Music today is more than just entertainment. It has become a key detail in most students’ identities and emotions, even influencing social trends they participate in. In a survey of 112 students, a more detailed insight on Judson High School’s music scene was revealed, breaking down the three major music groups the school population enjoys.
Each genre of music today has a specific effect on mood and emotion, beginning with the most popular genre at Judson High School, R&B.
R&B
More formally known as rhythm and blues, the Library of Congress defines it as the broader term for African American music. Artists such as Usher, Alicia Keys and Destiny’s Child are among the many singers and groups of smooth rhythmic songs that categorize R&B as a comforting stress reliever.
Students responding to the survey who state R&B as their favorite genre reaffirmed the statistics above.
Freshman Clementine Ramos explains, ”Most of it [R&B] is pretty slow, and the beat is calming.”
Sophomore Hailey Thorp shares an almost identical opinion stating, “The music I listen to makes me feel safe.”
“Music helps me from getting too much in my thoughts, which has really helped my mood,” says Thorp.
Junior Nathaniel Boudy noted, ”It has helped me find another way to express myself and my feelings, while also being able to keep me calm.”
The claim of comfort and stress relief is supported by 21% of the survey’s respondents.
Though R&B is the most popular genre, there’s far more corners of the music industry to explore.
Rap
Rap listener, junior David Novoa, explains how “Rene” by Residente, a rap song, has changed his life and given him gratitude.
“He wrote it before [he] tried to commit suicide. This makes me realize that I am not the only person who goes through difficult things. Other people suffer, and even worse [than I do], so I always have to be grateful for any little thing that happens in my life,” Novoa stated.
Junior D’Andre Ellison agrees, stating, “It gives a different perspective or sometimes it relates to what you’re going through.”
Not only that, but rap can help students channel negative emotions into something other than themselves. Emotional expression is valued in rap culture.
“It has become a comfort. When I’m angry, I can listen to music,” freshman Brody Tyler relates.
It is one thing to just enjoy a history packed genre like rap, but these effects have controlled statistics to back them up. A study done by The Chicago School has facts that back up Novoa and Ellison, with results pointing to therapeutic effects and improved emotional expression in relation to rap.
The therapeutic effects that the study mentions explains the boosted moods and increased ability to move past hardships that rap music provides.
Alternative Rock
The last major genre students today enjoy is alternative rock. This agglomeration of hard rock, indie, and punk music commonly invokes emotions of sadness and tension.
Senior Julie Villanueva explains, “Music has provided a space for me to feel as well as regulate my emotions. There’s always a song for different aspects of my life, from the low points to high points.”
Sophomore Annie Mendoza dives even further into the effects of alternative music. “The music I listen to makes me feel depressed, lowkey,” Mendoza confessed.
For Mendoza, this isn’t a negative thing. “[Alternative] music has made me feel understood in ways that I have never known I would be able to.”
More than that, music allows people to escape, metaphorically. Sophomore Micheal Washington has a take on that. Washington says alternative makes him feel like he’s in ”a whole different time space.”
Not overall positive emotions are associated with the alternative rock genre, but the emotions they evoke become transformative. Bands like Nirvana, Radiohead and Soundgarden exemplify the true sound of alternative rock. Some students like comfort in discomfort and willingly channel complex emotions with the use of alternative rock.
Music’s other purposes
Beyond emotional impact, music also helps shape social groups and careers and even promotes imagination.
Sophomore Marion Martinez has reaped the benefits of music. She listens to Nightcore and Five Nights at Freddy’s music, and finds her friends with the same music taste in common.
“I find it [music] as a way to connect with others. This connection sparks a community of people who love the same thing. Songs I listen to and like are nicer to listen to when another person likes to listen also,” Martinez said.
Senior Iliyas Gonzalez says music has helped him in choosing a career.
“Ever since I listened to SOPHIE and A.G. Cook, I’ve wanted some sort of career in music, whether it’s producing music, singing, and/or performing,” Gonzalez divulged.
Junior Jordyn Martin says music has opened her eyes. “It has given me a way to be more creative and get inspiration for things like writing or drawing.”
In conclusion, music at Judson High School is more than background noise. It’s behind many students’ emotional experiences and social interactions. Whether calming nerves with R&B, lifting spirits with rap or processing emotions through alternative rock, music has become a gateway to community here at Judson.