the role of music in the lives of homeless young people - DuB ...
the role of music in the lives of homeless young people - DuB ...
the role of music in the lives of homeless young people - DuB ...
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THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN THE LIVES OF HOMELESSYOUNG PEOPLE: A PRELIMINARY REPORTJill Palzkill WoelferThe Information SchoolUniversity <strong>of</strong> Wash<strong>in</strong>gtonSeattle, WA 98195woelfj@uw.eduABSTRACTThis paper is a prelim<strong>in</strong>ary report <strong>of</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> an ongo<strong>in</strong>gstudy <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>role</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>lives</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>homeless</strong><strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> which is tak<strong>in</strong>g place <strong>in</strong> Vancouver, BritishColumbia and Seattle, WA. One hundred <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong><strong>people</strong> <strong>in</strong> Vancouver took part <strong>in</strong> onl<strong>in</strong>e surveys, 20 <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong>se <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> participated <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>terviews and 64completed design activities. Surveys <strong>in</strong>cluded demographicand <strong>music</strong> questions. Interviews consisted <strong>of</strong>questions about <strong>music</strong> listen<strong>in</strong>g and preferences. In <strong>the</strong>design activities, participants envisioned a <strong>music</strong> deviceand provided a draw<strong>in</strong>g and a scenario. S<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong> study ison-go<strong>in</strong>g, f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs are limited to descriptive analysis <strong>of</strong>survey data supplemented with <strong>in</strong>terview data. Thesef<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs provide <strong>in</strong>itial <strong>in</strong>sights <strong>in</strong>to <strong>music</strong> listen<strong>in</strong>g behaviors,social aspects <strong>of</strong> shared <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>terests, and preferred<strong>music</strong> genres, bands and artists, and moods.1. INTRODUCTIONHomelessness is a press<strong>in</strong>g problem with last<strong>in</strong>g socialand economic consequences. Experts estimate that <strong>in</strong> agiven year, 3 million <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> age 12-24 experience<strong>homeless</strong>ness <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> U.S and 50,000-60,000 experience<strong>homeless</strong>ness <strong>in</strong> Canada [11,13]. The number <strong>of</strong> <strong>homeless</strong><strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> and <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir welfare has promptedresearch <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>ir characteristics and circumstances. Thisextensive research with <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> has foundthat <strong>the</strong>se <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> are a heterogeneous group rang<strong>in</strong>gfrom youth to <strong>young</strong> adulthood, with vary<strong>in</strong>g experiences<strong>of</strong> abuse and neglect [11,13]. Indeed, much isknown about <strong>the</strong> psychological and social (psycho-social)aspects <strong>of</strong> <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>, but far less is knownabout <strong>the</strong>ir everyday <strong>lives</strong>, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>terests <strong>in</strong> <strong>music</strong>,and associated experiences with technologies.Subsequently, s<strong>in</strong>ce 2007, <strong>the</strong> first author has <strong>in</strong>vestigated<strong>the</strong> experiences that <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>, agedup to 30, have with technologies, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong> players[15,16,17]. One f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g aris<strong>in</strong>g from this work is that<strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> have a keen <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> <strong>music</strong> andPermission to make digital or hard copies <strong>of</strong> all or part <strong>of</strong> this work forpersonal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copiesare not made or distributed for pr<strong>of</strong>it or commercial advantage and thatcopies bear this notice and <strong>the</strong> full citation on <strong>the</strong> first page.© 2012 International Society for Music Information RetrievalJ<strong>in</strong> Ha LeeThe Information SchoolUniversity <strong>of</strong> Wash<strong>in</strong>gtonSeattle, WA 98195j<strong>in</strong>halee@uw.eduuse digital means to f<strong>in</strong>d and listen to <strong>music</strong> and share<strong>music</strong> with o<strong>the</strong>rs. The current study builds on this priorwork by tak<strong>in</strong>g a general and exploratory stance, ask<strong>in</strong>g:What <strong>role</strong> does <strong>music</strong> play <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>lives</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong><strong>people</strong>? In response, this paper presents prelim<strong>in</strong>ary f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gsfrom an on-go<strong>in</strong>g study <strong>in</strong> Vancouver, British Columbiaand Seattle, Wash<strong>in</strong>gton, report<strong>in</strong>g on data collected<strong>in</strong> Vancouver <strong>in</strong> February and March 2012.2. LITERATURE REVIEWConsideration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>role</strong> that <strong>music</strong> might play <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><strong>lives</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> began <strong>in</strong> antiquity. Writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>B.C.E. 350, Aristotle proposed that <strong>music</strong> “might havesome <strong>in</strong>fluence over <strong>the</strong> character and <strong>the</strong> soul” andshould <strong>the</strong>refore “be <strong>in</strong>troduced <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> education <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><strong>young</strong>” [2]. In <strong>the</strong> 20th century, <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>terests <strong>of</strong><strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> liv<strong>in</strong>g at home have been studied extensively<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> psycho-social literature. For example, over 100studies s<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong> 1970s have focused on possible associationsbetween preferences for particular genres <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong>or types <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong>-related media use and risk-tak<strong>in</strong>g behaviors,such as drug and alcohol use, high-risk sexualactivity, and so on [1]. Despite <strong>the</strong> high rates <strong>of</strong> risktak<strong>in</strong>gbehaviors among <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> [11,13]and <strong>the</strong> general lack <strong>of</strong> knowledge regard<strong>in</strong>g <strong>homeless</strong><strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>’s <strong>in</strong>terests <strong>in</strong> and behaviors related to <strong>music</strong>,after extensive search<strong>in</strong>g only a s<strong>in</strong>gle study <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>psycho-social literature was found that had <strong>in</strong>vestigated<strong>music</strong> and <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> [7].In a similar fashion, studies <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> doma<strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>formationretrieval have <strong>in</strong>vestigated <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> listen<strong>in</strong>gand shar<strong>in</strong>g behaviors <strong>of</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> liv<strong>in</strong>g at home.Williams [14] exam<strong>in</strong>ed issues relat<strong>in</strong>g to popular <strong>music</strong>audiences by conduct<strong>in</strong>g unstructured small group discussionswith teenagers <strong>in</strong> England. His subjects stated that<strong>music</strong> was important <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>lives</strong>, but “<strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>gly, <strong>the</strong>yframed its significance <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> its practical use (<strong>of</strong><strong>music</strong>) <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir daily rout<strong>in</strong>es,” ra<strong>the</strong>r than identificationor self-construction [14]. Laplante and Downie publisheda series <strong>of</strong> studies exam<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong> related behaviors <strong>of</strong><strong>young</strong> adults <strong>in</strong> Montreal, Canada, specifically on <strong>music</strong>seek<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> everyday life [9], relevance judgments [8], andoutcomes <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong> seek<strong>in</strong>g [10]. In one study, participantsreported that <strong>in</strong>formal channels such as friends, colleaguesor relatives played a significant <strong>role</strong> <strong>in</strong> obta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g
<strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation [9]. In ano<strong>the</strong>r study, participant’s relevancejudgments were based on a comb<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>of</strong> differentcriteria, some perta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> itself, but alsoexternal factors such as use, disposition, or personalknowledge [8]. F<strong>in</strong>ally, fur<strong>the</strong>r analysis revealed that participant’ssatisfaction with <strong>music</strong> depended on both hedonic(i.e., experienc<strong>in</strong>g pleasure) as well as utilitarianoutcomes [10]. Carlisle [5] conducted <strong>in</strong>-depth onl<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>terviewswith five <strong>young</strong> Australians, aged 18-22, andfound that each <strong>young</strong> person wanted digital <strong>music</strong> formarkedly different reasons and had high personal stakes<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>music</strong>al perspective. Taken toge<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong>se studiesprovide important <strong>in</strong>sights regard<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> needs, uses, and<strong>music</strong> seek<strong>in</strong>g behaviors <strong>of</strong> <strong>young</strong> adults <strong>in</strong> various regions.However, as <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> psycho-social literature, search<strong>in</strong>gdid not reveal studies with <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>.Subsequently, <strong>the</strong> current study aims to <strong>in</strong>creaseknowledge by provid<strong>in</strong>g empirical data on <strong>the</strong> <strong>role</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong><strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>lives</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>.3. STUDY DESIGNWhen <strong>the</strong> current study is complete, all procedures willhave been carried out with equal numbers <strong>of</strong> participants<strong>in</strong> Vancouver, BC and Seattle, WA. This brief, prelim<strong>in</strong>aryreport