Walter Hughes discusses Disco music and explains how it was used as a vessel for expression for the gay community. They were able to go to the discotheque and have a place where they could have freedom of expression in a society that judged them for their sexual orientation and lifestyle. The beat allowed people to dance freely and express their sexuality, fashion, and create songs about social injustices and also educate others about safe sex.

Another music genre that came to mind while reading Walter’s piece is EDM and its culture. EDM festivals are also used as vessel for many different groups of people to be themselves especially through their fashion. This music genre is also viewed as a culture where it is all inclusive party, no judgment zone, and freedom to roll and rave. There is some backlash and judgment, similar to disco, because of drug use at carnivals. With the being said, there is a big sense of support and drug education within the EDM community due to drug overdoses at carnivals. These carnivals allow people to get dressed up in outfits that you wouldn’t really see anywhere else. People use this music genre as an opportunity to express themselves and attend festivals that are their own havens, similar to how discotheques are used.

In the article “The Walkman, Forty Years On” Matt Alt discusses the significance that the walkman had on us. The creation of the Walkman gave us the ability to carry our favorite tunes in our pockets, as opposed to carrying a giant boombox. This device allowed us to isolate ourselves from the world with the use of headphones, creating our own personal space from other noises. Not only did the walkman unlock the power of music on the go, it also created a space where a person could immerse themselves to different types of music with discretion. This let us have a whole new experience in public spaces once we had the ability to block out background noise.

I remember when I got my first iPod and how addicted I became to it. I lived in the Bronx at the time and had to travel to Queens. The commute was over an hour long and terrible. There was always so much going on inside the train and it was impossible to even read a book but once I had my iPod the journey to places was so much more enjoyable. Another reason why I was addicted to my iPod was the privacy it gave me. I could listen to whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted without interrupting anyone else. The creation of these portable music devices were the main reason why my relationship with music has evolved over time. Now I use music even when I need to focus. My favorite thing to do is to put on my AirPod Pro’s turn on noise cancellation, add some crossfade between tracks, and listen to an endless loop of my LoFi beats playlist.

In the readings we see different perspectives of how music (stimuli) affects two people and their psyche. In Ellison’s experience we see that he doesn’t have a positive connection with music based on events that happened in his childhood and because of his living situation. As a writer, having noisy neighbors stimulated him in a way that he did not enjoy. Over time, Ellison experiences a different connection voluntarily with his neighbor that changes how he feels about the noise and his perception of music. This is a good example of how one can manipulate and change how we feel about things that are stimulating us and rewire ourselves to enjoy them. In Ellison’s case it was music.

In contrast, Tony’s experience in Sack’s essay was not voluntary, we see how Tony gets struck by lightning and has a near death experience. This causes his brain to over stimulate certain areas and even causes him temporary damage. With this temporary damage, Tony develops an obsession with piano music. So much so that it changes how he feels about music, and it becomes a big part of his life and changes his perception of life. An interesting fact is that music releases dopamine. Dopamine has been proven to calm anxiety and ease pain. There might be a reason why Tony developed an addiction to music, could it have been his own body seeking comfort to soothe something traumatic that happened to him? I think each text proves how music can affect everyone’s psyche differently and there’s so many factors that can come into play to explain why it happens.