Comm. Studies Ia

General Introduction

The Oxford School Dictionary describes music as “A pattern of pleasant or interesting sound made by instruments or by the voice” and this is the theme of my Communication Studies Internal portfolio “Music: How it Impacts the Lives of Male Teenagers.”

In the expository section, I presented a 10 minute speech to my teacher where I discussed the impact of music on Jamaican teenagers and teenagers in general. In this presentation I brought up points having to do with what music is, the benefits having to do with music, some drawbacks having to do with music, the overall influence it can have on teenagers and the advantages of doing music (learning how to play an instrument and writing sheet music and songs). In my reflective piece, I chose to show in dialogue genre titled, “Damon, Musical Genius” how deeply music can influence teenagers. This dialogue is accompanied by a rationale that shows my inspiration, purpose and intended audience and the context in which this piece may be used. I have chosen to analyze the dialogue in terms or language registers and dialectal variations found herein.

I am interested in this theme because I wanted to discover psychological reasons why music is such a great influence on the behaviour of teenagers. As a former musician, I realized that this knowledge would help me to understand how music has influenced my decisions in the past and how it has shaped my future.

Expository

Music: How it Impacts the Lives of Male Teenagers.

Background

The focus of my expository our local music industry which has always been a major matter internationally. Reggae music is one of the most iconic genres thanks to the likes of Jamaican men such as Bob Marley, Barrington Levy, Beres Hammond, etc… and their music still inspires young Jamaican men up to this date. Dancehall in a way has now taken over the role of reggae in the lives of these young men. One of the most influential dancehall personalities at this time is Vybz Kartel.

Some may say that the message in Jamaican music has changed for the worse, but this is not the case. The message of the music can now be accessed easily as opposed to 20-50 years ago. If a positive message is added to the lyrical content, music can make a huge difference in the behavioural patterns of young Jamaican men.

Music and male teenagers

Males in their teenage years attempt to discover who they are as a person and what their purpose is. Music has the ability to convey inner emotions that the teenager does not have the ability to express. Learning how to play an instrument and produce/make music is a good outlet for the emotions of these teenagers. It gives them the ability to tell everyone what they’re about and what their purpose is.

What influences music choices among male teenagers?

Radios, Television programs and the Internet are some of the things that affect what type of music a teenager listens to. These factors determine what type of music is ‘normal’ to the teenager. In Jamaica, Reggae, Dancehall, Rap and Hip-Hop are considered ‘normal’ while the Country or Rock genre would be considered as ‘white people music’. They are known as ‘mass media’ which influence what the young men listen to.

Friend and family can also determine what the teenager listens to. For someone to be a ‘friend’ in the first place, there must me common interests, so if a friend was to introduce a new genre or song to the teenager, he is more likely to go and listen to it that if a stranger did. In the case of family, if they recognize that some of the lyrical content in certain genres are inappropriate for the teenager, they may prohibit them from listening to those genres and giving him more ‘appropriate’ music, like Gospel.

Is there a difference in behaviour of teenagers among the social classes in Jamaica owing to their musical preference?

The information processing cycle includes: input, processing of input, and output. Consider the music the input, the teenager processes it, and the action(s) of the teenager afterwards or the after effect of the music is the output could explain the how music impacts them. Listening to music with negative messages, in the likes of Heavy Metal which is considered to be ‘demonic’ would produce a negative output from the teenager. On the other hand if the teenager listens to positive music in the likes of Reggae or Gospel music, that the output would be positive as well.

Music is a social statement. It is an outward means of expression. Through observation of the Jamaican youth, the lower class teenagers tend to gravitate to Dancehall music, while the middle class youth gravitate towards Rap/Hip-Hop, and the wealthy youth prefers Rock music. These preferences in music denote the social class to which the teenager belongs therefore making a distinction in socially accepted behaviour.

