Does MUSIC commit MURDER?

I must congratulate you on a well written and well researched article that still allows for your own voice and input. Keep on penning.

Thanks Hilda Agard for the nice compliment! I appreciate it!

You hit the nail on the head. Where are these kids parents? I listened to rap music when I was growing up and I still do. The difference between me and those kids is that my mother made sure I knew was real and what someone was saying to make money. She also made sure I knew the difference between right and wrong.

I'm afraid to some, "control" means dictatorial bans. Which only dangles forbidden fruit. D Weezy has the process right, I think. Know what's out there, if your child shows an interest listen with the child and be prepared to discuss fiction vs. reality and ask the child "What's wrong with this picture?".

I also reckon that few folk who do music are out there murdering and raping. They're too busy. It's the ones who only listen - and listen without guidance - who are so bored with themselves and with life that they turn to mayhem as instructed by gangsta rap.

Very nice writes, this and your last, milady. You look at multiple viewpoints and think things through. This is good, and refreshing.

This subject tears me. My family is the same as yours. My mother played trombone and organ, my father played clarinet and dabbled with sax. I played trombone, piano, clarinet, and because my sister was learning drums, I learned a fair amount too. Every other orchestra instrument, except oboe and french horn, was one that I dabbled in. And like you, I love classical. I am one of those awful women that would love to drag her husband to the opera so that I can share its wonders, except that he is already aware of how lovely they are. lol

That being said, my favorite music is electronic. I cannot help but think that if Mozart were alive today, he would be an electronic artist. There are so many different layers, and it takes conflicting sounds and makes them work together harmoniously. But with electronic music, there is a significant drug culture. I am into the musical aspects, but I am not about to deny that more than a few listeners of my favorite band are stoned quite often. I also have an inexplicable fondness for rap. I am a rural housewife that grew up in suburbia, I have a high IQ and enjoy reading so much that my home has a bigger library than my son's school. I even named one of my kids after a Nobel Prize Laureate, for cryin' out loud! Yet when Nelly or Ludacris comes on I can't stop listening.

I want to believe that the connection between suicide and music is nothing more than a quote summing up how they feel. I want it to be nothing more than if they wrote "Richard Cory" on the walls. I suspect that while some are this way, some are also inspired by the violent things they hear.

On a side note, I have "Rage" and though I don't like most of Stephen King's works, I read this and one other of his "Richard Bach" works about once a year. They really are fantastic.

Do you think that there should be some kind of ban on particular lyrical content or topics?
I too agree with you. It seems like these days there is a major cross-over in music. Just how you said, a house wife w/ a high I.Q may love rap music. 15 years ago this was not the case.
How can we tell our children not to listen to Nelly when we own all his CD's?

I do not think there should be a ban of any kind. As you wrote, Napster has eliminated any real effectiveness of the parental advisory labels. I don't think the labels should disappear, but I don't think there should be further steps to limit it.

There is a huge cross-over, and I actually think this is a good thing. I know that if my son comes home in the future, when he's 15, and he's singing about "bitches and whores" that he didn't hear it in my house. First I'm going to find out what artist it is, and then I'm going to explain to him that he is disrespecting me and my house. I will then explain to him that I have worked with at-risk teens, and that some of them will go on to be the greatest rap stars the world has ever known. I will tell him that respect is the most important thing that these kids believe in, and that a fair amount of the violence they talk about is because they were not shown respect, however they interpret it, by someone else. I will ask him how calling a woman a "bitch" or a "whore" is respecting her. If he values the gangster lifestyle, and if he tries to emulate them so much, he will see the hypocrisy. The cross-over means that if he comes home singing a song I don't like, I already know if I need to go with the 50 cent "violence is stupid" talk or the Nelly "no 15 year old has any business talking about pimp juice" talk. My parents were never able to give me a reason why I couldn't listen to Nirvana, because they didn't have a clue who Nirvana was.

Currently, my kids are too young to worry about this. I take my own steps in censoring what they listen to, and as they get older and I can counter what they listen to with some logic, they will have a chance to listen to more. See, it's not so much the words as the intent behind them in my family. I think it's similar to tv and movies. We watch Nip/Tuck. There isn't a single frame of that show that I could show my kids. I know that the PTC is trying to get it banned, but I think that is ridiculous. Before every show, they give a mini-lesson on the V-Chip, and they also tell you that there will be violence, sex, drugs, adult content, etc... I simply tell my kids that this is a grown-up show, and if they can play quietly by themselves for an hour, we will all play a game afterwards. They are happy to get the positive family time, they learn to entertain themselves, I get an hour to be a grown-up and focus on things that are ENTIRELY grown-up, and most importantly, they realize that there is a difference between things for children and things for adults, and they realize that one day they will have the ability to decide what is appropriate for themselves.

I wish you good luck

Yeah, my son is only 7 months old now, but all these issues do concern me. I do agree with what you said about explaining to your children what they are singing. I think "bitch", "whore" and "slut" have become such common words (thanks to the media) that we often don't realize what our children are listening to. I even think about this when I am in the car with my son. Although he's only 7 months I still don't want him hearing that kind of language. Ya know, it's funny, like you said, My parents also couldn't give me real reasons for not liking my music. In my dad's time "Rock 'n Roll was the devil". I guess if it's the devil that's a good enough reason (lol). But if KISS is the devil then what does that make Trick Daddy?

It's sorta funny. My church growing up would have a series of videos once a year. They always told how awful music is and that the recording industry must be in league with the devil. Our response was always, "Dude, nobody our age listens to KISS." LOL!

I can only wonder what they must think about Nine Inch Nails or Marilyn Manson. I keep thinking that their description of AC/DC making God "boiling mad" is nothing compared to the heart attack he must be having from one solitary Marilyn Manson song.

All I can advise is that even at 7 months, you are able to control not only the volume, but the station, and even the power button. When they get older, hope you've made the right decisions and right explanations.

The media does not raise children, parents do.

Dreams Matter.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/6562/pchan_stockton.html

You are really talented

I wanted to thank everyone for the great in depth feedback on this topic!