How to Stay Knowledgeable About a Teen's Favorite Band

Staying knowledgeable about your teen's favorite bands can be a real challenge, especially since musical trends can ebb and flow according to the fickle tastes of young audiences. Whether your teen is into pop, heavy metal, goth or electronica, by taking the time to find more about your teen's favorite band, you may be able to strengthen the bond between the two of you.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Keep up With Your Teen's Favorite Band

1. Ask your teen about his favorite band. It may be wrong to assume which band is your teen's favorite based upon the posters in his room or the songs that have been downloaded onto his MP3 player. Your teen's favorite band may be the one that he keeps to himself and enjoys when there is no one else around.
2. Listen to the music from your teen's favorite band with an open mind. Listen to the lyrics if you can, and try to find out what the band is saying through their music. Remember, your teen has responded positively to this band, and by exploring the music, you may find out more about your teen and how she defines her place in the world.
3. Stay knowledgeable about your teen's favorite band by finding out if they have a website and logging on. Most band websites offer plenty of information about the individual members, their musical influences and what they hope to achieve through their particular style of music.
4. Read independent reviews and articles about your teen's favorite band and their recordings. Magazines such as "Rolling Stone" and "Spin," available at most bookstores and newsstands, offer in-depth articles about albums, performances and individual songs. Online resources such as the All Music Guide offer independent reviews from experienced music journalists (see Resources below).
5. Keep informed about your teen's changing musical tastes by paying attention to any new bands he may discover. This will help you to stay on top of things and not become hopelessly out of date when you talk to him about music in general.

Tips & Warnings

• While it is important to find out as much about your teen's favorite band as possible, try not to know more about them than your teen. When you show up your teen by being more knowledgeable, you will certainly cause her enthusiasm to wane, and she may move on to another band.