When walking in the halls of North Hollywood High School, you’ll always see someone on their phone picking a song to play, with AirPods in their ears, and maybe even singing a song that is stuck in their head.
Music is a way for people to express themselves without having to say anything, and at NHHS, students are expressing themselves more than ever through the language of music.
Whether it’s NY Slums HipHop like MIKE, Standing on the Corner, and Medhane that SAS junior Levi Perea listens to, or alternative folk indie like Elliot Smith, Fiona Apple, Ella Woolsey, and Worldpeace DMT that SAS sophomore Barlow Pasinski listens to, music is the central theme throughout the hallways.
Throughout the day, students talk about recent homework, assignments, tests, and classes to share their thoughts on each, but this also happens with music. Pasinski believes, “School is a very communicative place, and often my friends and I will talk about the songs we are into at the time!”
Pasinski is one of many who converse about music with friends, but outside of school is where students discover new genres and artists all the time! When asked where he discovers music, NHA junior Seth Aboganem quotes, “I find music from movies a lot, as well as word of mouth from friends.”
With all the conversations about new music getting mixed in with new assignments, it’s always easy for a student to broaden their music scope. When asked if he’s open to new music, Aboganem says, “I’m pretty open to listening to music because I’m always eager to find my next favorite song/artist!”
Of course, talking about music is important; actually listening to it allows you to find what you do and don’t like. Though for many students, it may be difficult to listen to music during school since many teachers enforce a no-phone rule. But knowing our students, they’ll always try to find a loophole for this rule.
When asked if school affects their listening, Perea says, “It doesn’t, I’ll always find a way to listen. Even when the Yondr pouches were enforced, I would bring my MP3 player and headphones and listen like normal.”
Yes, some students don’t listen to music as much during school, but many listen to new types of music because of school. SAS senior Audelya Tirado says, “School definitely affects my music listening by pushing me more towards instrumental music. It’s great for just background noise, but I’ve also found that it helps me focus and feel relaxed.”
Though for Tirado, she has recently found herself listening to “a lot of calm or upbeat types of music like Panchiko, Cocteau Twins, and older Charli xcx.” Unlike Aboganem, Tirado always goes back to her favorite songs when getting bored with what she’s listening to, which are “Sinking by Clairo, The Rot by Dean Blunt, and In My Bed by Amy Winehouse.”
Tirado is one of many who listen to her favorite music throughout high school, and she believes that she “definitely rediscovered old and nostalgic classics that bring me back good memories.”
With all the time students take listening to music instead of doing their homework, music has played an important role in many students’ school lives. At NHHS, many students are on the lookout for their next favorite artist or favorite song they might discover in class.
