Thursday, April 19, 2012

Music in...what comes out?

With iTunes, Pandora Radio, I Heart Radio, Spotify and any number of other mobile and Facebook apps that students use to listen to music on the go, music is truly in your student's ear all day long. (They even make hoodies that have earbuds in the drawstrings) Unlike many of their parents, teenagers can listen to music, play a video game and watch a movie all at the same time. With all that media flowing into their brain, what comes out in their life is a question many parents ask. How can we help students make the right choices with the media they take in?

There are so many choices for music and other media, many times it's as if parents are looking through a dirty windshield when it comes to figuring out if the media their students are taking in is acceptable. So how can you find out what they are listening to? There are several ways to accomplish the task of learning your students' music and other media. (When we talk about media I think music is the most influential on students' lives because unlike movies and TV shows they listen to it over and over again, and therefore it becomes a part of who they are. So I think music is the most important part of media to have a handle on as a parent.) So what are some of those ways? I'd like to look at two ways today and then maybe in the future we can look at some others. 

#1 Listen to their music with them - I know it's loud and not very good in your opinion, but that is what your parents said about your music. So find some time to sit down with your student and listen to their music with a lyric sheet in hand. (you can find the lyrics on this cool new thing called google) With the lyrics in hand, you (and your student for that matter) can understand all the words. There is no need to listen to all of a song but get the point of what the song is trying to say. Then talk through the song with your student and have them determine if it is a song that is in line with the moral code that your family is striving to uphold. When you do this, you need to be prepared to have your child ask you about your music. So it would be a good idea to be ready to go through a few of the songs you listen to with them as well. And if it doesn't live up to the same code you want their music to live up to you, need to be ready to get rid of it. This is by far the best way to help your students see what their music is saying and whether or not it is the right thing. Many times they will say "I don't listen to the words." When they say that, the one thing you need to point out to them is that they can sing along to the songs - which means whether or not they like it, the words are in their head. And when we have stuff in our head it affects the way we act and think.

#2 Help them find positive music - It is important for students to have music they can listen to because it is part of who they are in their culture. So how do you help them find music that they like but comes from a perspective that you are ok with? For the most part, you probably don't listen to the type of music your students like to listen to and so I'm here to help you find music that they may like and yet has a positive perspective. Click here for a music comparison chart to the right. This chart will help you see the bands they listen to and ones that are coming from a more God-focused perspective. So check it out and find some bands that you will not have to worry about your student listening to. 

I hope these are helpful to you as you navigate the crazy waters of modern media. Stay tuned for more ways to impact your students.

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