Living with music : the importance of music to adolescents

Abstract

A lot of research was carried out on the effect of music on its listeners, and music has been found to have a multifaceted meaning for adolescents (Plopper & Ness, 1993; Wells & Hakanen, 1991, as cited in Kaplan 2004). The aim of the study was to determine the importance of music to adolescents in Malta, and investigated their involvement with musical activities, the importance they give to music relative to other activities, and their perception on why other adolescents listen to classical/modern music. This study was originally carried out by North, Hargreaves and O'Neill in 2000. Around 400 questionnaires were distributed to Form 4 students, pertaining to both boys' and girls' Junior Lyceum. One hundred students from each school were chosen randomly to fill the questionnaire under test like conditions. A quantitative analysis of the results was carried out by using SPSS. Responses indicated that there are no differences between males and females in their liking to rock, rap and reggae music. The results do not support research finding which state that there are differences between those liking heavy and light music. Other interesting results may suggest that listening to music is used as a means of social expression. However for those listening for more then ten hours a day to music, music listening may have a more profound and personal meaning.