These researchers also point to
music having a stronger influence on the lives of youth than
any other form of media. So here is perhaps another difficult
question: what kind of music exists within the walls of our
homes? What CDs, tapes, or even records, rest on the shelves
within our own bedrooms as adults, or inside the bellies of
our iPods?
And what about our kids' music?
When was the last time you took a tour of your child's iPod
or MP3 device? What you find there might shock you to listen
to it. Perhaps not, but if so, what is a parent to do? If a
child is in the public schools, he will get exposure to ill-based
music even if it is not at home.
Parents Are the First Line of
Defense
Parents are the first line of defense
for safety for the Lord's children. It is time we took charge,
if we have not yet. But there is good news in all this. John
Murray is a Kansas State University professor of developmental
psychology. He teaches parents that what they say does
have an impact. The more parents talk with their kids about
parental concerns, he says, the more a seed of healthy understanding
is planted within those youth. Read his article here
(http://mentalhealth.about.com/library/sci/0102/blparent102.htm).
Fortunately for us as Latter-day
Saints, we not only have researchers out in the world putting
in time to understand the minds of youth, but we also have prophets
and apostles who speak for the Lord. What better source is there
to turn to than that for understanding in these matters?
Here
is what our church leaders have counseled regarding music:
Music Sticks with Us
Music sticks with us. Anybody from
the United States who is older than 40 can probably sing the
standard Oscar Meyer theme song. Did we learn it in school?
No. Were we forced to memorize it? No. Simply from fleeting
exposures here and there on television, that song is wrapped
in the minds of most adults in today's world without any effort!
The
Oscar Meyer tune is a cute one. But what about the not so cute
tunes? Music has a way of remaining with us far longer than
many other impressions. Therefore, doesn't it behoove us to
guard that which we expose ourselves to?
This is the purpose of this week's
Family Home Evening lesson we offer you from Meridian Magazine.
May you have great fun, all the while teaching a important lesson
to your children. That which we expose ourselves to impresses
itself and remains with us whether we like it or not.
FHE Fun!
Opening Song:
#301 I Am a Child of God. Click here to learn all the verses:
http://www.lds.org/churchmusic/
Opening Prayer: Ask for a volunteer to offer the prayer,
perhaps one who has not prayed recently.
Devotional: Invite family members to share a scripture
they discovered during the week or perhaps an exciting missionary
moment they experienced. Ask them to share their feelings and/or
perspectives about the scripture.
Theme: It
really matters what you listen to ... Select music that will
strengthen your spirit."
Elder Russell M. Nelson, Ensign, Nov. 1985, 32.
Activity:
Items Needed:
- finger paint
- potatoes
- safe knife
- pencils or pens
- paper plates
- a wide variety of music to be
played on a player (or visit iTunes during this part of the
lesson)
1. Cut potatoes in half (cut enough
so each family member will receive one).
2. Each person draws a shape onto
his potato half. Invite creativity, but keep in mind that simple
shapes are easiest, such as a sun, a star, etc).
3. The parent uses the knife to
cut away carefully the excess surrounding the shape drawn on
the potato, exposing a raised shape. Make sure not to cut off
the shape portion!
4. Distribute one paper plate per
person.
5. Pour out paint onto paper plate.
Allow each person to dip his potato shape into the paint and
then press the shape onto his plate.
6. Carefully slice off shape. Draw
a new shape onto the potato half and repeat the process.
Application:
The shape of the potato determined the resulting
painted figure on the plate, even when the shape was changed.
This is the same with music. What we expose ourselves to shapes
our thoughts, our attitudes, our activities, and our feelings.
Each style of music will have a
different kind of impression or impact, just like the painted
potato did. Even though the potato was the same, it had been
cut into a new form. Thus, it left a different effect on the
plate. We are as the plate. That which we expose ourselves to,
leaves it's own mark.
For example, some individuals struggling
with addictions have reported that listening to hard rock music
increased their desire or interest in drugs.
Now, for an extension of the potato
activity, play an excerpt from classical music. Ask family members
what images they get in their heads as they listen to a classical
piece (for example, "The Ride of the Valkyries," by
Wagner). Next, listen to a piece of music that is a "grandma"
or "elevator" style of music. What images or thoughts
come into their minds? Then play a song by John Phillip Sousa,
such as "Stars and Stripes." Finish up with a song
by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Ask the same question.
If the children actually have a
positive response to harder music, it is usually because they
associate positive connections to friends who listen to such
music. Not that the associations are positive, perhaps, but
the acceptance is the key. This then is an opportunity to find
out how your children feel about certain kinds of music, why
they feel that way, and how it's influencing their attitudes
and their moods.
[If
you do not own a wide variety of music genres or do not have
access to iTunes to sample different styles, you could always
sing or play different hymns to compare the differences between,
say, "Called to Serve Him" and "Families Can
Be Together Forever" or even "Popcorn Popping on the
Apricot Tree" vs "I Know the Redeemer Lives."]
Closing Song: "Jesus
Wants Me For a Sunbeam" This is a great song to demonstrate
that a song can influence our actions. Most kids who have been
in Primary will find it very difficult not to respond with motions
as they sing this song.
Closing Prayer.
Refreshments.
Summary
If we are to be found pure and
worthy when Christ returns, it behooves us to make sure we live
pure and worthy lives. Music is one of the great influencers,
be it for good or bad, in that process.
As parents we have the responsibility
(and the right) to be aware of and concerned about the music
our children listen to. We are their stewards after all, a God-given
responsibility to ensure their physical and spiritual
safety. We are to lead and guide these sweet children back (hopefully)
into the presence of God himself.
Therefore, if we listen
to music that offends the Spirit, what kind of examples are
we? Yet within that choice, we have demonstrated our inner thoughts
- thoughts demonstrating that we would rather succumb to the
flesh rather than heed our Father's spiritual desires. If we
are incapable of removing unworthy music from our personal libraries,
what hope is there our children will?
What truly is it that we rejoice
in? It is a difficult question indeed. Yet our children's eternities
require that we reflect deeply and answer the query. I believe
that answer will be an excellent one, for Meridian's readers
are serious about preparing a life of beauty for their children.
* For more quotes on music, click
here:
**
To download a copy of "For the Strength of Youth",
click here:
C.S. Bezas' book is now in
LDS bookstores and has been described as perfect for youth leaders
and parents of teens. Powerful Tips for Powerful Teachers:
Helping Youth Find Their Spiritual Wings is also available
by clicking here.