only <strong>in</strong>cludes data from <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong><strong>in</strong> Vancouver (collected <strong>in</strong> February and March 2012)s<strong>in</strong>ce data collection <strong>in</strong> Seattle is planned to beg<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> June2012. The study uses convenience sampl<strong>in</strong>g and is tak<strong>in</strong>gplace <strong>in</strong> collaboration with two youth service agencies,one <strong>in</strong> each city, that provide assistance and shelter for<strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>. Data <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> study is anonymousand names <strong>of</strong> participants are not collected.In keep<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> exploratory nature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> goals <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> research, <strong>the</strong> study is a broadly conceptualized, mixedmethods design. The procedures with <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong><strong>people</strong> <strong>in</strong>clude three components: (1) an onl<strong>in</strong>e surveywith up to 100 <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> <strong>in</strong> each city; (2)<strong>in</strong>dividual, semi-structured <strong>in</strong>terviews with up to 20<strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> <strong>in</strong> each city; and (3) a selfdirected,<strong>in</strong>dividual design activity with up to 100 <strong>homeless</strong><strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> <strong>in</strong> each city. Follow<strong>in</strong>g approved humansubjects protocols, <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> were recruited bystaff at a <strong>homeless</strong> youth service agency while attend<strong>in</strong>gagency programs. The first author obta<strong>in</strong>ed verbal consentfrom all participants, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>in</strong>troduced and conducted ormoderated <strong>the</strong> surveys, <strong>in</strong>terviews and design activities.The procedures took place sequentially so that a <strong>young</strong>person first engaged <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> survey and was <strong>the</strong>n <strong>in</strong>vited totake part <strong>in</strong> an <strong>in</strong>terview - until 20 <strong>in</strong>terviews were completed.F<strong>in</strong>ally, all <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> who took part <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> surveys,whe<strong>the</strong>r or not <strong>the</strong>y had been <strong>in</strong>terviewed, were <strong>in</strong>vitedto complete <strong>the</strong> design activity. Homeless <strong>young</strong><strong>people</strong> were compensated with gift cards, from $5-20 depend<strong>in</strong>gon <strong>the</strong> number <strong>of</strong> procedures. In sum, 100 <strong>homeless</strong><strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> <strong>in</strong> Vancouver, BC completed surveys,20 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se <strong>people</strong> also completed <strong>in</strong>terviews and 64 participated<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> design activity.4.1 Overview4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONThe data analyzed <strong>in</strong> this paper <strong>in</strong>clude self-reported surveyresponses from 100 <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> to ten keydemographic and <strong>music</strong> questions (Table 1) with detailfrom four additional survey questions. Homeless <strong>young</strong><strong>people</strong> completed surveys on one <strong>of</strong> three laptop computers.Time needed to complete <strong>the</strong> surveys ranged from 15-65 m<strong>in</strong>utes (M=35 m<strong>in</strong>utes). Importantly, <strong>in</strong> order to m<strong>in</strong>imizestress due to <strong>the</strong> personal nature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> questions,responses to survey questions o<strong>the</strong>r than age, gender,race, and sexual orientation were voluntary, result<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>some no responses. Survey participants were 16-24 yearsold (Mdn=22) and predom<strong>in</strong>ately male (63%). Participantsidentified as heterosexual (68%), bisexual (21%),homosexual (6%), queer (4%), and unsure (1%). Mostparticipants reported <strong>the</strong>ir race as White (38%), Aborig<strong>in</strong>al(27%), or Mixed Race (23%). Half <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> participants(50%) had not completed high school (Table 1).Additionally, regard<strong>in</strong>g <strong>homeless</strong>ness, participants reportedthat <strong>the</strong>y first became <strong>homeless</strong> between 2 and 23years <strong>of</strong> age (Mdn=16). Participants also reported that<strong>the</strong>y had experienced a total between 0 and 132 months(11 years) <strong>of</strong> <strong>homeless</strong>ness dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir lifetimes. The “0years, 0 months” responses may <strong>in</strong>dicate that, despite attend<strong>in</strong>gprograms at an agency that provides services exclusivelyfor <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>, some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> participantsdid not consider <strong>the</strong>mselves to be <strong>homeless</strong> or <strong>the</strong>yhad very recently become <strong>homeless</strong>. However, <strong>the</strong>se 15responses should be <strong>in</strong>terpreted cautiously s<strong>in</strong>ce “0 years,0 months” was <strong>the</strong> default answer. Thus, <strong>the</strong>se responsesmay also <strong>in</strong>dicate skipped questions. If <strong>the</strong>se responsesare elim<strong>in</strong>ated, <strong>the</strong> number <strong>of</strong> months <strong>of</strong> <strong>homeless</strong>nessreported by <strong>the</strong> rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g 85 respondents was 1 to 132months dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir lifetimes (M=24 months).Regard<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong>, 97 participants reported that <strong>the</strong>y listenedto <strong>music</strong> on a daily basis and for many reasons with<strong>the</strong> most frequent responses be<strong>in</strong>g related to emotionalwelfare. Notably, for <strong>the</strong>se questions, <strong>the</strong>re were three “Idon’t listen to <strong>music</strong>” responses from two participants.The first participant gave contradict<strong>in</strong>g responses, <strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>gthat she listened to <strong>music</strong> “2-4 hours a day” on onequestion and “I don’t listen to <strong>music</strong>” on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r. Thismay <strong>in</strong>dicate some change <strong>in</strong> her <strong>music</strong> listen<strong>in</strong>g behavior,although this was not confirmed. The second participant,who took part <strong>in</strong> an <strong>in</strong>terview, was a guitarist ands<strong>in</strong>ger who performed on <strong>the</strong> street to make money. Expla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gher responses, she stated, “I don’t listen to <strong>music</strong>.I play <strong>music</strong>.”Approximately one-third <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> <strong>in</strong>dicatedthat <strong>the</strong>y listened to <strong>the</strong> same <strong>music</strong> as <strong>the</strong>ir parents, and
half <strong>in</strong>dicated o<strong>the</strong>r family members. Over half <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> <strong>in</strong>dicated that <strong>the</strong>y listened to <strong>the</strong> same <strong>music</strong>as friends from home or <strong>the</strong> streets. Indeed, 17 participantsalso <strong>in</strong>dicated that <strong>the</strong>y made decisions about establish<strong>in</strong>gfriendships based on <strong>music</strong> preferences. More thanhalf <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> participants listened most <strong>of</strong>ten to hip hop,rock, and rhythm and blues (R&B), although techno andmetal were also listened to by nearly half <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> participants.4.2 DiscussionThe data presented so far <strong>in</strong>dicate that <strong>music</strong> does play a<strong>role</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>lives</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>. In order toelaborate this <strong>role</strong>, a discussion follows regard<strong>in</strong>g: (1)<strong>music</strong>-listen<strong>in</strong>g behaviors; (2) social aspects <strong>of</strong> shared<strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>terests; and (3) genres, bands/artists and moods.The discussion is supplemented with evidence drawnfrom 20 <strong>in</strong>terviews with <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>. S<strong>in</strong>cenames <strong>of</strong> participants were not collected <strong>in</strong> order to preserveparticipant’s privacy, pseudonyms are used to identifyparticipants as needed.Participants <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>terviews were 14 <strong>young</strong> men and 6<strong>young</strong> women, aged 18-24 (Mdn=21). Consistent withprior work [16], <strong>in</strong>terview times ranged widely, from 9-70m<strong>in</strong>utes (M=45). However, despite <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>’sgeneral distrust <strong>of</strong> adults and strangers, with one exception<strong>the</strong> participants seemed at ease, speak<strong>in</strong>g will<strong>in</strong>glyand at length. Of <strong>the</strong> 20 <strong>in</strong>terview participants, 13 <strong>people</strong>had personal <strong>music</strong> players, such as MP3 players andmobile phones, and 15 <strong>people</strong> reported that <strong>the</strong>y had <strong>music</strong>collections rang<strong>in</strong>g from “11-50” to “over 10,000”songs (Mdn=101-500 songs). The size <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se song collectionsmay seem surpris<strong>in</strong>g. However, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>terviews,some participants stated that s<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong>y did not have moneyto pay for <strong>music</strong>, <strong>the</strong>y “stole <strong>music</strong>” and used a variety<strong>of</strong> “pirate” websites to download songs.The <strong>in</strong>terviews with <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> <strong>in</strong>cludedquestions regard<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong> listen<strong>in</strong>g and preferences, aswell as questions related to <strong>the</strong> importance and <strong>in</strong>fluence<strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong>. The <strong>in</strong>terviews began with an activity where<strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> wrote responses on a 24-hour timel<strong>in</strong>e.When writ<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> timel<strong>in</strong>es, participants were asked to<strong>in</strong>dicate what <strong>music</strong> <strong>the</strong>y listened to, where <strong>the</strong>y were,who <strong>the</strong>y were with, what <strong>the</strong>y were do<strong>in</strong>g, and so on.After <strong>the</strong> timel<strong>in</strong>e was filled <strong>in</strong>, <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> rated <strong>the</strong>importance <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong> (from very low to very high) and <strong>the</strong><strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong> (from very negative to very positive)on 