Have you ever wondered what music your classmates listen to? I sure have, so I decided to survey students around Urbana High School to figure that out. It’s no secret that there are many different genres of music that different people connect with, but how diverse is Urbana’s music taste?

Hip Hop

The results of my survey showed that Hip-Hop was the most popular genre among Urbana students, with 31% of people saying it was there favorite genre. Hip-Hop is all about rapping, and sampling over, or within, a rhythmic beat. When asked, people on the survey said that Hip-Hop was their favorite genre because they “loved the beats in their background and [the] story telling” and that “it keeps [their] mind and body moving.” When asking a friend, Junior, Ryan Tran about why he likes Hip-Hop so much he said, “I think it’s the most diverse genre, and it’s always being added too, it just feels super fresh.” There is no question why Hip-Hop is the most popular genre saying that there’s so just many different types of music in the genre, how fun it can be to listen to.

Pop

     Pop was the second most popular genre on the survey with about 20% of students saying it was their favorite. Pop music is all about music that is super popular and mainstream at the time, and can sometimes be intertwined with other genres. Like how Pop music in the 60’s was headlined by popular rock artist, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. A lot of Pop music today includes some Hip Hop, Rock, and Dance music. Most people from the survey said that they liked it because of its catchy lyrics and fun sound. The people from the survey said it was their favorite genre because it “puts [them] into a good mood” and that “there are just so many talented artists in the genre.” 

Rock

Another popular genre in the survey was Rock with about 16% of students saying it is their favorite genre, and 10% more saying that Indie Rock, a sub genre of rock, was their favorite genre. Rock is heavily involved around thoughtful lyrics over different guitars and drums. There are so many subgenres of rock that people may connect themselves with like: Punk Rock, Folk Rock, Synth Rock, and Glam Rock. Students from the survey believed that rock artists had some of the most impactful lyrics, and that rock music featured their favorite instruments, the guitar and drums. When asking a friend, Junior, Jackson Lowery why rock is his favorite genre he said, “It just brings out so many different elements and sounds that other genres don’t and it has some of the most meaningful music.” I personally agree with this as rock is my favorite genre because there are so many amazing bands who all introduce different sounds, impactful lyrics, and different perspectives which makes it so refreshing.

Other Genres

There are still so many other genres that people included in the survey. Indie music, which people from the survey found to be “more fleshed out and meaningful,” got 11% of the answers. RnB/Soul, which tends to be more calming and soothing, got 6% of the answers. There were 3% of people who said EDM was their favorite genre, and 1% who said Jazz. Even smaller, less popular genres are well represented and have fans from the students of Urbana.

Many people can connect themselves within different genres of music and use it to express themselves, which explains why different teens like different genres of music. It’s also no secret how important music is to students nowadays as, according to aarp.org, research shows that music has positive effects on one’s emotional well-being, and stress levels. Listening to music can seriously be so helpful and relieving so it’s no wonder why so many teens have fallen in love with music.

Music has a very large impact on our youth, and is without a doubt one of the best ways to express yourself. This is no doubt why the diverse body of students all across Urbana High-School associate themselves with many different forms and genres of music. My survey showed that no one genre of music is far and away the biggest genre across our campus as we all find ourselves within different genres of music.

Citations

Matos, Michaelangelo. “The Mainstreaming of EDM and the Precipitous Drop That Followed.” NPR, NPR, 13 Nov. 2019, https://www.npr.org/2019/11/13/778532395/the-mainstreaming-of-edm-and-the-precipitous-drop-that-followed.

Glynn, Paul. “The Strokes’ Is This It at 20: Nudes, Booze and 9/11.” BBC News, BBC, 29 July 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-57967493.

Team, 24×7. “Billboard Reveals the Top R&B / Hip-Hop Artists of 2010s.” HipHop24x7, 19 Oct. 2022, https://hiphop24x7.com/news/billboard-reveals-the-top-rb-hip-hop-artists-of-2010s/.