Listening to music just simply does not cut it for me. In the summer after my A-level exams I found myself working a 9-5 office job in Central London, I loved it. However, one thing I could not stand was the radio playing constantly throughout the day. Since then, I have not once found myself wanting to listen to music. Be it when I’m getting reading in the morning, cooking in the kitchen, or out on my daily lockdown walks. To me, listening to music is boring, repetitive and uninspiring. Alternatively, I fill my days with the background noise of subpar Netflix shows, podcasts and a worrying number of YouTube true crime documentaries. When I do try and listen to music, it quite literally goes in one ear and out the other, whereas I find myself much more concentrated when listening to something with meaning, of which I can relate to and/or engage with.

Listening to music is more than just hearing a song. I wonder what would make the activity less intriguing than anything else which requires listening and an acknowledgement of your own tastes. There are multiple ways to listen to different music and different contexts to do so. A dancer on stage does not listen to music the same way an audio engineer in a professional recording studio does. Even the process of discovering music you like, along with listening to it, is extremely personal due to its subjective nature and can be done over and over again. Approaching the argument here requires addressing music as an art form. Any art form involves a translation – an expression of the artist to the viewer, listener, or consumer. Music has become a commodity through its presence in everyday environments such as offices, coffee shops, and grocery stores. In reference to my point here, I would only agree that listening to music is overrated in certain *contexts*. Most places that play music do not provide an ideal position to truly acknowledge the artistry of a song, but the act of listening should be valued. Music begs to be heard, grappled with, and given the same attention as a book or a movie. The ability to listen, as with any art form, comes with the ability to make taste assumptions. Music is often enjoyable for a singer's voice or the quality of the recording, but when you actively listen to a song, you earn what the artist is attempting to invoke. You can discover the layers and the sense of metaphorical and physical (the room it was recorded in) space that is emphasized for the sake of the composition, lyrics, and/or emotional impact. Not finding meaning in music is merely a taste assumption in itself, but considering music in general, or the act of listening to music to be overrated, devalues its genuine intent.

I don't agree with your opinion, sorry! I mean, in your case specifically (after explaining your situation), I can actually understand why you feel the way you do and what led you to having this opinion. However, don’t you think that the main reason you feel this way is because you are associating the playing/listening of music to that particular experience you had? That is to say, if the playing of the music never annoyed you, then you most likely would not have felt this way today. Or let’s say for instance, you had this exact same experience but you enjoyed listening to it in the background. I have a strong feeling that if this were the case, your opinion might have been of a more positive nature and association concerning listening to music. So just to let you know very briefly, psychology has taught (and provided evidence) over the years that emotions influence how we process memories. Basically, it reiterates what I said above. By the way, I’d like to know if you had this opinion and felt this way toward music before you’re A-level exams. Of course, you don’t need to answer this question. I am just a naturally curious person and thought that knowing this might provide me with more insight and further understand your situation and opinion better.

This is a challenging topic to discuss, I respect your point, but I cannot entirely agree with it. In my opinion, listening to music is therapeutic. Its a form to express a feeling, moods without the necessity to explain nothing. When I have a bad they or I feel stress about something, listening to music is the best way to find calm. Millions of songs to feel identified or make you happy, sad or change your view about a specific situation. I think music has the same power to write, paint, or read. They all are a different way to express yourself differently.