The pros and cons of rock/pop music

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1. Young people search for new rhythms and new styles

2. The lyrics of the songs deal with the young people’s world, their hopes, dreams, disappointments and joys.

3. The new rhythms are full of vigour and force. Just what appeals to young people. The tunes are rousing and catchy.

4. Young people get a real kick from listening to pop music.

5. It is an experimental kind of music. Different groups are looking for new forms and sometimes achieve really interesting results.

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1. Before rejecting the old rhythms and styles one should know something about them. And most rock/pop music fans don’t.

2. The rhythms may be vigorous, but they lack variety and the tunes are mostly primitive and are as easily forgotten as caught.

3. Why should one get kicks at all listening to music? One might get thrilled, excited, stimulated, moved to tears. Does rock/pop music give one all these reactions?

4. Medical research has proved beyond doubt that the volume of sound produced by powerful amplifiers at some rock/pop concerts does great damage both to the sense of hearing and to the nervous system. Indeed, cases of mass hysteria are not at all unusual at rock/pop concerts. Are we bringing up a generation of half-deaf neurotics? In Australia taped pop music is used to frighten the sharks off the public beaches. Obviously, even the sharks’ nerves can’t endure this kind of noise.

Exercises

1. Go over the list of arguments for and against rock/pop music. Which of them do you a) agree with? b) disagree with? Give reasons. Add your own arguments to both groups.

2. Make up a dialogue and act it out in class:

Mr. Brown comes home from his office and finds his teenage son Victor listening to extremely loud pop music. Mr. Brown, who is a concert-goer and a connoisseur of good music, resents both the noise and the choice of the genre. He tries to admonish Victor for what he considers bad taste, pointing out to him the advantages of classical music. Victor, who is quite fond of his father, doesn’t bridle at the criticism, but tries to explain his point of view.

Mr. Brown	Victor
Must you turn it on full blast?	Why, Dad, this kind of music must be loud, that’s what it is for.
Don’t tell me you enjoy this abominable noise.	It’s no good at all turning it low.
Does this bleating mean anything to you?	I do get a tremendous kick out of it.
It’s too bad wasting time on this trash.	One must be modern and in the know.
There’s genuine music which provokes thought…	These new rhythms are cool.
At your age, it’s time to discriminate between real values and fakes.	I suppose classical stuff is okay for old people, but…
You’re simply a lazybones, you don’t want to try.	We, youngsters, want something tuneful, rhythmic and modern.