When it comes to most people, you will rarely here the phrases “I don’t have a musical preference” or “I like all types of music!” and if you have, most cases will reveal they didn’t feel like arguing or sharing their point of view with you. I’ll admit it – I’ve been guilty of having that specific genre I love to listen to and only listening to its subgenres that follow.
As I approach the eve of my last year as a college student, I’ve learned more during these past academic semesters than I ever thought possible. Whether it’s on educational levels, social levels or emotional levels, I’ve seen close to every scenario and reaction in my college experiences to help me along the way when I step out into the real world.
My biggest lesson learned, you ask? Learning to keep an open mind.
When it comes to music, there are so many styles and genres to fall in love with that it is almost physically impossible to have the list memorized nowadays. Aside from the classic genres such as rock and pop, you can now find yourself presented with genres such as happy hardcore and ghettotech – creatively titled, to say the least. There is almost an endless list of genres to choose from in this day and age, keeping everyone’s personal preference in mind.
That being said, how often do you judge someone for the type of music they listen to? As stereotypical as it may be, most times you won’t find someone who loves the hardcore rock genre to have the same love for the rap genre. Does the phrase “you can’t spell rap without crap” ring a bell for you? Looking past your own preferences before judging a style of music may be a challenge, but I think it could make a big difference in the way you look at society as a whole.
Stepping outside of your own boundaries could open up a whole new view on aspects of life you never thought possible for yourself. You could become friends with the man you never thought you’d be friends with and in turn, he could become the best man at your wedding. A little far-fetched and ridiculous, maybe, but who knows?
While you may never fall in love with a country lullaby, or find yourself strumming the air guitar along to your city’s latest local indie acoustic demo, someone out there is, and they are loving it. Keeping an open mind while listening to music may create a whole new way of thinking for you.
Challenge yourself: The next time you are flipping through radio stations, stay locked on something you normally wouldn’t listen to. Engage yourself in the sound, the lyrics, and whatever else the song has to offer. You may find yourself falling in love with music that you never gave a chance to before, thus changing your views on music entirely.
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