music test, The

Group, Sep/Oct 1999 by Schwartz, Kelly

new research reveals what your kids' music preferences say about who they are and what they need

four years ago this month, I was sitting in a crowded, buzzing concert hall as the lights went down and a hush replaced the pre-concert chaos. The crowd was restless with anticipation. Then, like a jet on final approach, a thunderous and raunchy power chord split the air. Steve Walsh, lead singer of '70s supergroup Kansas, belted out the first line of "Carry On Wayward Son." Meanwhile, inside my 30-something youth worker's shell, I was back in my '71 Chevy halfton pickup with my windows rolled down and my Pioneer cassette stereo cranked.

Three hours later I'd completed a whirlwind tour of my adolescence-with all its excitement, blaring noise, and streaming sweat.

The ringing left in my ears by this and other retro musical experiences piqued my interest in teenagers' relationship to their music. In my case, and maybe yours, I made passionate choices about my music (oh, if only my collection of Kiss memorabilia had risen in value like Microsoft stock) that have played a key role in defining who I was then and who I am now.

During junior and senior high, teenagers spend almost 10,000 hours listening to music-close to all the hours they spend in class by the time they graduate from high school. Their allegiance to music is second only to their commitment to their friends. Socially, kids use their music to relieve loneliness, to initiate and maintain friendships, and to rebel against adult-imposed expectations. A particular teenager's music preferences also reflect the issues, conflicts, and needs that make up his internal world. And those internal forces drive his emotions, values, and beliefs.

There's plenty of half-baked, alarmist speculation about music's powerful role in kids' lives, but almost no solid research. Why do teenagers gravitate to a particular music style? I set out to answer that question by asking 175 teenagers from two public high schools questions about their music preferences, their reasons for listening to music, and their personality characteristics.

I asked kids to categorize their music preferences using broad descriptions such as "peaceful and relaxing" or "tough and hard." Their responses placed them into one of three groups: Hard Music (such as rap, hard rock, and heavy metal), Soft Music (such as mainstream pop, dance, and country), or No Preference (for those whose tastes are eclectic). I also asked them how often they listened to music for reasons such as "to listen to the words," "to create a good atmosphere," "to help pass the time," or "to feel better." I then correlated each of the three music preference groups with kids' personality traits.

Four out of five teenagers we surveyed said music is either "important" or "very important" in their lives. They backed their words with action-the average young person in our study listens to music more than three hours a day. Contrary to popular and uninformed generalizations about kids, most don't have "Metallica Rules" tattooed on their biceps. We found an almost equal distribution of teenagers who said they prefer Hard (36 percent), Soft (34 percent), or had No Preference (30 percent).

In our survey, music was more important to girls than guys, and they listened to it more during the week. More than guys, girls use music to create an atmosphere or mood and to fill the silence or pass the time. They also listen more closely to lyrics and are more likely than guys to see music as a tool that helps them express and identify with their emotions. The bottom line: Girls find more meaning in their music than guys do.

We also found that kids who prefer certain music styles have similar personality profiles. For example, teenagers who are both passive and oversensitive to others` opinions show a greater preference for Soft music. These teenagers also struggle more with their sexual impulses and are more concerned about their peer group's approval and acceptance.

You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to understand why kids who have problems with relationships, sexuality, and acceptance prefer mainstream pop, country, or dance music. These music styles focus on boy/girl relationships and are full of soothing messages about the emotional concerns that surround attraction and dating. Now I know why I get all misty whenever I hear Air Supply"s "I'm All Out of Love". . . it soothed me!

On the other hand, teenagers who prefer Hard music are more dominant in their relationships, more indifferent to others' feelings, more verbally impulsive, more disrespectful of others, and more eager to push societal boundaries. These kids are also emotionally discontented, not sure of who they are, and have difficulty relating to their families-particularly their parents.

Again, it's not hard to see why teenagers who struggle with these issues are attracted to rap, heavy metal, and even alternative music. Hard music helps them express their intense feelings and social discontent, all the while creating the space they need to search for their identity (possibly at the expense of others).