Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the thematic content and word use patterns found in lyric analysis responses and songwriting lyrics of at-risk adolescents from community and residential settings. Adolescents living in a voluntary, short-term residential facility (n = 15) and adolescents living with family members in a typical home environment (n = 15) served as participants. The study was conducted in three phases: a lyric analysis phase, participant interview phase, and group songwriting phase. During the first two phases, participants individually listened to two popular songs—one rap and one R&B, and then responded orally to a series of questions regarding the lyrics of each song. Oral responses of participants were audio recorded and transcribed. Content analysis was employed to code interview responses and participant-composed song lyrics into thematic categories. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, a software program that analyzes the content of written text, was also employed to identify trends in word usage. Content analysis revealed a focus on themes within the responses of the residential group that was not found in the community group. These themes were: regret, loss of control, feeling restrained, and finding happiness regardless of wealth. Conversely, song lyric lines of the community group contained more thematic content in the categories of negative experiences and social/peer groups. Significant differences were also found in the lyric analysis responses of the two at-risk groups. Word use of the community group was significantly greater than the residential group in two categories—total pronouns and impersonal pronouns. Similarities were found between the two at-risk groups in their use of feeling words, their music preferences, and the thematic category of family in their lyric analyses and songwriting lyrics. Data found in this study align with typical therapeutic objectives of adolescents receiving residential and non-residential treatment. This alignment indicates that lyric analysis and songwriting interventions may be effective methods for providing therapy to at-risk youth. Additionally, findings of this study suggest that adolescents are willing to disclose information and engage in dialogue related to therapeutic issues within the context of lyric analyses and songwriting. These music therapy interventions, therefore, appear to be viable and effective therapeutic strategies for use with at-risk adolescent populations.
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