Music as Mirror

WHEN ASKED TO CONSIDER developing an essay about college students and music, I agreed with enthusiasm. I have been a fan of contemporary music from an early age. asking for my first record player for my tenth birthday and dancing to American Bandstand after coming home from elementary school. I own music in all formats: vinyl, tape (no 8-tracks), and compact discs (more than 1,300). I have fantasized about doing an article for Rolling Stone (working title: ‘'Adventures of an Aging Baby Boomer at Contemporary Rock Concerts”). As a faculty member, I frequently use music to facilitate learning. For example, in a graduate course on college student development theory, to kick off discussion of each theory, I typically play a musical selection, display the lyrics, and ask students to explain how the song reflects concepts in the theory (Live's “Beauty of Gray” with William Perry's cognitive development theory, Michael W. Smith's “Place in This World” with Arthur Chickering's psychosocial development theory). This approach aids in making abstract ideas more concrete, provides a measure of students’ understanding of the material, and introduces theories in an engaging fashion.

In preparation for this piece, I listened to numerous CDs (in a range a little broader than usual), “watched videos on VHl and MTV, monitored popular music charts, and reviewed recent issues of Rolling Stone (I have subscribed for years).

To provide some structure for my musings, I also gave a brief survey to graduate and undergraduate stu dents who volunteered. Obviously, this is an unscientific approach. On the other hand, intuition tells me that if at least some students on my campus are listening and responding as these students did, it is possible that students on other campuses share some similarities. The students’ responses stimulated my thinking, and per haps they “will stimulate yours as “well. Students’ listening habits can provide insight into messages that they are exposed to on a regular basis as well as messages that they may wish to send about themselves—their self-concept, important values, and so on.

Both undergraduate and graduate students, when asked to check off options related to how they use music, frequently indicated for relaxing, getting energized, and socializing. More undergraduates than graduates indicated that they listened to music “when studying. Other uses generated by the students “were to experience one's own culture, to stay awake while driving, to reminisce, as a soundtrack for cleaning the house, and as background during sex.

When asked to check off the types of music they listen to most frequently, for the graduate students, pop/top 40 came out first, followed by rhythm and blues (R&B) and modern rock. For the undergraduates, rhythm and blues, rap, and hip hop came up most often. I noted that all categories (classic rock, country, jazz, and classical) “were checked by at least a few students. Under the “other” category, students supplied a wide range of additional music types, with choices such as gospel, reggae, ethnic (Spanish, African, Native American), oldies, and opera. It struck me that about one-third of the students listened to country music, which was more than I would have guessed. Clearly, students’ musical tastes are varied.

The eclectic nature of students’ musical interests was brought home to me even more by their responses to questions about current and all-time favorite artists and songs. Usher, an R&B/ hip hop artist, was cited most often by both groups, with R. Kelly, an artist in the same genre, tying for first with the undergraduates in regard to current preferences. With the graduate students, Dave Matthews, leader of a jam band; Kenny Chesney, who can be described as a country version of the laid-back Jimmy Buffett; Howie Day, a singer-songwriter; and Maroon 5, a modern rock band, followed in frequency. With the undergraduates, Kanye West, a producer turned rapper, came in third.

The all-time favorites list produced some interesting choices from both groups. Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, and Janet Jackson were each cited a few? times among the graduate students. Michael Jackson received multiple endorsements among the undergraduates. It seems that recent controversies haven't lessened students’ enthusiasm for Michael and Janet Jackson (or for R. Kelly). To see comparatively geriatric rockers such as Aerosmith and Bon Jovi on the lists was both surprising and fun. Also, the diversity of tastes is impressive. Frank Sinatra appeared on both groups’ lists, as did rappers Eminem, Jay-Z, and 50 Cent; songstresses Alicia Keys and Norah Jones; country artist Martina McBride; hip hop act Outkast; classic artistVan Morrison; and hard rock act Limp Bizkit.

WHY DO students like the music they endorsed? I raised this question, and the beat and lyrics were mentioned often. Beats give energy and are fun for dancing and other purposes. Outkast's infectious “Hey Ya!” and Usher's driving “Yeah!” are good examples. The meaning of lyrics forms connections for students. They find inspiration, emotions with which they can identify and empowerment. They can relate to what is being said. They find comfort, understanding, escape, mood enhancement, and the words to convey what they sometimes cannot express on their own. Cynthia Lout, cited by Linda Holtzman in her book on media messages, asserts that lyrics reinforce a culture's values. Extending this idea to the college student population, lyrics may reinforce the values of different subcultures as well.

Holtzman notes that ‘'popular music has traditionally featured romance as its central theme … proclaiming the joy of love and the agony of loss” (pp. 88—89). Jessica Simpson's ‘'With You,” in which she values the opportunity to be herself in the relationship and The Darkness's “I Believe in a Thing called Love,” with its retro sound, including lead vocals sung in a goofy falsetto (remember Tiny Tim?) are examples of the former. The latter is evidenced in Eamon's “I Don't Want You Back” (the sanitized title) and 3 Doors Down's plaintive “Here Without You.” Longing is the theme of Daniel Beding-field's “If You're Not the One”; adolescent lust is addressed in the catchy “Stacy's Mom” by Fountains of Wayne; and pure sex oozes from Kelis's “Milkshake,” earning her the only parental advisory label among the female artists I reviewed. I especially liked Howie Day's ‘'Collide,” an introspective look at a relationship that isn't perfect but continues. Several graduate students, on seeing this CD, Stop All the World Now, on my desk picked it up and made positive comments about it. It stayed in my CD player for a long time.