5-po<strong>in</strong>t Likert scales. The importance <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong> wasrated from low to very high with an average between highand very high (4.125 out <strong>of</strong> 5). The <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong>was rated from very negative to very positive with an averagebetween neutral and positive (3.75 out <strong>of</strong> 5). Aspart <strong>of</strong> this rat<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> told stories about a timewhen <strong>music</strong> was important and a time when <strong>music</strong> had apositive or negative <strong>in</strong>fluence. F<strong>in</strong>ally, <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>shared at least one favorite song us<strong>in</strong>g a speaker to playDEMOGRAPHICSAge16-1819-2122-24GenderMaleFemaleTransgenderEthnicityWhiteAborig<strong>in</strong>alMixed RaceBlackAsianArabLat<strong>in</strong>oO<strong>the</strong>rDegreeNoneHigh schoolTrade school2 yr college4 yr collegeNo responseCurrent job?YesNoNo response5038630326731songs from <strong>music</strong> players, or play<strong>in</strong>g videos on YouTube,or s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g songs that <strong>the</strong>y had composed or memorized.4.2.1 Music-listen<strong>in</strong>g BehaviorsWHY DO YOU LISTENn TO MUSIC?* nCalm down or relieve tension 779 Help get through difficult times 7435 Relieve boredom7256 Get rid <strong>of</strong> negative feel<strong>in</strong>gs/anger 68Express feel<strong>in</strong>gs or emotions 5563 Be creative/use imag<strong>in</strong>ation 5436 Wake myself up511 Reduce lonel<strong>in</strong>ess48Separate myself from society 4738 Get better play<strong>in</strong>g/writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong> 3427 Create an image3323 Be trendy or cool164 Please my friends123 Please my parents31 No response31 I don’t listen to <strong>music</strong>23ON AVERAGE, HOW MANY HOURSA DAY DO YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC?1 hour or less2-4 hours5-8 hours9 hours or moreNo responseI don’t listen to <strong>music</strong>FRIENDS WITH SOMEONE BASEDON THE MUSIC HE OR SHE LIKES?YesNoNo responseWHAT KINDS OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?*Hip hopRockR&BTechnoMetalPopReggaePunkJazzO<strong>the</strong>r (<strong>in</strong>cludes Dubstep, Country, Rap, Celtic, etc.)WHO LISTENS TO THE SAME MUSIC AS YOU DO?*Friends or <strong>people</strong> you know from homeFriends or <strong>people</strong> you know from <strong>the</strong> streetsBro<strong>the</strong>rs, sisters, cous<strong>in</strong>s, or o<strong>the</strong>r family membersBoyfriend, girlfriend, or sex partnerFriends or <strong>people</strong> you met onl<strong>in</strong>eParents (<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g foster family or step family)Staff at youth agenciesBoss or employer at your jobNo responseTable 1. Self-reported participant characteristics(n=100). *Multiple responses were allowed.In <strong>the</strong> surveys and <strong>in</strong>terviews, <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> reportedthat <strong>the</strong>y listened to <strong>music</strong> on a daily basis, more2634191821178037065564947423835304461525044333113107
<strong>of</strong>ten for practical purposes than for identification or selfconstructionecho<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> [14]. For example, on<strong>the</strong> one hand, over 70 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 100 participants reported that<strong>the</strong>y listened to <strong>music</strong> for practical purposes, such as to“calm down or relieve tension,” “help get through difficulttimes,” or “relieve boredom.” On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand,fewer than 50 participants <strong>in</strong>dicated that <strong>the</strong>y listened to<strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong> order to “separate myself from society,” “createan image,” “be trendy or cool,” or “please my friends(parents),” issues related to identity and self-construction.As fur<strong>the</strong>r evidence <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> practical aspects <strong>of</strong> listen<strong>in</strong>gto <strong>music</strong>, <strong>the</strong> timel<strong>in</strong>es from <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>terviews <strong>in</strong>dicated thatall 20 respondents listened to <strong>music</strong> while engag<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>activities such as wak<strong>in</strong>g up and go<strong>in</strong>g to sleep, hang<strong>in</strong>gout with friends, and look<strong>in</strong>g for work. For example,Sheila was 22 and listened to <strong>music</strong> from <strong>the</strong> time shewoke up to <strong>the</strong> time she went to sleep. Sheila spoke <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>importance and practical aspects <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong> while alsohighlight<strong>in</strong>g its impact on her emotions, say<strong>in</strong>g:I’ve been through a lot <strong>of</strong> f**ked up shit <strong>in</strong> my life and it’snice…to hear <strong>people</strong>’s op<strong>in</strong>ions…how <strong>the</strong>y dealt with th<strong>in</strong>gs<strong>in</strong> <strong>music</strong> … to k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> relate ‘I’m not <strong>the</strong> only one’…. I justth<strong>in</strong>k <strong>music</strong> is part <strong>of</strong> my life and I don’t th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>the</strong>re wouldever be a po<strong>in</strong>t…where I would say, ‘I don’t want to listen to<strong>music</strong>,’ ‘cause I ei<strong>the</strong>r want to cry to it or I want to be happyto it or I want to dance around to it, but <strong>the</strong>re’s always asong for no matter what emotion you’re experienc<strong>in</strong>g.In ano<strong>the</strong>r example, Brian, who was 21, listened