Music Preference and the Issues of Social Challenges Among Nigerian Youth: Implications For Moral Development

Abstract

Music is central to youth culture. Central to this study is the question: what type of music do youth listen to and why do they listen to such music? Identifying the music preference of the Nigerian youth is the focus of this paper. The aim is to assess some moral challenges that are inherent in the types of music listened to by students in Nigerian tertiary institutions which by implication represent Nigerian youth. Questionnaire was used to find out the type of music most preferred by the students. Findings reveal that the most preferred music by students especially between ages 18 and 25 is the popular music genre and in particular hip pop and fuji music. Textual analyses of some of the music show that they are agents of socialization and cultural identity but most unsuitable for moral development. Implications of this on moral values include developing wrong emotions which may lead to violent life and wrong associations.

Keywords

• moral development
• music preference
• socialization
• psychological effects
• socio- cultural challenges
• song-text