Inspiration can be found in songs such as Good Charlotte's “Hold On,” which forthrightly acknowledges pain, alienation, and suicidal thoughts but promotes hope (although the album title, The Young and the Hopeless, may send a mixed message). Five for Fighting's “100Years,” another favorite of mine and several of my students’, offers musings on the potential of a lifetime and the fleeting nature of time. Empowerment can come from artists such as 50 Cent, “whose album, “while it includes songs entitled “High All the Time” and “P.I.M.P.,” also offers “Gotta Make It to Heaven,” “which contains a serenity prayer. Eminem, with the backdrop of an intense beat, offers encouragement to succeed by telling listeners that they can do anything in “Lose Yourself.” T.A.T.U., a Russian adolescent duo, offers a rare musical same-sex attraction reference in “All the Things She Said,” giving a voice to lesbian relationships. Though suspicions exist that TA.TU.'s focus may have been merely a marketing ploy, the song remains empowering.

Comfort can come from artists such as the Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer. I've seen the Dave Matthews Band in concert, and “while a friend my age thinks all their songs sound the same, younger folks tend to sing along and know all the words. The Dave Matthews Band offers interesting rhythms and upbeat songs (though Matthews's solo album single “Gravedigger” is an exception). John Mayer is another innocuous voice, but some songs, such as ‘'Bigger Than My Body,” capture the hope to someday be more than one is today. And R. Kelly, in “Step in the Name of Love,” tells listeners that his album is intended to make them feel good.

Certainly, music conveys messages to students. The Black Eyed Peas address social issues and advocate acceptance and justice in their song, “Where Is the Love?” Jason Mraz's “The Remedy (I Won't Worry)” sets an example by saying he is not going to “worry his life away. Christina Aguilera advocates self-acceptance in ‘'Beautiful.” Kanye West's message is evident in the title of his album, The College Dropout. His lyrics also reflect some disdain for higher education, “which is interesting, considering that his mother is a university English professor. Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that some students are drawn to this album.

I have to admit that I am a bit disturbed by the number of songs I have noted that refer to dying. For example, two of Evanescence's hits, “Bring Me to Life” and “Going Under,” reflect this theme. Even Howie Day's melodious single, “Perfect Time of Day,” is about the last day of life. And Dave Matthews, in a Rolling Stone interview “with Austin Scaggs, talks about his own preoccupation with death, including suicide. I hope such treatments don't serve to romanticize and therefore perhaps render attractive the ending of life in the minds of impressionable students.

STUDENTS, through the nature of their music preferences, also seem to intentionally or unintentionally convey messages. In response to my question about what students thought their musical interests say about them, several thought their tastes demonstrated openness and a valuing of diversity. I was impressed that this value is one “with “which students identified and that they hoped others “would recognize as “well. Several students also saw their introspection reflected in their musical tastes. One of my favorite responses “was “Either I am “well rounded or indecisive.”

When asked “what misconceptions they think older folks such as college faculty and administrators and parents might have about their music, students often mentioned the perception that the music is too loud and that it is seen as harmful by encouraging violence and substance abuse, perceptions that have probably characterized each older generation's view of the younger generation's music. Some concerns “were attached to specific genres. For example, those “who like country music could be perceived as hicks and rap could be seen as less art than complaints. One student commented that music, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Holtzman has observed that “part of the declaration of independence of adolescents from their parents … has been their choice of music” (p. 243). Establishing identity, and perhaps even rebellion, is a normal developmental phenomenon, and musical preferences may be one manifestation of this process.

In both formal and informal contexts, music can facilitate the learning process. For example, in a diversity workshop with undergraduates, I played samples of music from various genres (such as rap, grunge, folk, country, and classical) and asked students to jot down a short description of someone “whom they think “would listen to and enjoy that piece. Discussion of potential stereotypes and related implications followed.

Music can also set a tone and generate energy. For example, in a graduate course on U.S. higher education that met right after lunch, a generally sluggish time, I used music to introduce each debate in a series (such as Ugly Kid Joe's “I Hate Everything About You” before the debate on free speech versus civility). One colleague uses Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's ‘'Ohio” to introduce a discussion of the tragedy at Kent State University on May 4, 1970. Finally, music can aid in helping students think conceptually. For example, Timothy McMahon and Ron Bramhall have asked students to explain how leadership is like classical music, jazz, rap, and so on.

While educators can learn more about contemporary music by listening to student radio stations, “watching videos on MTV or VHl, reading publications such as Rolling Stone, and asking students directly about their interests, drawing on one's own musical preferences is another alternative. For variety, I have used Mozart's overture to The Marriage of Figaro and Andreas Vollen-weider's new age piece “Down to the Moon” to introduce discussion of organizational theory. I ask students to listen to excerpts from both and decide “which is more reflective of conventional and which of postcon-ventional theory and why. The discussion reflects students’ understanding of both paradigms. Peter Magolda provides an example of the use of music throughout an entire course to facilitate understanding of qualitative research methodology.

Students can also be asked to take the lead and supply music to demonstrate concepts, as in Merrily Dunn's activity in which she asks students to bring to class songs that they believe illustrate each of Chickenng's seven vectors of psychosocial development. This type of approach requires no musical knowledge on the part of the instructor.

Understanding college students and their music can give us insight into who they are, although students “warn against judging a book by its cover, assuming that how one looks signifies one's taste in music. Students’ musical interests also give us a resource for forming connections with them both in and out of the classroom and enhancing their learning. Finally, understanding contemporary music can keep us young at heart; I speak from experience.