Benchmark Essay

Music has been a type of entertainment for lots of kids for quite a while now. Some kids

might think that listening to music is a fine thing to do but there are many dangers to it. Despite

the excitement, listening to music for long periods is dangerous and can cause some kids to have

depressing and violent thoughts. Other effects could be suicidal thoughts, school problems,

greater drug use, and conflict with parents. Teenagers start to spend less time with their family

and never hangout with their friends. Instead, they are listening to music for long periods of

times which put out negative affects on their lives.

Boys and girls all listen to music. It’s normal to see teenagers with their earphones

connected to their phones. According to the National Institute on Media and the Family, 45% of

US teens listen to the FM radio. The amount of time teenagers listen to music affects their views

on their heroes. Instead of looking up to an athlete or to someone who has been a huge part in

making our world a better place, they look up to musicians. That’s not the worst part. As time

goes by, music starts to affect our emotions and mood. Music like Heavy metal can cause greater

drug use, suicidal thoughts, drunk driving, conflict with parents, and more school problems. The

violent lyrics of hard rock and heavy metal music also lead to violence, drug, and alcohol

problems. It’s shocking to hear what type of influence music actually has on kids. Many of us

teenagers don’t know the dangers and probably listen to music for most of the day during

including school.

Music can also inspire killing others. “15-year old Charles Williams was arrested for

shooting a school named Santa High School in San Diego, killing two teens and wounding 13

others.” According to 15-year-old Niel O’Grady it was actually music that inspired him to do this
shooting. It was the violent lyrics of the music that caused this to happen. Dr. James Johnson

found out that listening to songs with violent lyrics will make teens more approving in violent

behavior and participating in violent actions. Some past events have included a teenager killing

an officer and then claiming that he was inspired by lyrics from gangsta rapper Tupac Shakur.

Another event was Christopher Golly killing his father because he would blast on his stereo, a

rock song in which the singer fantasizes about killing his father. It is truly sickening to see what

these songs have done to teenagers. Who makes a song dreaming about killing their father?

Now that we have discussed the negative influences from music, lets look at some of the

lyrics that might influence the decisions kids make. A singer named Nine Inch Nails released a

song named “Big Man with a Gun,”with lyrics reading “maybe I’ll put a hole in your head: you

know just for the f--k of it...I’m every inch a man, and ill show you somehow:me and my

f--cking gun.” These lyrics symbolize violence and talk about shooting someone. There are so

many horrible songs that just bring out violence for no reason. Another example was Marilyn

Manson with lyrics reading “Who said date rape isnt kind,” “The housewife I will beat.” More

violence is brought up talking about he/she beating someone. Singers should now realize how

they have influenced kids. The violence they bring up in their lyrics is totally unnecessary.

As you can see music has created many negative influences for teenagers. There is

greater drug use, more violence, suicidal thoughts, drunk driving, conflict with parents, and more

school problems involved. Worst of all, they can also cause deaths of other people. Kids are

inspired by the violence in these songs and can bring that violence against other people.

Listening to music for long periods is dangerous and can cause some kids to have depressing and

violent thoughts.
Source A, Source C, Source E