to<strong>music</strong> throughout <strong>the</strong> day. However, he said he did notlisten to <strong>music</strong> while study<strong>in</strong>g for college classes wherehe had recently begun to learn how to read and write. Brianrated <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong> as both very positive andvery negative. Speak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> positive <strong>in</strong>fluence, he saidthat he liked to listen to 1990s rock <strong>music</strong> such as BobSeger. Brian said that this <strong>music</strong> “br<strong>in</strong>gs you back to <strong>the</strong>positive times grow<strong>in</strong>g up,” particularly play<strong>in</strong>g gameswith his bro<strong>the</strong>r and friends. More recently, he found that:When I’m do<strong>in</strong>g my art I like to listen to MP3. So it k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong>calms me so I’m <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> artistic zone. Art is my hobby. I justrecently discovered that after I quit dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g.On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, he found that even some <strong>of</strong> his favoritesongs by <strong>the</strong> Canadian <strong>music</strong>ian, Mat<strong>the</strong>w Good, couldhave a negative <strong>in</strong>fluence on his emotions:I have post traumatic stress disorder,… some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong>that I listen to k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> triggers me… and makes me feel down.Cause some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> songs I do enjoy are really deep and reallysad,… so I get k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> saddened a bit…, so I <strong>the</strong>n actuallychange <strong>the</strong> song to try to get on a happier page.4.2.2 Social Aspects <strong>of</strong> Shared Music InterestsF<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> current study <strong>in</strong>dicate that friends or familyare sources <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation [9], and that shared<strong>in</strong>terests play some <strong>role</strong> <strong>in</strong> social relationships. In surveyand <strong>in</strong>terview responses, <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> reportedthat <strong>the</strong>y shared <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>terests with friends from home aswell as friends from <strong>the</strong> street. For some <strong>in</strong>terview participants,shared <strong>in</strong>terests with friends led to <strong>the</strong> desire toattend <strong>music</strong> concerts, which can be difficult for <strong>homeless</strong><strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> due to <strong>the</strong>ir economic circumstances. However,Arthur, age 21, a Dubstep fan who played a favoritesong by Flux Pavilion [6], spoke enthusiastically aboutplans he had to go to an upcom<strong>in</strong>g concert. Arthur and hisfriend Drew, age 20, ano<strong>the</strong>r Dubstep fan, also talked <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong>ir <strong>in</strong>dividual <strong>in</strong>terviews about go<strong>in</strong>g toge<strong>the</strong>r to raves,dance parties where electronic <strong>music</strong> is played.Although for most respondents (80%), <strong>music</strong> was not adeterm<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g factor <strong>in</strong> establish<strong>in</strong>g friendships, 17% respondedpositively on <strong>the</strong> survey when asked, “Do youdecide whe<strong>the</strong>r to be friends with someone based on <strong>the</strong><strong>music</strong> he or she likes?” Indeed, for some participants, nothav<strong>in</strong>g shared <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>terests could be potentially isolat<strong>in</strong>g.For <strong>in</strong>stance, Mat<strong>the</strong>w, age 20, enjoyed death metal<strong>music</strong>, and chose a favorite video by Behemoth to playdur<strong>in</strong>g his <strong>in</strong>terview [4]. Mat<strong>the</strong>w expressed surprisewhen <strong>the</strong> first author was not put <strong>of</strong>f by <strong>the</strong> video and saidhe rarely listened to his favorite <strong>music</strong> with o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>people</strong>because <strong>the</strong>y did not share his taste <strong>in</strong> <strong>music</strong>.Participants also reported shared <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>terests withfamily. For example, Sheila, <strong>in</strong>troduced above, spokeabout choos<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> for her mo<strong>the</strong>r’s funeral:And I had a lot <strong>of</strong> good stuff like you know like <strong>the</strong> classic“Arms <strong>of</strong> an Angel” k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> th<strong>in</strong>g, but I also had songs likeme and her used to listen to that were <strong>in</strong> it [<strong>the</strong> funeral], so<strong>the</strong>y [<strong>the</strong> songs] may not have been like funeral appropriatebut <strong>the</strong>y were what we’d listen to.In a second example, Amanda, age 24, said that heradoptive mo<strong>the</strong>r had <strong>in</strong>troduced her to <strong>music</strong> and that sheliked to s<strong>in</strong>g because it made her mo<strong>the</strong>r happy. Amandahad been <strong>homeless</strong> for n<strong>in</strong>e years, and earned money bys<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g and play<strong>in</strong>g guitar on <strong>the</strong> street. A long-time hero<strong>in</strong>user, Amanda recounted how she had recently “gotclean with my <strong>music</strong>” when she had been <strong>in</strong>vited to s<strong>in</strong>gone <strong>of</strong> her own songs at a concert. Amanda shared herperformance via a video, and said she had been clean for22 days at <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> concert, add<strong>in</strong>g:She [Amanda’s mo<strong>the</strong>r] was sitt<strong>in</strong>g right <strong>the</strong>re [<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> audience]and she was cry<strong>in</strong>g. Everyone was cry<strong>in</strong>g. It was a bigdeal that I was clean.4.2.3 Music Genre, Bands/Artists and MoodHomeless <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> reported <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>music</strong> preferencesvia two different survey questions. One question askedwhat k<strong>in</strong>ds <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong> were listened to <strong>the</strong> most (Table 1).Hip hop emerged as <strong>the</strong> most preferred category followedby Rock and R&B. However, <strong>the</strong>re is precedence <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>literature that <strong>music</strong> preferences may be gender specific[3]. When broken down by gender, <strong>the</strong> top three categoriespreferred by <strong>young</strong> men were Hip hop, Rock, andTechno, while <strong>the</strong> top three categories for <strong>young</strong> womenwere R&B, Rock, and Hip hop. These differences are potentiallynoteworthy given that associations between Hip
hop (i.e., Rap) <strong>music</strong> and risk-tak<strong>in</strong>g, and <strong>the</strong> emotionaluse <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong>, such as R&B, have been <strong>in</strong>vestigated [1].However, while genre has been used traditionally <strong>in</strong>studies as a way <strong>of</strong> gaug<strong>in</strong>g <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>’s <strong>music</strong> preferences,genre can only go so far <strong>in</strong> typify<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong> preferences.Subsequently, <strong>in</strong> a second question participantsnamed <strong>the</strong>ir three favorite bands/artists, result<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> 192unique responses (out <strong>of</strong> a possible 300). Table 2 lists <strong>the</strong>top 17 responses, chosen by three or more participants,and <strong>in</strong>cludes ma<strong>in</strong>stream artists, such as Em<strong>in</strong>em, as wellas “underground” bands such as Insane Clown Posse.Band or Artist Style [12] Total M FEm<strong>in</strong>em Hardcore Rap 11 7 42Pac Gangsta Rap 9 6 3Marianas Trench Punk-Pop 5 2 3Wiz Khalifa East Coast Rap 4 3 1Lady Gaga Pop 4 2 2Dr. Dre Gangsta Rap 3 3 0AC/DC Hard Rock 3 2 1The Notorious B.I.G. Gangsta Rap 3 2 1Insane Clown Posse Rap-Metal 3 2 1Iron Maiden Heavy Metal 3 2 1Korn Heavy Metal 3 2 1Skrillex Dubstep 3 2 1Lil Wayne Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Rap 3 1 2Nicki M<strong>in</strong>aj Hardcore Rap 3 1 2Nickleback Heavy Metal 3 1 2Adele Pop/Rock 3 0 3Deadmau5 Club/Dance 3 0 3Table 2. Favorite bands and <strong>music</strong>al artists, bymale (M) and female (F).Given that <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> reported that listen<strong>in</strong>gto <strong>music</strong> can have an impact on emotional well-be<strong>in</strong>g,moods associated with bands/artists were analyzed. Us<strong>in</strong>gall<strong>music</strong>.com, 176 unique mood labels were found for155 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 192 bands/artists [12]. Of <strong>the</strong> top 20 moods(Table 3), aggressive and confrontational appear to havestrong negative valence, while energetic, confident, rous<strong>in</strong>g,brash, fun, playful, freewheel<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong>tense, party/celebratoryand boisterous appear to <strong>in</strong>dicate high levels<strong>of</strong> energy or <strong>in</strong>tensity. While no claims can be madeabout effects <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se moods on <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>,it appears that <strong>the</strong> moods <strong>in</strong> <strong>music</strong> may be related to reasonsfor listen<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>music</strong> (Table 1). Recall that Sheilanoted how listen<strong>in</strong>g to songs with <strong>the</strong>mes related to difficultlife experiences could be cathartic; reduc<strong>in</strong>g her feel<strong>in</strong>gs<strong>of</strong> isolation and that Brian found that certa<strong>in</strong> songscould trigger his post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.Additionally, Marv<strong>in</strong>, age 24, expla<strong>in</strong>ed a cathartic effect<strong>of</strong> his favorite <strong>music</strong>, say<strong>in</strong>g:Do you ever get mad?, you k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> get pissed <strong>of</strong>f and you justgo to your room and you listen to <strong>music</strong>. It’s ei<strong>the</strong>r that oryou punch your little bro<strong>the</strong>r out or someth<strong>in</strong>g.Mood Count Mood CountEnergetic 68 Intense 38Aggressive 66 Party/Celebratory 38Confident 63 Boisterous 36Rous<strong>in</strong>g 63 Dramatic 36Brash 51 Stylish 36Fun 42 Earnest 35Playful 42 Reflective 34Confrontational 41 Passionate 34Freewheel<strong>in</strong>g 41 Rebellious 33Fiery 39 Visceral 33Table 3. Top 20 moods correspond<strong>in</strong>g to 155bands and artists.F<strong>in</strong>ally, <strong>music</strong> with high energy/<strong>in</strong>tensity moods mayplay a relatively straightforward, practical <strong>role</strong> as <strong>homeless</strong><strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> move through <strong>the</strong>ir daily <strong>lives</strong>. For <strong>in</strong>stance,recall that on <strong>the</strong> surveys, participants <strong>in</strong>dicatedthat <strong>the</strong>y listened to <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong> order to “wake myself up”and “reduce boredom,” and similar answers were givenwhen <strong>in</strong>terview participants completed timel<strong>in</strong>es.5. