Birds. The slight rushing of the Jordan River. Cars. Fractions of conversations. Footsteps.
IU has a rhythm of its own, but many students choose to immerse themselves in music.
People move through campus in their own small, self-contained worlds of sound.
“305 to My City” by Drake:
Freshman Leon Thornton said if he’s not listening to music, his day is down. It could be 70 degrees and sunny, but he said without music, it would feel like 30 degrees and cloudy to him. “I see the world through music,” he said. Listening to music as he walks between classes has changed his outlook on school, he said. He has a better attitude going into class now. He won’t go to class if he loses his headphones, he said. Thornton said hip-hop is part of life in his hometown of Chicago, no matter your demographic.
“It G Ma” by Keith Ape:
Nisath Vaidya, a freshman, said he’s been getting into foreign rap recently. He likes hip-hop, he said, and even though he can’t understand what they’re saying all the time, it doesn’t make a difference. “You still get an idea of what they’re talking about,” Vaidya said. The emotion of the song comes through despite the language barrier. Listening to music makes time go by faster, Vaidya said. He usually puts his phone on shuffle as he walks. “I like unpredictability,” he said.
“Hell Yeah” by Montgomery Gentry:
Senior Kayla Snider is listening to a 2000s country station on Pandora. “That’s embarrassing,” she said, looking down at her phone. Usually, Snider listens to alternative rock, but she said she was in the mood to experiment. She often listens to music while walking on campus, except late at night when she’s walking alone. It’s too dangerous, she said. Snider said listening to music in crowds helps her with her anxiety. On her way to class, she can block out some of the things around her and take comfort in her music.
“Enter... Hot Curry” by Madlib:
Alex Nation, a junior, said he’s become dependent on music, and without it, he feels restless. He’s been immersed in music since he was a kid, when his parents would play it at home, he said. Now, he takes solace in listening to music on walks. Nation said he is always looking for something new, going further and further into a genre until he can’t really talk to anybody about what he’s listening to.
“I Love Me” by Meghan Trainor:
Senior Brianna Alex said listening to music on campus doesn’t make her feel isolated. She’s still taking things in visually, she said. She uses music to de-stress before and after class, and she said upbeat music can make a great day feel better. Alex is a neuroscience major, and said music can liven her up after long classes.
“Dimelo” by Snakehips:
Junior Derek Stuart listens to music every time he’s walking around campus, he said, but if he’s with someone he’ll take his headphones out. It drives him nuts when people leave one headphone in when they’re having a conversation, he said. He said he prefers music because it’s more interesting than what’s around him. And he hasn’t gotten hit by a car yet. “But sometimes, when I’m hiking, I don’t want to listen to anything.”
“Green Garden” by Laura Mvula:
“I feel very, very refreshed and renewed by listening to it,” sophomore Keenan Rhodes said. The song is energetic and calming at the same time, and he said it makes him feel like he could break out and dance at any second. Normally, Rhodes said he prefers to walk around campus without listening to music. He can pay closer attention to his surroundings that way, and he can hear birds and little snippets of conversations as people pass by. But there are times when music is very necessary, Rhodes said, like when he’s looking for a certain feeling, a certain experience besides what’s around him. He has a “Nighttime Stroll” playlist, which he said he listens to when the moon is bright. It features Pharoah Sanders, Erykah Badu and Roy Ayers. He said his favorite song on it is, ironically, Ayers’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine.” Sometimes when he’s walking at night, he listens to the crickets and the small steps of bunnies on the pavement.
