Crystallizing the relationship between adolescents, music, and emotions

Abstract

The ways that young people use music to work with emotions is impressively diverse and difficult to box into categories of good and bad, helpful and unhelpful. The intersection of where, when, and why the young person is using music is further complicated by what music, what associations, and what conscious and unconscious intentions the young person has. This introductory chapter canvasses the vast landscape of music, adolescents, and emotions, using the lens of crystallization to consider the different perspectives offered by young people, music therapists, and music psychologists. The result is a rich and varied picture that places agency in the hands of the young person and encourages all caring adults to engage with the multiple possibilities that music affords.