Therefore, one could conclude that music influences behaviour. An example of this is when Vybz Kartel made a song about the shoe brand, Clark’s and many individuals from the inner city, as well as middle class individuals began to purchase this brand and it became a social status symbol.

When does music become a problem?

Music in Jamaica is considered by many as problematic. This is true in cases where music is used to influence teenagers to take part in negative activities, for example: violence. Modern Dancehall music tends to convey widespread violence, ‘badness’ and ‘unruly’ behaviour. There are many Dancehall songs that have positive messages, but teenagers tend to gravitate towards what their elders tell them is wrong or restricted. The influence of these negative messages convinces the teens that these actions are ‘appropriate’ if the person(s) they respect and look up to partake(s) in these activities.

It is not only the inner city individuals that are influenced by music, some middle class individuals have also become more violent due to Dancehall as well as becoming more materialistic due to Rap and Hip-Hop music. Some upper class individuals have also become materialistic due to this type of music.

Conclusion

Music is timeless and invokes different emotions in different individuals. The music we listen to says a lot about who we are and out social standings. Music is important to young Jamaican men because it is seen as an outlet for emotion. Music has evolved over the years along with society. The influence mass media has on teenagers is not always appropriate and the negative behaviour has become a way of life for some teens. On the other hand, positive behaviour has become a way of life for other teens. Overall, the music industry and its undoubtable influence on Jamaican teenagers comes down to personal choice and preference.

Challenges experienced in exploring selected topic

In my research for information on my selected topic “Music: How it Impacts the Lives of Male Teenagers” my major obstacle was organization of thoughts and time management. Jottings were made months prior to the typing up of the IA but never put into a presentable form. Also, more time consuming assignments were to be done were of greater priority than this one.

Evaluation of the effect of source, context and medium on the reliability and validity of information gathered

The information gathered in the putting together of this expository was collected over the World Wide Web. Additional information was also attained through a secondary source, my mother, who has experience in the field of teenage sociology. While these sources may not be considered the most reliable, I considered the information I gathered though them very reliable and valid for this topic, as music is all over the internet.

I consider my personal additions reliable as well as I have personal experience in the music field locally. Being a teenage male, I have experienced a lot of what is contained in this expository which further increases the reliability of the information I presented. I end with a quote by Aldous Huxley, an English writer.

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.”

(See page 10 for Bibliography)

Preface

For my reflective piece, I wrote a dialogue entitled “Damon, Musical Genius”. I have chosen this genre because it highlights the conflicts and struggles young teenage boys, like Damon face with peer pressure. The purpose of the piece is to highlight the value of a strong family and its roll in instilling values such as self-esteem and determination through the character of Damon. By using a Slice of Life literary technique, it demonstrates how teenagers overcome temptations and can resolve emotional turmoil and make the right decisions. My intended audience is primarily teenage/adolescent boys aged 14-19 and secondly the gifted teenagers who have excelled in different areas of the arts, sports or sciences. This piece could be used as a role play in guidance class or could be dramatized during general assembly and then discussed afterwards.

Reflective: Damon, Musical Genius

Majestic green vegetation, cool mountain air, the awesome roar of the nearby river, these are a few words that can describe sixteen-year-old Damon Horus’ surroundings. Damon lives with his parents in a rural area in Jamaica. He attended the closest local rural school which was three miles away. He walked a part of the journey and took public transportation for the rest. He had to leave home by 5:15am. ‘I’m leaving now!’ Damon shouted while making his way out the door. ‘Okay darling! Don’t idle out di day!’ Damon’s mother replied. ‘I won’t mommy.’ Damon replied, reassuring his mother.

