One of the things I love most in life is music. It serves so many purposes from fun to just relaxing. One of my friends recently mentioned to me that we are astoundingly good at memorizing lyrics. Hear a song three times, and suddenly you've got the whole thing memorized. Imagine if school was taught in a musical manner. It would be SO much easier to memorize countless facts and statistics. After all, didn't many of us learn the state capitals or the names of the Presidents by memorizing a song? When someone asks me who the third President was, I still chime in my head "Hmm...Washington, Adams, THOMAS JEFFERSON!" to a tune that only a 5-year-old would find amusing. For more on this, check out This is Your Brain on Music by Farhad Manjoo. He also recently came out with The World in Six Songs, which I have yet to read but I'm sure is mind-blowing as well.

Something that bothers me immensely is when people are ignorant enough to make fun of others for their taste in music. Music is, of course, a matter of opinion. After all, you don't make fun of the colors people like, do you?
"Man, red is such a terrible favorite color! Why don't you like blue?"
What the hell do you say to that?
"Every day, I wake up and tell myself red is my favorite color, and then I spend the whole day consciously making it so. I secretly like blue but am trying to hide it from the world."
I mean, come on, let's be real. Each person has a distinct identity and each was brought up in a different way. Whether due to nature, nurture, or both, everyone is unique. Thus, people relate to different kinds of music. If you associate country music with the warmth of home, then you should indubitably get made fun of, right? It only makes sense after all. I admit, I've caught myself doing it as well but over the years, it has become a sort of pet peeve. Sure, you may not agree with another person, but at least try to be understanding.

There is one downside to current music technology, though, despite music's wonder: Digital music players are desocializing and disconnecting the current generation. In the 70s and 80s, one teenager in a group of friends would buy a record. Then, they would all spend time listening to the record together, immersing themselves in the music and evaluating it in unison. Music was a social hobby, promoting friendships in people of all ages. In today’s MP3-crazed phase, however, each person is wrapped in their own pair of headphones. Instead of walking to class with friends, students spend some quality time with their digital music players, reducing potential for interaction with companions. Trivial conversations at bus stops or in long lines are essentially eradicated. A pair of headphones creates the delusion of preoccupation, preventing socialization. Times of discussion as a method of resolution are long gone, replaced by resorting to digital music players, bathing in soft music to reduce tension. Take a minute to pause those iPods and submerge yourself in conversation. Then, we can all truly appreciate music for all that it is worth.