To heighten the awareness on the part of teenagers of lyrical content and implied messages of rock songs.

OVERVIEW

LEADER PREPARATION

• Before the meeting, gather a current list of your youth group’s favorite songs.
• Ask kids in your group to bring lyrics of these favorite songs (usually on the inside flap of a cassette or CD) to the next meeting.
• Ask teens to videotape these songs from any video music channel and bring them to the next meeting.
• Ask an assortment of adults—teachers, parents, leaders, committee, or youth workers—to interpret currently popular lyrics, at a separate time prior to the meeting.
• For the actual program, acquire a cassette and CD player, TV/VCR, posterboard or large pieces of paper for making lists, and sheets of paper and pencils.

GROUP BUILDING

• As volunteered by the group, list all the types of music that appeals to them.
• List artists and song titles for each kind of music.
• Rate the appeal of artists and song in simple categories: sounds good, easy to sing along, good words, meaningful, good beat or rhythm.
• Ask the group to provide one-word descriptions of the artist and song. Ask them to complete the following sentence: "When you think of this artist or song, it makes you think of..."

GROUP PRESENTATION

• Play several videos, cassette tapes, and CDs; include, if possible, a selection from each of the categories of music previously listed by the group.
• Hand out paper and pencils to everyone. Ask the group, while they watch, to respond to each of the following questions for each song/video played:
  • What does the song mean to you?
  • What might the song mean to others?
  • How do the lyrics make you feel?
  • What are the lyrics talking about?
  • Do you like this type of song?
• Share with the group the adult reponses to the lyrics of the songs.

GROUP DISCUSSION

Discuss their general responses to the songs. Be prepared for some disagreement! After discussing the videos, ask the following questions:

• How do your interpretations compare or contrast with the others here in the group?
• How do your interpretations compare or contrast with the adults’ opinions?
• What new insights did you discover about your favorite artists and/or songs?

WRAP-UP

These areas may be covered in the program conclusion:

• The importance of looking at the message of songs.
• The importance of respecting other’s interpretation of music.

EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP

• Survey teens about the enjoyment, usefulness, and challenge of the session.
• Later, ask individuals about their feelings toward music and the effectiveness of the session.
• Prepare another talk to address issues raised during the session.
• Plan other programs on lyrical content and comprehension from different perspectives:
  • Focus on one particular type of music.
  • Study specific issues portrayed in lyrics/videos: sex, violence, relationships, death, politics, fun, drugs and alcohol, good times, etc.
  • Plan a "create your own video" activity (based on lyric interpretation).

IMPLICATIONS

• Teens can be challenged to keenly listen to the messages in their favorite music.
• The interpretations of lyrics by adults and teens do not need to agree, but should be respected as possible explanations.
• Teachers (especially of history and literature) could use lyrical content and its interpretation in their curricula as a means of understanding rock music’s influence on today’s young people.
• Social workers who understand the significance of music in teens’ lives can use this knowledge, and perhaps a modification of this program, in counseling sessions.
• Youth leaders should be educated about various types of music, its messages, and its appeal to teens. This information will allow youth leaders to help teens decipher deeper lyrical messages and to challenge teens on the destructive forces of music, if necessary.

Doug Erickson cCYS