When one looks around campus, it is evident that many students walk to class, study, exercise and live life listening to music. So, how does music play an impactful part in student life? Let’s explore how the music preferences of Villanova students play a role in social life and personal identity. Different songs can define our life experiences, and everyone’s taste in music is individual.
Sophomore Charles Secenzio was asked what song has defined his time at Villanova so far.
“The World Is Yours’ by Nas because the song tells me I can accomplish anything I want to, the world is mine and I just felt that being at Villanova gives me that same ability. Villanova is mine,” Secenzio said.
Asking students around campus, it seems that many liked to listen to pop, rap, country and house music, with popular artists like Taylor Swift, Noah Kahan, It’s Murph and A$AP Rocky. Many are especially prone to listening to music while doing schoolwork. However, the different levels of noise on the different floors of the library mean students opt for different music choices.
“I enjoy listening to Minecraft music by c418 [when doing my work] because there are no lyrics, just sound, so it helps me lock into a flow state,” junior Keaton Monaghan, who enjoys working on the fourth floor, said.
As the floors of the library get progressively louder as one goes down, more and more students are found listening to music through their headphones.
“I really like listening to Future when doing my work, but sometimes I get carried away by his music,” freshman Mathew Brown said of working on the third floor.
Though music can sometimes be distracting while students are trying to be productive, it can also keep them going and help them focus.
“Right now, I’m listening to ‘Let It Happen’ by Tame Impala,” sophomore Haligh Garindale said of writing a paper on the second floor of Falvey. “It’s just something about the beat of the music that drives me forward.”
Senior Lilah Shea echoed this sentiment, saying music got her through her midterms studying.
“During midterms, I was actually so stressed out with my exams, and an outlet I found to help me destress was just tuning out and listening to UK house music,” Shea said.
Davis Fitness Center also boasts many students with headphones listening to their music of choice. Students often choose more upbeat music to motivate them when exercising.Sophomore Fiona Ryan felt that a good beat was crucial for a stroll on the treadmill.
“Honestly, I’ve been listening to a lot of house music,” Ryan said. “Specifically, It’s Murph, I love those good beats.”
Music taste paints a picture that we can only hear. From our lowest lows to our highest highs, we listen to music. In all its unexpected twists and turns, music can bring people together.
“I did [bond with someone over music], actually, back in high school,” freshman Michael Gerrow said. “I started dating my now ex-boyfriend because we both loved listening to a band called Weezer.”
Music can also define important moments and changes in people’s lives, and music preferences can change based on our environment.
Student Aton Skorvos spoke of the shift in his music choices since his transfer from Penn State.
“[My music taste] has [changed] a little bit,” Skorvos said. “Up in Happy Valley, I listened to a lot of Zach Bryan and country music, and very rarely would I listen to EDM or anything like that but now I’ll find myself headbanging to knock2 in the gym.”
International students bring bits and pieces of their culture here to Villanova, allowing our campus to expand and grow in diversity. This culture can often come in the form of music.
“At first, when I played some music from back home in my dorm, my roommate had no idea what he was listening to, but after a couple more songs, he told me to send him my playlist because the music was the heat,” sophomore Dylan Torbay, an international student from Kenya, said.
Music can be the juice for the soul, amplifying our emotions. It’s there to comfort us when we are down. But what music helps students destress and unwind?
“[At the end of a busy day], I’ll kick back and chill, listening to some Slightly Stoopid, I love the atmosphere they create,” junior Greg Norvidka said.
How will the future of music shape Villanova? With time, people change, and so will their tastes in music, and there is surely a wide variety of music ingrained in our culture here at Villanova.
