What are university students listening to?
In conversations where music is central, I've often observed that the tastes of us musicians don't align with the tastes of our listeners. With a few exceptions, Türkiye's most-listened-to artists are often the ones we listen to least. Naturally, listeners' perspectives on music differ slightly from ours. The opinions and perspectives of those who consume music are just as important as those who produce it. In this regard, the research conducted by the Üsküdar University Sociology Department on the musical habits of university students reveals some interesting points. I'd like to share some noteworthy points from the research conducted with nearly 500 students from 72 universities.
• Nine out of every 10 people listen to music. Students access music on their mobile phones either through their own playlists or through playlists prepared by music platforms.
• While the majority of participants listen to Turkish pop and Turkish rock, rap music remains at a low 4.6%. Rap music, which reaches millions of views and listens, is not accepted in universities.
• With digitalization, young people use music not only as listeners but also as a means of interaction through social media and digital platforms.
• Young people enjoy music as consumers, but they are far from being producers. Eighty percent of participants don't play an instrument. Guitar, piano, and bağlama are the instruments students show very low interest in, respectively.
• Among the most popular Turkish artists, names such as Sezen Aksu, Cem Karaca, Barış Manço, Teoman, Mabel Matiz stand out, while among foreign artists, names such as Adele, Lana Del Rey, Rihanna, and The Weeknd are preferred.
• While young people prefer to attend music events with their friends, the rate of attending these events with their families remains at 8%.
The summary of the opinion of the sociologist Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı, who conducted this research, based on the research results is as follows:
Starting from primary school, educational institutions and local governments should develop strategies to encourage the creative participation of young people.
Music education should be made accessible to all segments of society, and families should be actively involved in this process.
Individuals with a well-developed artistic and musical culture will be more creative and productive because they can express their emotions in healthy ways. Through these kinds of cultural activities, which support mental health, these individuals will be able to more effectively cope with negative emotions like stress and anger, which will in turn help them avoid violence.
Well, that's all for this week, dear friends. Stay healthy...
BirGün
