by Maddy Lingk | staff writer
Senior Lana Mireles walk through the halls with music blasting through her headphones. It is no longer the age of radios, boomboxes, and cassette tapes; music is more accessible than ever, making it an important part of teenagers like Mireles’ lives.
“So you can say the same thing in a song as you can in a conversation,” Mireles said. “And that means a little bit more because of how it makes people feel and because of the work that they know that you put into that, and it’s all so different culturally, everywhere around the world, that it’s able to unite people.”
Someone’s music taste can change their perspective of other people with different tastes.
“Music is easy for people to get attached to. And sharing that with somebody else really makes it makes my relationship with them a little bit easier and smoother,” Mireles said.
Senior Laynee Baker notes that sometimes her assumptions about someone can change based on the type of music they listen to.
“I think it does, because I have some people I meet and I’m like, oh, they’ll probably like this type of music,” said senior Laynee Baker. “But whenever they say that they actually like I’m like really that doesn’t seem like the type of person and so I think it kind of does but not in a negative way.”
Music tastes often change throughout people’s lives, specifically during big events and changes.
“Yes, my music taste has changed over time. I think that’s true. For everybody. We go through phases as middle schoolers and even sometimes high schoolers that we look back on and say, Whoa, why did I ever do that?” Mireles said.
“So probably my music taste is going to like stay the same as it is right now for a little while, but I hope that I can still be open to what other people like and not be so judgy as some adults can be about music taste,” Mireles said.
According to Mireles, some musical artists can evoke nostalgia or other sweet feelings.
“A music artist that really affected my life is probably either like Taylor Swift or Harry Styles even though it’s the most basic answers but both of them have a place in my heart,” Baker said.
“So artists like Stevie Nicks, Santana, kind of older music are the ones that I like, but I listen to new music also, because, of course, I’m still a teenager,” Mireles said.
Some artists bring up fond memories and can represent people near and dear like for freshman Claire Sanchez.
“Metallica because that was kind of what I grew up on. So that’s kind of what I based the whole music around because my dad that was like his band. So also makes me kind of bond with him,” Sanchez said.
Music can be very therapeutic, many people use it to calm themselves or entertain them throughout the day.
“Because my music is kind of like it grounds me almost. And I can get lost in it. It’ll can like save me from a bad day,” Sanchez said.
“If I have a quiet moment I’m listening to some sort of music,” said Baker.
Overall, music can be a very important part of identity. It can be present in daily routines, different moods, and even personalities.
“You know, and I think if you do something for 17, almost 18 years, then it becomes a part of you. And you know, of course they’re different songs and I’ve gone through different phases, genres, and such,” Mireles said.
