Q: How can you find new music to listen to, and do you have any particular suggestions for new music?
X responds: During quarantine, it’s common to find yourself being bored. A way to help fill that time is to find new music to listen to. I have personally expanded the genres of music I listen to. Of course there are many different genres of music, including pop, rap, country, r&b, folk rock, metal, k-pop, and more. In order to find music you will like, you first have to find out why you like the music. Are you attracted to an energizing beat, the message, or music that might calm you so you can study better?
Once you determine why you like specific types of music, an easy way to enlarge your playlist is to ask your friends what songs or genres they listen to the most. Ask them if they can share their playlists with you, or suggest some of their favorite songs. Don’t be afraid to ask all of your friends for suggestions, and remember that your friends and you don’t have to have the same taste. So, it’s okay to dislike their music.
Another, more challenging, way to discover new music is to experiment. If you want to dive more into learning music, you can see this site. Since the weather is starting to get nice, go on a walk around your neighborhood, but before you go on the walk go on Spotify to find a random playlist of music within a certain genre you want to explore, and play it. During the walk you can find out what songs from that genre you like, and add them to your playlist. This is a slower process since you have to see what fits you, but from random listening like this you can also discover more about what does and doesn’t appeal to you. Start by sampling a genre you think you won’t like. It may take a couple of listens to different songs in a particular category before you can decide if you like that genre or not. It may even come as a shock if you actually end up liking an unfamiliar style. I personally never thought I would like rock or any hardcore music, but after listening to a couple of singles, I added some rock tunes that I ended up liking to my playlist.
Don’t avoid a genre of music just because it’s not widely popular, is too boring, or is seen as “unlikable.” It’s important to keep your mind open to new things. You may end up really liking a new genre and become invested in it. When checking out new tunes, make sure to listen to the whole song … don’t judge it based only on the first few seconds. Listen to the entire composition, and then determine if you like it.
Over the quarantine, I have gotten invested in k-pop. I never thought that I’d like k-pop since I couldn’t understand what they were saying in their music. But after a quick Google search I was able to get English translations to songs whose message was powerful and reliable. Learn from my experience how we should always keep an open mind about different things. Don’t ignore a whole style of music just because it may be in a foreign language.
Some of my suggestions for songs with powerful and reliable messages are listed below:
- From the group BTS I’d suggest: “Butterfly”, “Lie”, “Awake”, “Spring Day”, “Epilogue: Young Forever”, “Intro: Serendipity”, “Intro: Singularity”, “The Truth Untold”, “Epiphany”, “Mikrokosmos”, “Inner Child”, “Friends”, “Life Goes On”, “Blue & Gray”, and “Film Out”.
- 2. “Sweet Night” by V,
- 3. “Stay With Me” by CHANYEOL and Punch,
- 4. “On the Ground” and “Gone” by Rosé.
- By TXT: “We Lost The Summer”, “9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)”, and “Maze in the Mirror”.
- 6. “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi,
- “Little Did You Know” by Alex & Sierra,
- “If The World Was Ending” by JP Saxe and Julia Michaels,
- “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur,
- “You Are The Reason” by Calum Scott,
- “Impossible” by James Arthur,
- “Adelaide” and “Piece of My Heart” by Johnny Orlando,
- “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo,
- “Lonely” by Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco,
- “Mind is a Prison” by Alec Benjamin,
- “Demons” and “Gotta Be A Reason” by Alec Benjamin. (most of these songs are in Korean, but again don’t let that discourage you! Just use Google for translations of the songs.)
Some of my suggestions for songs that are entertainingly up-beat are:
- From the group BTS: “I Need U”, “Dope”, “Run”, “Silver Spoon”, “Burning up (Fire)”, “Intro: Boy Meets Evil”, “Blood Sweat & Tears”, “21st Century Girl”, “Cypher 4”, “Not Today”, “DNA”, “Best of Me”, “dimple”, “Pied Piper”, “MIC Drop” (Original and Remix), “Go Go”, “Fake Love”, “Airplane pt.2”, “So What”, “Euphoria”, “I’m Fine”, “IDOL”, “Boy With Luv”, “HOME”, “Dionysus”, “Black Swan”, “Filter”, “My Time”, “Louder Than Bombs”, and “ON”.
- From the group TXT: “Blue Orangeade”, “CROWN”, “Cat & Dog”, “Our Summer”, “New Rules”, “Poppin’ Star”, “Angel or Devil”, “Drama”, “Can’t You See Me?”, “PUMA”, “Eternally”, “Blue Hour”, “Wishlist”, “Everlasting Shine”, and “Force”. (This last category was more based on the beat of the song, but if you’re more interested in knowing the lyrics, just search Google.)
Q: My friend is always busy with programs and other extracurricular activities. I never get to hang out with her anymore. How can I ask her to spend more time with me?
Y replies: Sometimes you may feel that you are putting the most effort into a friendship to keep the friendship going. It is okay to feel these emotions. This just means that you need to reevaluate your friendship with the person. As we grow older and take different paths, one person might end up with a busier schedule than the other. Yet, communication is key!
Be honest with your friend. Tell her (or him) how you truly feel about the situation. You can try to work with their schedule to hang out. This conversation can make you two even closer. I hope you are able to convey your thoughts and make time to meet each other.
Q: How do you choose AP classes for next year?
Z says: Choosing AP classes can be quite hard. One thing is for sure, choose the ones you know you’ll be the most comfortable with! It’s always great to challenge yourself, especially in these curriculums. However, make sure these are classes you would honestly like to take, and not just because they exist. We are entitled to three AP classes, but you don’t need to apply for three. Doing one or two would be enough.
It’s important to make sure you meet the requirements for those classes as well. I would recommend rewatching the school’s informational AP presentations and videos. Remember, only apply to the ones you’re suitable for! (Of course it would also be great to reach out to your counselor if you are unclear about any of the instructions.) Finally, don’t compare the AP classes you want to take to anyone else’s. It’s alright if your interests are different than those of your friends and such! These classes are challenging and are meant to reveal each individual’s strengths as a student. Good luck!!
Photo Credits:
Slideshow Image: Image by ijmaki from Pixabay
First Illustration: From “Clipart Panda” via Google