My Music Doesn’t Make Me
By Deandra Mouzon
Arts and Entertainment Editor
and Kimberly Small
Reporter
In today’s world people are judged for all sorts of personal qualities. It could be anything from the way a person dresses to the way they speak or even the level of education that they have. Believe it or not people are also judged by friends and strangers alike on their taste in music. The conclusion that one comes to about someone else, based solely on their own opinions about that person’s musical taste, is often stereotypical and downright incorrect. Yet, that does not stop the scrutiny from happening to anyone who dares to don a pair of headphones with the volume too high. With all of this rating and criticism going around in our society one must wonder what the music they like to listen to says about them.
“I think that it [music] reflects my personality… that’s how I see myself,” said Freshman Irena Dubroja who says she likes classical and pop music but would never listen to rap because she finds it to be more talking than singing.
As one aspect of a culture’s art, music can also be an indicator of how a person feels they fit into another culture that is unfamiliar to them. Similar to other aspects of a foreign culture music can be a way to either assimilate or differentiate.
Dubroja went on to give her reasoning for why other people enjoy music that she does not.
“I think it depends on their taste… age is most concerning to me. I think I belong to a more mature group…also the background too. I’m from Croatia and kind of still a newcomer here, adjusting to the culture.”
Sometimes people are not comfortable listening to music that is from another era or culture. That culture may be from a completely different country across the globe. Or it could just be from a different sub-culture in their very same neighborhood. Perhaps it’s both.
When asked what kind of music she would never listen to Freshman, Nikkie Aroh said “probably music from another country that I’m not familiar with… and death metal because it’s just loud and obnoxious to me.”
Aroh identifies herself as “an all around music person” but says her favorite genres are R&B and pop. Although she doesn’t care for death metal music she does recognize that people listen to music for their own personal reasons. Aroh speculates that people who like death metal may see it as a release of tension.
“Maybe they feel that’s a way to get out your anger,” said Aroh.
York College history professor George White Jr. agrees that people have different incentives for listening to the music they choose.
“I think people listen to music for lots of reasons. One of the wonderful things about music is that it can mean lots of different things and serves lots of different purposes. Some people listen to music because it reminds them of home or it reminds them of a life they want to have. I think some people listen to music because it creates a mood… I think it’s very difficult to judge from the outside unless you know exactly how they interpret the song.”
In reaction to being judged for the type of music he listens to White says that if anyone tried to analyze him based solely on his musical preferences they’d have a hard time identifying him.
“I’m crazy… I think that’s what it says. I listen to many different things. People can pass by my car and hear different things and not know who I am.”
Some feel that musical preference can tell the tale of a person’s day or even their whole life story. A song may have the power to turn the worse day into something bearable. In this way different types of music can influence one’s mental state.
“Music has the ability to say what you want to say,” said Junior Kerbie Joseph. “It’s relatable…I don’t know how they do it,” the History major continued.
Joseph’s sentiments are shared by others.
“I listen to all kinds of music… it all depends on my mood,” said Shana-Kay Kettle, a York Junior. “I’ll listen to certain music for certain days.’’
It may seem easy to give someone the once-over and automatically fit them into a mold based on their physical appearance. However, more often than not, a person’s musical preference can be a surprise.
“I really like Lil’ Wayne and house music,” said Sophomore Sebastian Lasserre.
In some cases, painting everyone with the same brush can have music lovers taken aback when they find out that their not-so-expert evaluation was wrong. People tend to get labeled or lumped into one category when really they represent a broader spectrum.
Sophomore Jonathan Boyce, an avid listener of reggae, testifies to this fact with evidence from his own experience.
“They get a lot of misconceptions. First of all they think I’m Jamaican… but I’m from Barbados and they think I’m trying to be something I’m not,” said Boyce.
Although it may be an unexpected selection for York students an emerging genre, alternative, seems to be a growing trend in the music industry and in the iPods of York students.
“I’m a fan of electronic music,” said Junior Sebastien Fequiere. “My least favorite kind of music is country.”
When asked why he believes people listen to country music, the Math major said, “because they don’t know about electronic.”
In response to their least favorite types of music, York students did not shy away from giving their honest opinions.
“I’ll listen to anything but country,” said sophomore Sebastian Lasserre. “I think people listen to it because they were raised listening to it. It’s far from my culture,” continued the Haitian Biology major.
“I’m not much a of classical music fan,” said Shana-Kay Kettle. “It’s too boring and slow. I guess people listen to it for relaxation,” the Marketing major said.
Today’s radio stations are filled with a variety of music genres. A quick look at Billboard’s Top 100 will reveal a plethora of options. With so many forms of music, it’s easy for each type to gather a fan base. Whichever type of music someone prefers it is important to keep in mind that a person’s inclination to one form does not immediately call for them to be pigeonholed by the “average” mold of that genre’s listeners.
