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Christian music has changed greatly over the past couple of decades, and teens have a wide variety of talented Christian bands to choose from. While the overall sound may be similar to mainstream rock, rap, or country, the lyrics are very different.

This is by no means a complete list, but here are a few Christian artists and bands that I think most teens would find appealing. Some they may already recognize, given that their music sometimes carries over into mainstream radio stations as well:

1) Toby Mac
2) Third Day
3) Lifehouse
4) Casting Crowns
5) SuperChick
6) Barlow Girl
7) Chris Tomlin
8) MercyMe
9) Jeremy Camp
10) Chris Tomlin
11) Switchfoot
12) Jonas Brothers
13) Sanctus Real
14) David Crowder Band
15) Kutless
16) Steven Curtis Chapman
17) Michael W. Smith

I know I'm likely leaving other great people out, but these are most of the top-rated and most played bands. An impressive site to preview songs and music videos by these artists is Godtube.com, which is very similar in format to YouTube.com. Most of these bands also have websites set up where you can buy individual songs as well as entire albums. Apple iTunes is another option as well.

In addition to being entertainment, music is a very important form of communication. Once you hear a song several times, you may find it getting stuck in your head. Your brain dwells on it. This can be good or bad, according to the song. This is because even if you're not really paying attention to lyrics on a conscious level, your brain is still taking in the information.

As a teenager, I used to listen to a lot of different types of music to fall asleep. The problem was what I was listening to had lyrics and an overall tone to it that left me feeling bad when I woke up the next morning. It took awhile to figure out the connection, but it amazed me how much music can impact someone's mood. I changed what I was listening to at night, and almost instantly began to feel better the next day.

I really didn't start listening to Christian stations until I was in my late teens. As an adult, I'm free to listen to any music I want, but I now prefer Christian bands just because of the messages behind them. Good luck and best wishes in your search!

Learn more about this author, Patricia Gilliam.
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