The first electronic device that I had that changed my perspective on music is not the TV with my MTV channel, it was actually my playstation portable, or better known as the PSP. I had a disk that consisted of 5 music videos from each popular genre: rap, alternative rock, heavy metal, Reggaeton, and jazz. I remember how cool I felt because this was the closest thing I had to an iPod.

Although the PSP’s sole purpose was not for music, it worked for me, but It did introduce me to acquiring and experiencing a portable way to listen to music. Alt’s passage on the SONY walkman also demonstrated a similar feeling to the portable world. Like myself, the PSP was able to fit in my pocket while I listened to all 5 songs. It was revolutionary.

In Oliver Sacks “A Bolt from the Blue” and Ellisons “Living with Music”, the concept of identity and music are shown to be symbiotic. In other words, music is a way to not only explore your identity but there is also a science behind it. It is combination of brain activity and your personal experiences and culture that change your behavior. “In those days it was either live with music or die with noise” (Ellison 1). What Ellison meant by this is that we make up the choice of how we interpret music. For some, its just sounds mixed together, but for others, it is their whole life. You can definitely see the difference of both behaviors from the brain activity.

Music has so much to do with ones identity. It is a reflection of past experiences or experiences you wish you want for yourself. It is both a scientific connection with the hormones our body produces when we hear a beat that makes us feel a sense of identity. Dopamine rushes to our brain and makes us feel happy, lively, and a sense of peace because you feel like you belong. In my case when I listen to Colombian salsa, the lyrics sometimes refer to certain places in Colombia that gives me nostalgia, or even talks about a food or a bar that is famous, and in my head, I think to myself, “Hey I went there!” or “Damn that sounds like something I wanna try next time I go.” Although salsa has many difference subsections divided by regions, but the lyrics from Colombian artists, make it their own; with both the beat and lyrics.