What your favourite music genre says about you as a student

Did you know that our music taste defines who we are? As weird as it may seem, music is one of the most important elements in our lives; it affects our personality, style, and attitude. But as we know, everyone has a different preferred genre of music, and that is because our music taste is shaped by several factors: exposure, friends and family. In addition to that, there is also the internal preferences we have for the music’s tempo, pace, rhythm, and more. Recent studies have shown that your favourite genre of music reflects on your personality. Consequently, it also reflects on who you are as a student; it is possible to deduce what kind of student you are based on your music taste. From heavy metal to jazz and blues, this article has the intention of figuring out who you are as a student, based on your favourite music genre.

DISCLAIMER: This article was NOT written to stereotype others based on what they prefer. It also does not mean that everyone acts the way this article states. This article aims to have fun and see how different music genres affect the way we are!

1) Heavy metal

Though people may not believe it, you tend to be gentle and creative. As much as you may seem terrifying and you exude the impression that you are about to screech at someone at the smallest inconvenience, your demeanour may not reflect who you are inside.

A three-year study made by music psychology scholar Adrian North which correlated the musical preferences and personality traits of more than 36,000 participants, showed that heavy metal fans are quite delicate and are the same type of person as classical music lovers; seems impossible, right? Some may be quieter than others during lessons. But one thing’s for sure: you like the feeling of danger and you love screaming to release stress, but I mean, who doesn’t?

2) Rock

As much as you can be easygoing, you can act in a rather selfish way and tend to be self-centred; in a sense that you can sometimes be a bit of a challenge to work with; not that this is a bad thing. Regardless of that, you are a very hard worker, and maybe that is why you can be tough to work with because you want things to go perfectly (perfectly your way). You can also be the type of pupil that does not study for an exam but manages to always get good marks anyway.

Punk rock fans, on the other hand, are very intense and have a low sense of empathy. They tend to have little patience with traditions, seeing that punk originated as a rule-breaking reaction to overly polished studio rock. Therefore, you might be the type of person who likes to break a little rule here and there, from time to time.

Similar to pop fans, students tend to listen to rock to regulate their mood, seeing that our favourite songs are often associated with powerful emotional life experiences. Taking this into consideration, you probably have a severe hearing deficiency if you enjoy listening to rock songs with earphones on (wishing your eardrums the best right now).

3) indie and alternative rock

Indie music fans tend to be intellectual, introverted and very creative students. You admire art and you tend to be gentle. You love daydreaming and are probably very close friends with musical types of people. For you, a “small” nap can and should be taken at any given time, especially during science or math classes. Yet, you tend to be less hardworking. Indie rock fans tend to be creative and also open to new experiences. Being a great risk-taker, you are the type of student that has no problem presenting in the assembly or trying out something new (IB learner profile model).

4) Classical music

Surprise surprise: classical music fans are geniuses. You’re “different”, you’re not like other students; you listen to “actual good music and not this pop trash teenagers love” (I’ve heard this before). You’re an “old soul”. No offence, but you love to boast about this, and you’ve convinced yourself that because you listen to classical music, you are fully able of understanding music theory; but we both know that’s not true. Who understands it anyway? Classical music fans are the smartest people in class; always getting the highest grades. If you tend to enjoy Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Chopin or other classical music artists, then you are probably very reflective and GREAT at writing. According to North’s research, classical music lovers are creative, introverted and have self-high esteem.

A 2009 comparison between students' SAT scores and most-liked bands were made. The study showed that students who like Beethoven had an average SAT score of 137. This is 100 points higher than the fans of the second-place entry, the indie instrumentalist, Sufjan Stevens. The lowest-scoring students were, surprisingly, Lil Wayne fans. I highly recommend you to start listening to classical and even indie music if you want to go well in SATS; if not, well I guess you’ll have a fun time enjoying Lil Wayne then!