Damon went to school following his regular routine. He was a music prodigy and often times would stay in the music room and practice with Mr. Thompson, the school’s music teacher. Damon enjoyed classical music and was determined to become a composer. One morning, while Damon was heading to the music room he was suddenly stopped by three other students, Billy, Hugh and Kevin. ‘Weh yaah guh?’ Billy asked. ‘Nuh see seh him ah nerd dawg? Him a go to him violin.’ Kevin said facetiously. Billy, Hugh and Kevin all laughed. ‘Fi ah nerd, you stupid enuh, skulling class fi music. Wah music aguh do fi yuh?’ Hugh asked. Damon just shook his head and walked away. He entered the music room where he sat down in silence. ‘Boy, if your face was any longer we’d have to start calling you Damon Horse {Damon Horus}. What’s the matter?’ teased Mr. Thompson. ‘Nothing sir.’ Damon replied. ‘I’ve been around long enough to know what that means. Yuh girlfriend bruk up wid you?’ inquired Mr. Thompson. Damon laughed, ‘No sir, well, uhm, a few students have been picking on me because I play the violin.’ Damon replied. ‘You sure?’ Mr. Thompson asked. ‘Yes! To them it’s stupid but it’s my passion.’ Damon said with more energy. ‘Well as long as you love what you’re doing it shouldn’t matter.’ Mr. Thompson replied.

Damon reflected as Mr. Thompson left. Meanwhile, on the other side of school, the bullies were, making a plan to stop Damon’s musical career. ‘We have to stop the nerd.’ Kevin said. ‘Him jus fool fool, wasteman.’ Billy stated. ‘Me have a plan, we can get a girl fi trick him.’ said Hugh. ‘Who?’ Billy asked. ‘Tracey.’ Hugh replied. The boys then began to search for Tracey. She’s a very pretty and devious brown girl. Tracey also had a crush on Hugh and would do anything for him. ‘I’ll talk to her guys.’ Hugh said. The other two left. ‘I need a favour from you.’ Hugh said seriously. ‘Anything for you.’ Tracey said blushingly. ‘I need you to pretend to have a crush on Damon then make him stop playing music.’ Hugh said commandingly. ‘Eww that nerd boy? Why?’ Tracey asked. ‘Just please, okay?’ Hugh said. ‘Okay...’ Tracey replied. Hugh walked away, ‘Not even a thank you.’ Tracey muttered.

The following day Damon came to school to a big surprise. Tracey was all over him. ‘Whaaaat?’ Damon asked. ‘Long time me like you enuh. We should link up after school under the big tree at the back of the school.’ Tracey replied. ‘Definitely.’ said Damon. Damon made his way to the music room with a big smile on his face, he was ecstatic. ‘Now you look like you could star innah Batman movie as joker, a wah sweet you suh?’ Mr. Thompson asked jokingly ‘Tracey jus ask me out.’ Damon replied. ‘Waah? Go deh yute. Well more good news, based on your music exam, you have been chosen to write and perform a classical piece at the Jamaica 50 celebrations.’ Mr. Thompson informed Damon. Damon was elated, but this joy would be short-lived. The school day finished and Damon kept his date with Tracey. ‘I heard something about you today.’ said Tracey. ‘What?’ Damon asked. ‘You play the violin…’ replied Tracey. ‘Yeah… so..?’ Damon said. ‘I hate the violin… you should stop…’ replied Tracey. ‘Why? Music is the only thing I have really… apart from my parents and my health. Music is my friend it’s my passion, you might not like it but don’t bash it.’ Damon said passionately while a tear ran down his cheek. ‘You wouldn’t understand.’ Damon said. Tracey placed her hand on Damon’s shoulder, ‘I do understand though. I have no parents. I live in a foster home. Guys only like me for my looks and use me and I snob people to feel special.’ Tracey said. ‘You are special though… I like y-’ Damon didn’t complete the statement as, Tracey kissed him.

Billy, Hugh and Kevin were watching and rushed out. ‘What? That’s not what I told you to do!’ Hugh exclaimed. ‘Well I don’t need you Hugh, I have Damon.’ Tracey replied. The bullies just walked away. ‘I have a performance at the Jamaica 50 celebration and I’m inviting you.’ Damon said. ‘Of course I will.’ Tracey replied. Damon used the money he now makes to sponsor music programmes all over Jamaica to help youth follow their dreams in music.

