Marc D. Hauser has written an interesting and thought-provoking article on how to teach students discernment about the music they listen to. It's posted on Education Week's website.
Don't Run Away From Teaching Pop Culture
Check out the music children listen to, and you will hear rap and hip-hop songs about sex, violence, women as objects, and domination. Sometimes the questionable language is explicit and sometimes it's implicit, veiled in metaphors. Ask children if the content is appropriate or what the song is about, and you will get one of four answers:
"I don't know. I just like the music."
"I don't know, but it's OK because it doesn't have any swears in it."
"I know it has cursing in it so I listen to the 'clean' version."
"I know it's about sex and violence, but I like the beat."
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