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORKIn prior and on-go<strong>in</strong>g work, f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs have revealed that<strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> have ord<strong>in</strong>ary <strong>in</strong>teractions withtechnology which are conditioned by <strong>the</strong> extraord<strong>in</strong>arycircumstances <strong>of</strong> <strong>homeless</strong>ness [15,16,17]. In this report,we have presented fur<strong>the</strong>r evidence that <strong>in</strong>dicates aspects<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ord<strong>in</strong>ary and extraord<strong>in</strong>ary. For <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong><strong>people</strong> who participated <strong>in</strong> this study <strong>in</strong> Vancouver, BritishColumbia, <strong>music</strong> appears to play a <strong>role</strong> <strong>in</strong> daily lifethat may be fairly ord<strong>in</strong>ary. Like most <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> <strong>the</strong>irage, <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> listen daily to a variety <strong>of</strong><strong>music</strong> and <strong>music</strong> plays a part <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir relationships withfriends and family. Yet, for <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> <strong>in</strong> thisstudy, experiences with <strong>music</strong> were also extraord<strong>in</strong>ary.Sheila found comfort <strong>in</strong> songs that resonated with her difficultlife experiences. Amanda played <strong>music</strong> to makemoney while liv<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> street and as part <strong>of</strong> overcom<strong>in</strong>gher drug addiction. Brian listened to <strong>music</strong> to regulateaspects <strong>of</strong> post-traumatic stress disorder, a common result<strong>of</strong> problematic circumstances dur<strong>in</strong>g childhood [13].Importantly, as <strong>the</strong>se results are prelim<strong>in</strong>ary, fur<strong>the</strong>rwork is needed to fully elaborate <strong>the</strong> <strong>role</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><strong>lives</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>. Once <strong>the</strong> study is completed<strong>in</strong> Seattle, a comprehensive <strong>the</strong>matic analysis <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>terview data, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>mes <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong> listen<strong>in</strong>gbehaviors and social aspects <strong>of</strong> shared <strong>music</strong>al <strong>in</strong>terests,with <strong>in</strong>dependent cross-cod<strong>in</strong>g will take place. Additionally,associations between preferred <strong>music</strong>, bands and artists,moods and risk-tak<strong>in</strong>g behaviors will be analyzed.F<strong>in</strong>ally, results from <strong>the</strong> design activity where participantsenvisioned a <strong>music</strong> device that could help <strong>homeless</strong>
<strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong> (Figure 1) will be analyzed and <strong>in</strong>dependentlycross-coded. Results from this design activityanalysis will provide context and additional evidence <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> <strong>role</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>music</strong> and associated technologies <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>lives</strong><strong>of</strong> <strong>homeless</strong> <strong>young</strong> <strong>people</strong>.So I was sitt<strong>in</strong>g one day on granville + georgia st, chill<strong>in</strong>gout after a long day <strong>of</strong> walk<strong>in</strong>g. My bags sitt<strong>in</strong>g at my sidetry<strong>in</strong>g to get enough change for a bite to eat. When some ladydropped this th<strong>in</strong>g that looked like an iPod. I ran to pickit up, gave it back to her + be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> kickass lady she wasshe gave <strong>the</strong> player to me + said it would be better use to me.I asked her what it was + why she was be<strong>in</strong>g so nice. Shetold me she bought it brand new <strong>the</strong> day before + it wasn’t toher like<strong>in</strong>g [sic]. She said it has lists <strong>of</strong> shelters + places toget food + <strong>the</strong>ir phones numbers <strong>in</strong> it. So she wanted to helpsomeone out.I was so greatful [sic]. I was able to escape from realitywith beautiful <strong>music</strong> for a little while. Then it came time forme to f<strong>in</strong>d ano<strong>the</strong>r tree to sleep under. All <strong>of</strong> a sudden I rememberedabout <strong>the</strong> shelter list<strong>in</strong>gs on <strong>the</strong> MP3. (<strong>the</strong> [sic]lady called it a Musik Monster) First place that came up was[<strong>the</strong> collaborat<strong>in</strong>g agency]. I called, did an <strong>in</strong>take + now amliv<strong>in</strong>g happily <strong>in</strong> my own home. Look<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>the</strong> next personto help with my Musik Monster.Figure 1. Design activity draw<strong>in</strong>g and scenario.6. ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWe would like to thank <strong>the</strong> study participants and <strong>the</strong> collaborat<strong>in</strong>gservice agency. Partial support for <strong>the</strong> first authorwas provided by Fulbright Canada.7. REFERENCES[1] American Academy <strong>of</strong> Pediatrics: “Policy Statement– Impact <strong>of</strong> Music, Music Lyrics, and Music Videoson Children and Youth,” Pediatrics, Vol. 124, No. 5,pp. 1488-1494, 2009.[2] Aristotle: Politics – Part V. Trans. by B. Jowett.http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/politics.8.eight.html[3] J.J. 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