I know my tens of readers will be disappointed (we just hit double-digits!), but this marks the end of my run here at The D. Even though this column never had a true point, I still felt there needed to be a resolution to this endeavor.
In the face of this problem, I turned to my close friends for inspiration. The column to this point had been mainly about what music meant to me, but I decided to move beyond this solipsistic viewpoint and expand my horizons by seeking opinions other than my own. I asked my friends a couple of simple questions: What did music mean to them, and how did college shape their relationship with music.
Some of my friends talked about the visceral reactions that music can provide. They mentioned the emotional connection to music and how it lifted their spirits. Adlin Tuya '07 summed up this reaction rather pithily (though a tad graphically) by saying that "music helps relieve [her] emotional constipation." That's a statement you simply shouldn't forget. Music can act as an emotional release. A Pepto-Bismol for the soul, apparently.
Others mentioned the physical reaction to music that can result, namely in the form of dancing. Though I myself lack the necessary motor skills to do much more than nod a head or tap a foot (unless alcohol is prominently involved), many of my friends were passionate about dancing.
According to Janelle Braverman '07: "I can't imagine my life without music, seriously. I generally like danceable music, and my idea of danceable music is usually Urban or Latin, but I'm always open." And considering how I always seem to find her dancing, whether it be to music real or imagined, I will take her word for it.
My good friend Vaughn Booker '07 explained his reasoning in more intellectual and historical terms.
He sees music "as an opportunity to appreciate [his] culture as well as to trace the evolution of American music." Vaughn's musical selection is mainly composed of jazz from years ago, and he views it as history. He sees "artists dedicated not only to producing the highest quality of music, but also individuals who saw their prominence and prestige as an opportunity to promote a positive image of talented black Americans while never neglecting to remind the rest of the country of the inequalities that existed in media and society."
There were those who discussed the effect of the college experience itself.
Nadia Ali '07 talked of the personal connections made with music.
"My music range has definitely expanded in college, and the high speed internet is the cause of it. Direct Connect along with blitz added 4GBs to my iTunes library freshman year. Also making new friends from all over the country who listen to different types of music got me connected to artists I had never heard of before," he said.
Shreya Patel '07 told me how music reminded her of specific periods here at Dartmouth, mentioning how she had playlists for each term here.
"In college specific songs bring me back to specific terms... listening to 'Banana Pancakes' by Jack Johnson reminds me of Pancake Paddle over Sophomore Summer and being out on the river. 'Gasolina' by Daddy Yankee brings me back to my Tucker trip to Nicaragua."
None of my friends here share similar music tastes to my own, in direct contrast to my high school days where I developed friends based on shared musical experiences and tastes. However, reading through these responses, I've found that we all react similarly to music, regardless of the style. Not only does this make me appreciate music as a universal experience, but it makes me appreciate my friends even more. I wish them the best of luck in their post-Dartmouth careers.
