed in the song. This all depends on the personality and ideas that each listener possesses.

            There are songs in all genres that can have certain themes that can have a negative effect on youth. Some of these themes are sexual references and violence. Some songs make it seem like everybody should be having sex or that all people should have a “sexy” body image. It was reported in the "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette," that many young women who watch music videos the exhibit strong sexuality do not believe that they can be successful without using their bodies. Songs that portray violence can send the message that it is okay to be violent and to hurt other people. When an artist writes song like this they can be just telling stories but some listeners may think it is all true and that being violent like this artist will make them more popular.

So the youth listening to songs that have these characteristics may try to change to feel better about themselves and to do things that they hope will make other people like them, Young girls may think they have to dress more risqué or to be more promiscuous to make friends or to attract a man. The people who are listening to these songs that include violence may grow up thinking that violence is always the answer and that to fit it they must act tough.

As well as some music putting ideas like these in kid’s heads, it can also just be a distraction. Some people find that they spend all of their time listening to music or playing music and they end up neglecting things in their life. To a young person the things they neglect may seem so small like homework or chores, but as they get older the things they forget can become more important and have a bigger impact in their lives. Forgetting a homework assignment here or there can develop into getting bad grades and not doing well in school.

I am around younger kids all day, from the age of five and younger, and you can tell how just the tone of music can change their whole attitude. Playing fast and upbeat music can put the kids in a feisty mood where they will just run around and be crazy. Where as if you play soft and slow music is can help to relax them and even help them sleep. I think this shows how music can trigger responses in your brain that make you act a certain way. So if a song is sending bad messages or setting an aggressive tone without thinking about it people can be influenced by it.

Youth and Music

Allan Bloom wrote that to young people music is “their passion; nothing else excites them as it does; they cannot take seriously anything alien to music”. I do not agree with what he says. All across the world you can find people who have an immense passion for music, but you also find many other things that people are passionate about. Some people have a passion for art, whether it is drawing, painting, or anything else, it is what they are into and what they love. I love music but I would not necessarily say I have a passion for it. Yes I like to have music playing most of the time but if I can not be listening to music that is fine with me. There are other things that I am passionate about and put all of my efforts into, in a very broad sense I am passionate about my future. What I mean by that is I work very hard to accomplish my goals, which are often related to school or work, so that I can create a better life for myself. It all depends on the person as to what they are passionate about and they can be passionate about more than one thing.

            Bloom also states that when a person is so involved with music it can interrupt their education. I would not blame the music for their lack of education. I would blame the person who let music so consume their life that they let their education go. Music does not control anything; it is there for people to listen to and to help people express themselves and their emotions. I believe that to some people music can help them stay focused and relaxed, which can have benefits in their school work. I find that when I am having a tough time staying concentrated on one activity that if I play some music in the background it can distract my wandering thoughts and keep me on track with the task at hand. This can be different for everyone though, some may find that music distracts them. If that is the case then these people should learn when and where it is a good or bad time to listen to music. No matter how the music makes a person feel I do not think it should ever be the reason for someone’s education to decline.

            On top of Bloom thinking that music can ruin a young person’s education, he also thinks that not since philosophers (such as Plato, Rosseau, and Aristotle) has music had a more significant meaning. I think that there are songs written with so much thought put into them and with so much meaning behind them. When a songwriter sings down to write a song of course they have an idea of what they want the song to mean and what they want people to understand in their song. Not everyone will get the same thing out of a song but I think it is unfair of him to say that the music young people are listening to has no meaning.

            Everyone will have different ideas on what they are passionate about and what they think about music and how it effects our youth. There really is no right answer. Music effects everyone differently and it is forever changing.