5) Folk, Blues, and Jazz

Students who constantly listen to folk, jazz and blues are deep thinkers and reflective. Just like classical music listeners, folk, jazz and blues listeners are very open-minded and extremely creative. You may have a great emotional intensity during lessons and thus, can be good at handling stress (wish I was you). Additionally, you are also confident and very enthusiastic, which might seem strange for someone who enjoys a genre of music that is typically very calm and pleasant to hear.

6) Country

As much as you are hardworking, extroverted and pleasant, you have the tendency to be closed-minded with low empathy for others. Being emotionally stable allows you to undergo stressful situations during class and especially during group work (which can sometimes be hard for you considering you are not a very open person). They are the types of students who are usually less open to different genres of art and music, ranking low on openness to experiences.

7) Opera

Honestly, you love drama. And I can’t blame you for that, because I love a little drama myself. You’re probably the one that either creates drama, gossip about the drama or a mix of both. You’re too busy focusing on listening about the hot gossip that is going on at the next table than concentrating on your assessments. You may seem mysterious and quiet to others, but when you’re with your close friends, you can’t stop chatting.

8) Musicals

Imagination is your strength. You love daydreaming and you constantly imagine yourself performing in a famous musical production. Instead of studying, you spend time memorizing all Disney and Broadway songs (what a vibe) and you waste around an hour of your day singing your heart out in the shower. As a student, you can’t wait for the time when the teacher allows you to work quietly on your task so you can blast Broadway songs on your headphones.

9) Hip Hop

You are an extrovert. Having a “flashier sense” of style, you are in trend and "looking cool"; always catching the other’s attention. Though everyone stereotypes rap fans as violent and aggressive, that’s far from true. You are energetic during class, and you love listening to rap songs while doing work. Yet, there are two different types of students in this case: the one who listens discreetly, sometimes muttering the words of the song (giving them a “mysterious look”), and the one who makes sure EVERYONE in the class hears what they are listening to and puts on a show. You may also be the type of person to have a very high level of sass in which you have no problem exposing in class.

Like classical music listeners, students whose favourite music genre is hip hop tend to have high self-esteem. Some studies have shown that rap fans may share a quality with Kanye West (oh oh) known as “blirtatiousness”, the tendency to blurt out thoughts as soon as they are formed. Now, whether this is a positive or negative aspect is up to you.

10) Pop

Though everyone calls your taste basic, you are very honest and traditional. Students who love pop are very outgoing but also very nervous; interestingly, this is caused due to the lack of depth in pop songs (doesn’t mean pop music is bad!). Compared to other music genres, pop music fans curiously show the highest lack of creativity and tend to be worriers; other than that, you are very sociable and have high self-esteem.

Students who constantly replay chart-topping singles may be more likely to use music to regulate their moods and emotions. That is because high levels of dopamine are released to the brain. As a pupil, you are enthusiastic in class, but sometimes, not prepared. You are the type of student who has a lot to say in class even when you didn’t read the text or finish the assignment.

11) Disco and EDM

You’re the fun, “you only live once” type of student. You don’t care what others think of you; you’re amusing, adventurous and assertive. Being in the spotlight is something you LOVE and you don’t let anyone else cover your shine. Yet, you can be annoying from time to time; not being able to stay quiet or calm during lessons.

Additionally, you love going to parties; in fact, you love them so much you end up attending more parties than doing actual coursework (priorities, am I right?), and because of that, people may see you as lazy and not a hard worker. You have mastered the skill of surviving through class while feeling extremely “dusty” and fighting the urge not to sleep, a massive challenge many students tend to fail.

It may seem weird the power that music has on us, but it is true. As stated here, our music taste is shaped by many factors of influence, friendship and family and it can reflect on how we are as a person and also as a student. But does our music taste affect our personality or does our personality affect our music taste? After reading this article, can you relate to any specific genre? What type of student are you? Are you a mix of all (like me) or are you stuck to only one type of music?