For me, lifestyle is something that occurs everyday. To me, lifestyle feels like waking up in the morning, going to school, and hearing my classmates talk to each other, yell at each other, and banter with each other. It feels like hearing the voices of my teachers say good morning to me, the voices of my friends telling me what they did on the weekend, or my own voice when I’m talking to someone. It feels like coming home from an exhausting day of school, sitting down on the couch with my favourite snack and catching up on extra schoolwork. It sounds like my parents coming home, asking me about my day, if I had fun at school or not. Alongside all these points, music is somewhere in the mix. Music is so powerful nowadays, to the point where hearing just one song can lighten anyone’s day. Music is a huge part of my own life. It shapes who I am, based on the genre, artists and songs I listen to. Of course, there are days where I feel under the weather, so music helps me feel better. Music isn’t just there to cheer me up, it’s there to help me through any mundane task.
I think one of the most interesting things about music is how easily it can become part of our routines without us even noticing. I can put on music while getting ready for school, travelling somewhere, doing homework, cleaning my room or simply sitting down after a long day. Sometimes I am actively listening to every word and beat, and other times I barely notice that it is playing. However, even when I am not paying much attention to it, it can still change the atmosphere around me. A boring task can suddenly feel less boring, a long journey can feel shorter, and an ordinary afternoon can feel a little more exciting.
This is why I think music is more than just background noise. Background noise is something that exists around us without necessarily affecting us. Music, on the other hand, can affect the way we experience something. The situation itself does not change, but our feelings towards it can. My walk to school is still my walk to school, and my homework is still my homework, but putting on a song I love can make those moments feel completely different. It almost feels like everyday life has its own soundtrack.
The other thing that makes music have an impact on our lives is the fact that we associate memories with them. Music helps to recall memories which have no relation to the music itself. I may listen to some song which I was listening too frequently during one school year and all of a sudden, memories will start coming back to me concerning the way my classroom was, how I talked with my friends, and what I was up to then. It is almost as if music stores memories for us and recalls them when we listen to it. This becomes even more interesting due to the fact that we feel differently when we listen to some song depending on the time we listen to it. A song that at one point would make me enthusiastic will later become my nostalgia song while a song I used not to pay attention to years ago will turn out to be my favorite.
In addition, music can be a small component of our personality. Listening to particular artists, certain genres of music, as well as particular songs over and over again, tells us something about ourselves. This is likely one of the reasons why people compile so many playlists for particular situations. There are playlists for working on one’s assignments, traveling, preparing for an event, cleaning, exercising, relaxing, and even sitting outside looking at the window in dramatic fashion. While this may appear ridiculous, selecting what we want to listen to makes the routine moments more intimate. Music can energize us when we need motivation, make us feel comfortable after a tough day, or just serve as something we know very well. Sometimes, however, silence seems better than anything else. After being around my classmates, teachers, and noise during an entire day, I may sometimes prefer to hear nothing. This causes me to believe that the significance of music does not lie in the fact that it should be always present in the background. It lies in the fact that we have the option to choose what will be there.
That could be the reason for music being so unique in the context of lifestyle. Lifestyle usually refers to things like where you live, what you do, your schedule, etc. But I would argue that lifestyle also consists of little things, which you don’t even think about. The tunes you listen to while getting dressed in the morning, while commuting from work or simply walking through the streets and hearing some tune and suddenly feeling nostalgic about certain events are all little moments in your daily routine. Music doesn’t really alter our lives, yet it alters our perception of our lives. It is still the same boring commute to school and boring homework after. Yet, sometimes one single song might make that moment memorable.
A third factor is that music is impossible to avoid regardless of whether one realises that fact or not. While one is able to choose to put their headphones on and listen to their most beloved songs, there are also cases when music happens to be in places where one has no choice. One hears music in stores, restaurants, cafes, malls, and even advertisements. It is also heard in movies and TV shows, sport competitions, birthday parties, school events and celebrations, etc. Even social media has many pieces of music, which quickly become recognisable. There are times when one is hearing music somewhere and thinking, “I’ve heard this everywhere”, without trying to listen to that song ever. The piece of music could be playing quietly in a store while one was searching for anything, or the same music could be played several times in different videos so that eventually, one knew the melody despite the fact that it had never been one’s intention. Music was being listened to by us even if it was not the music we chose. This demonstrates the way music is integrated into the surrounding environment. One is free to create their playlist, but cannot choose all music one hears in everyday life. On the contrary, one usually understands how much sound is in the environment once silence comes unexpectedly. It is unusual since one is already so used to hearing something, music or anything else.
Music is also associated with a great many occasions that unite people. Imagine how odd a birthday party without music would be, or how peculiar a concert, a performance at school or in sport would be without any sounds accompanying it. Music is capable of creating the atmosphere of anticipation and unity. Even in case the attendees do not share anything else, including their personality and interests, there is always a possibility that they will share a common song. One can recognize a familiar song at the first seconds of its playing, while another person may suddenly sing it. For several minutes, everyone is involved into the same experience. And, I believe, it is the most intriguing thing about music because it is capable of creating connections regardless of how much people have in common. At the same time, it is very personal. The artists we listen to, the genre of the music we like, the songs we choose to listen to again and again become a part of our identity. There is a reason why people make playlists depending on certain occasions. From studying, traveling, getting dressed, cleaning the flat or house, relaxing to sitting quietly and thinking while watching through the window. It gives a chance to choose what music to listen to in order to make a usual moment personal. It gives motivation when one needs some, comfort after having a hard day, familiarity when one feels nostalgic. Sometimes, we do not even know what we really feel, but we know which song will suit that particular mood. The music itself does not have to solve the problem, sometimes it is enough to make it understandable or less unpleasant.
In addition to this interesting aspect of music, another point that fascinates me about it is its ease of becoming associated with memories. Sometimes, we can listen to a song and instantly remember someone, someplace, or some period of our lives that had nothing to do with this song. I can listen to a song that I used to play repeatedly throughout a school year and recall how my classroom looked, what I used to discuss with my friends, or what I was actually doing back then. In a way, it seems that songs just keep our memories somewhere until we listen to them. Another aspect of this is the way a song changes based on when we listen to it. The same song that made me excited at some point can make me nostalgic later, while a song that I used to hardly notice many years ago suddenly turns out to be my favourite one. The song has not changed, but I have. Since I am growing older and going through various stages of life, experiencing new things and meeting new people, my connection to certain songs can also change.
But, I do not believe that music should always be played, in order to create its effect. There are times when one prefers to stay silent. At the end of a whole day of studying in a crowd of noisy fellow students, teachers and noises in general, some days it would be more comfortable to hear nothing at all. It makes me understand that the significance of music does not lie in its continuous presence. It lies in the freedom of choice to use it or not to use it in certain situations. Whether it is using earphones or removing them – in any case, music leaves its influence on the perception of a particular situation. Regarding lifestyle, I no longer limit myself to thinking of significant actions and habits. Now, I think of those little things that turn an ordinary day into my personal experience: the talks I have at school, the food I have at home, the people I spend time with, the places I visit and, somehow among everything else, the music I listen to. Life does not come to us complete with a pre-recorded soundtrack. We write our own soundtrack as we go along, without even being fully aware of doing so. We can stop listening through our earphones, walk out of the shop or end the application but music will always be present in our daily lives. It already exists in our environment. Perhaps this is the reason why music is much more than background sounds. It is not just there; it is part of our living experience.
By: Isha Chitnis
Write and Win: Participate in Creative writing Contest & International Essay Contest and win fabulous prizes.
About the Author
