By Kaylee Fullington

Chaffey College holds a very intellectually diverse student body, but there is no question that there are similar interests within music tastes on campus. Drawn by my own curiosity, I wanted to know how similar the average music tastes are amongst Chaffey students.

A survey was conducted on The Breeze Instagram page (@thebreezepaper) to gather information on the current music wave Chaffey students have created this spring. Results from the survey concluded over 15 different genres that students listen to while on campus.

The most common genres listened to amongst the student body were Pop, Rap, Indie Rock, R&B, and Hip-Hop. Regarding the information collected, it is important to understand the backgrounds of these genres as well as uncover the reason why they are some of the most streamed genres across campus.

Starting off with Pop music, it is generally the most popular type of music there is. This is greatly due to its catchy melodies and repetitive hooks throughout the lyrics. The pop genre is definitely a branch for other types of music to flourish from. In other words, it is a guitar with no strings.

Many might be unaware of the fact that Rap music translates to ‘rhythm and poetry’. The art of this genre lies within the message hiding behind the lyrics. These artists typically speak about hurt from past trials and tribulations, but it reaches a large crowd through its relatability.

At first, Indie Rock was generalized as bands that independently released their music rather than signing with a record label. However, the meaning of this genre has taken a different form over time. Modern day Indie Rock is a blending of a range of genres that are cohesive in the end. Alternatively, this music style can best be referred to as being ‘genre-fluid’.

Typically referred to as ‘rhythm and blues’, R&B has introduced yet another lyrically passionate genre to the mix. This style focuses on clean vocals in order to derive the emotion and character surfacing from the artist's voice. The music within this genre is naturally motivating which can allow for great productivity while listening.

Hip-Hop is one of the few genres that is made up of an array of elements that are not solely lyric based. DJing, graffiti, and breakdancing work closely together with the lyricism in these tunes to create the culture of Hip-Hop. This genre has emerged to give its community of artists and listeners a new form of self expression to experiment with.

You may now be wondering what any of these genres have to do with each other while all sounding nothing alike. Aside from the obvious similarities of traditional ‘feel good’ choruses, all of these genres have created their own community of listeners.

While this term may seem broad, let us look at this idea from a deeper perspective. Despite the fact that everyone is on a different path in life, music is something that will never fail to bring communities together. Everyone has a particular jam that keeps them motivated throughout the day, but when others begin to share the same drive for the music they love is when these communities begin to evolve.

This outlook also applies to the artists creating the tunes we listen to on the daily. Lyrically gifted artists are constantly putting to words and rhythms what some of us can not express out loud. Relatability is key when finding the right type of music to influence your day.

When it comes to our community here at Chaffey it is clear that students (whether they are aware of it or not) have a community of music lovers all around them. The imagery provided from the survey is an amazing visual to note that there are others on campus who share similar music preferences as you.

Granted that the survey only includes the most popular of genres listened to across campus, it does not mean that there is not someone out there who does not like the same styles of music as you. Begin to ask around or even start your own community of those who like shoegaze, sludge metal, and more. Music is here to keep us together even when we feel like the world is falling apart.

What Are Panthers Listening To?