Analysis

I have chosen to analyse my reflective piece “Damon, Musical Genius” in terms of language registers and dialectal variation. Language registers refer to a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting, in can be either a Frozen, Formal, Consultative, Casual or Intimate register. The choice of register is usually determined by the social setting. In this dialogue, there are situations where Formal, Consultative and Casual registers were used. When Damon spoke to his mother, he did so in a formal manner, “I’m leaving now!” showing respect, his mother responded in a casual manner, “Okay darling! Don’t idle out di day!” which suggests that the two have a close relationship. The consultative register was used between Damon and Mr. Thompson because it is a student teacher relationship, an example of this was when Damon was explaining to Mr. Thompson about the bullies and their misunderstanding of his musical passion, “No sir, well, uhm, a few students have been picking on me because I play the violin.” and Mr. Thompson’s response “Well as long as you love what you’re doing it shouldn’t matter” was of a consultative nature. The intimate register was brought up when Damon and Tracey were conversing and Damon explained his passion for music and the violin, “Why? Music is the only thing I have really… apart from my parents and my health. Music is my friend it’s my passion, you might not like it but don’t bash it” and Tracey explained how she’s always been used, “I do understand though. I have no parents. I live in a foster home. Guys only like me for my looks and use me and I snob people to feel special”.

Dialectal Variation refers to changes in language due to various influences. These include: social, geographic, individual and group factors, in this case it can be any variation of Creole, Standard English or Slangs. When the bullies (Billy, Hugh and Kevin) were mocking Damon, “Nuh see seh him ah nerd dawg? Him a go to him violin”, “Fi ah nerd, you stupid enuh, skulling class fi music. Wah music aguh do fi yuh?” they used Creole because of their social background, and their attitude towards the dialect, teenagers tend to want to use the dialect more. Damon used mostly used Standard English throughout the piece. This suggests that he has respect towards the individuals he talks to by keeping formality. Slangs were used among the bullies, two in particular are: ‘wasteman’, “Him jus fool fool, wasteman” which in Jamaica means he wastes a lot of time idling, and ‘skull’, “Fi ah nerd, you stupid enuh, skulling class fi music…” which in Jamaica has another meaning, to skip class, or is this case ‘skulling’ which would mean in the process of skipping class.

There are many elements for effective analysis and in this piece, Language Registers and Dialectal Variation were used to analyse the dialogue, this should vastly improve my portfolio.

Conclusion

In my portfolio: “Music: How it Impacts the Lives of Male Teenagers”, I have discussed the various issues that come up with this topic including: the benefits of music, the drawbacks of music, the overall influence music has on teenagers and the advantages of doing music. Through my research I have included in my oral presentation, a 10 minute speech, pertaining to the theme of my portfolio. Throughout each section I have shown how music influences the decisions teenagers make in their day to day lives. In the making of this portfolio, I’ve discovered more psychological reasons why music is one of the powerful means of influence.

Bibliography

1. http://cape-commstudies.blogspot.com/2011/01/language-dialectal-variation.html

2. http://www.genconnection.com/English/ap/LanguageRegisters.htm

3. http://www.winmentalhealth.com/music_psychology.php

4. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-musical-self/201110/teens-and-music-noise-or-necessary

5. http://teenink.com/reviews/music_reviews/article/123483/How-Music-Affects-Teens/

6. The Oxford School Dictionary

Bibliography: 1. http://cape-commstudies.blogspot.com/2011/01/language-dialectal-variation.html 2. http://www.genconnection.com/English/ap/LanguageRegisters.htm 3. http://www.winmentalhealth.com/music_psychology.php 4. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-musical-self/201110/teens-and-music-noise-or-necessary 5. http://teenink.com/reviews/music_reviews/article/123483/How-Music-Affects-Teens/ 6. The Oxford School Dictionary