West High School - Shaheen Yearbook (Davenport, IA)

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In - depth: music in our ives There are a nearly infinite number of ways n which we may choose to live our lives, all 1ighly individual and all highly important to :he person who is developing his or her part Jf the world. In this search for our niche as t is commonly called, a common need for 'etreat and relaxation confronts all of us. For many of us, the need for relaxation is Jest answered through the medium of mu- lic. The unending variety of music available Jffers us, no matter what our tastes, the as- .urance of individuality. Certainly, no two .ed Zeppelin fans find the same meaning in he lyrics of Robert Plant. In a sense, our nusical preferences become the personal ouches with which we decorate our 'places of retreat. I can find music that makes me feel good in any type of mood I'm in. Because music reveals so much about our character and values, we become very opin- ionated about our music tastes and selection. A typical scene from a typical record store frequented by typical high school students clearly proves this point. A blue-jean clad young man strides quickly back to the sec- tion labeled Rock. On his way, he passes an older man thumbing through copies of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey tunes. It takes only a fraction of a second for the young man to consider the merits of the Big Band Sound, and he quickens his stride, while the older man mentally shakes a fist at the blaring speaker system and mutters something about noise, Across the counter, a spectacled musician carefully contemplates two interpretations of Bach preludes, oblivious to his surround- ings. The above characters represent stereo- types. An informal survey of the music tastes of West High students revealed that there is no typical music lover. Tastes among young people run the gamut, with a majority expressing appreciation for some kind of rock. With so-called acid-rock on one end If I'm in a bad mood, it gets me out of it, relaxes me. of the scale and opera on the other, virtually every type of music was represented. The top two vote-getters were hard rock and soft rock, followed by a tie between coun- try western and classical. Also, a large num- ber of people seem to enjoy all kinds of music, though they often have some prefer- ence. Within the category of rock music, it seems that almost any artist can find a follow- ing. Popular choices among West High stu- dents appear to be the Eagles, Elton john, Barry Manilow, and Peter Frampton. Dozens of other favorites were stated, from Barbra Streisand to Black Oak Arkansas. Also includ- ed in the responses were older bands like Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, as well as newer artists such as Boston and Eric Kar- men. indeed, if variety is the spice of life, one can easily understand the feelings of one student who said that music, . . . fills my life with meaning. One obvious indication of the importance of music in our lives is the amount of money that students, who often have limited re- sources, are willing to spend for music and continued on page 23

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Music in our lives Ccontinuedl continued from page 21 its reproduction. For stereo equipment, most students spend between S100 and 5500. Two of the students interviewed indi- cated that they had assembled components valued at 51,800 and 52,100 The search for records and tapes for this electronic equip- ment costs most students an average of S6 per month. Some students with more expen- sive hardware and a burning desire for a vari- ety of music report spending an average of S25 per month to support their listening habits. Yet, this expenditure, for most of the peo- ple surveyed, meant more than in impulsive iMusicJ keeps your ears busy. desire for quantity. One certainty is that, whatever our preference, music is no idle factor in our lives. The majority of students surveyed admitted listening to music while studying. Less than half of them, however, felt that it helped. One student felt that mu- sic paces her when she studied. Still, the most constructive effect of music is clearly relaxation. Most of the people sur- veyed indicated that music is a way to settle the mind, express emotions, and relate to other people. Perhaps the most inclusive statement came from one senior, who said, lt lmusicl allows one to suppress, or express feelings, relaxes, stimulates - promotes good feelings and a general awareness. Of course, the importance of music can not be understood in terms of statistics, or scattered quotes. Nothing so expressive that it may release sorrowful tears and convey brightness and joy in the same medium can ever be seen so impersonally. Whether the composition is classical or progressive, the messages are timeless, and we cherish our preferences just as we cherish a family heri- loom. For many of us, one of life's great plea- sures is the knowledge that we can, when we wish and when we must, retreat to the solace found in music. We can find a unique, per- sonally satisfying place of our own, a place perfectly expressed through music, what- ever form we choose. by Pam Lietz