• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Coming to UCLA as a freshman, I remember being excited at the prospect of expanding my horizons as a music fan.

Surely, my interaction with like-minded students at a prestigious university could only result in eye-opening discussions brimming with wit and passion. After the relative uniformity of high school, I would finally be among peers who could offer new perspectives.

During my first month in the dorms, I quickly reached the conclusion that I was mistaken.

The first sign came when my roommate and I were almost written up for noise after our neighbor complained to a resident assistant. The offense? Playing old-school Michael Jackson at too high a volume – at 8 p.m. I’m going to let you figure out what’s wrong with that sentence.

The best you’re going to get are the seeming legions of indie rock fans on campus, who generally have a sensible, if somewhat homogeneous, musical inclination. Some may try and fool you with forays into hip-hop and dance, but even then they tend to stick stubbornly to indie material.

There are also fortunately small doses of classic and punk rock fans to keep things in balance. And not too surprisingly, much of the preferred rotation in the dorm halls reflects the popular hits found on the radio and MTV.

There is, of course, nothing really wrong with any of this. It’s not that the music one hears when walking down dorm halls is necessarily bad – OK, a lot of it is – but the main gripe is that, after a while, it all becomes so repetitive.

Usher. Jurassic 5. Linkin Park. Death Cab for Cutie. Radiohead. Nostalgic hits from the ’90s. There’s good stuff, there’s bad stuff, but ultimately it doesn’t add up to a truly diverse experience.

Many students rightfully mourned the tragic death of Elliott Smith, but hardly any would have mentioned the significance of the passing of Ray Charles.

In terms of older music, rockabilly, funk, blues, country and soul more or less remain ignored in favor of rock staples such as The Beatles or the Pixies. Everyone has a guitar, and sometimes turntables, but rarely do you hear someone wowing with saxophone skills.

Luckily, another quick discovery upon arrival here is that it only takes a little effort to incorporate music into the diverse education that should make up college.

The concerts staged on campus – many of which are free or discounted to students – feature a wide spectrum of quality performances, including hip-hop, rock, jazz, reggae, classical, opera and world music.

So be active. Attend a few concerts outside your normal preferences; it’ll be worthwhile. Finding others interested in the same music is great, but don’t forget to make an effort to hear what others have to say. For the incoming class, the odds are good that you won’t be able to stand your roommate’s MP3 collection – but give it a chance anyway.

I may have grown to hate my roommate’s violin practicing, but when he waxed poetic about Bach, I listened and learned and am better for it. Or join one of the many student organizations that actually puts the shows together. Sign up for any of the tons of music-oriented classes, from music history courses to performance-based ethnomusicology seminars. Heck, take ballroom dancing.

When it comes to getting the most out of college, music is ultimately the same as anything else – keeping an open mind and making an attempt at new things. Anyone could tell you that, but do it when it comes to music.

E-mail Lee at alee2@media.ucla.edu.