By Sarah Weltman
Round Table reporter

Music: an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.  Whether its rock & roll, opera, dance, or country, many people all over the world use music every day in a variety of ways no matter if they are musicians, dancers, athletes, or intellectuals.

Today, it’s just as typical to see students walking into to school with headphones as it is to see them with school books. “Music wakes me up and puts me in the right mood, “said Middletown High School junior Peyton Weikert.

MHS teacher and coach Stacy MacMillian, likes to listen to music on her way home from work. MacMillian usually “puts something upbeat on to keep me awake or some other type of music to calm me down. There are times where I will listen to music while working.”

MHS senior Josh Kline also uses music when he is working during class. “Many of the professors at that college I am taking classes at believe that music can be used as a tool for concentration when spending hours upon hours at a time working on a single drawing. I found that listening to music definitely helped. In some cases, if I was not playing music while sitting in my Drawing class working, I would find myself caught in a conversation with someone sitting near me. These conversations tended to distract me from my work. With music, I feel that it is something else to keep me company while I work on what has to be completed for the class.”

At Middletown High School, some of the academic teachers also allow their students to listen to music. According to MHS freshman Chloe Kehlbeck, English teacher, Melissa Bolt-Lushbaugh is one of the selected few teachers who use music in the class room.

“Mrs. Bolt let us listen to music to help us think of more ideas for imagery in our writing and more creative ideas to enhance our writing,” said Kehlbeck.

For musicians, music is more than increasing the creative flow or a tool to keep them concentrated; it is a way of life. Music has the power to shape the lives of musicians and the ability to influence the type of person they are today. MHS musician Sayre Posey devotes numerous hours performing in church and school orchestra, arranging music for a local string quartet and studying violin privately at Hood College.

“I’m happiest when I’m performing on my violin, and I’ve learned so many life lessons about working hard and being patient,” said Posey.

MHS sophomore Jeremy Wojton says, “it is a way to express myself. From my experience in marching band, I’ve learned how to be a good leader. I guess I’ve also learned how to persevere and i now understand that the harder I work at something the more it’ll pay off in the end.”

Common taste in music is surely one of the biggest components in some current day friendships among students, and a important part in the process of making new friends.

“I use music to bond with people. I make a lot of mixed CD’s for my friends, and we exchange. I feel like you can tell a lot about a person through their choice of music,” said MHS junior Peyton Weikert.

For some people high school is one of the most stressful times of their life. “I listen to songs that have meaning to me. Mostly like calming indie music or acoustic,” said Weikert.

“I also listen to music before I go to bed, soothing mellow music to put me to sleep.”  However, students also use music in other ways after a long day of school. “I use it to relieve boredom, as source of entertainment. I also use music as a source of motivation and inspiration for art. I can not think of any time where I have gone a day without listening to music,“ said senior Josh Kline.

Freshman Chloe Kehlbeck listens to music, “when I’m doing my homework or on the bus. I also listen while I am out riding Sonny, my horse. I basically always have my ipod on me.”

No matter the individual, music serves a purpose in every one’s life. Due to a severe hearing loss, special education teacher and swim coach Stacy MacMillian is not able to hear lyrics in music. As a result, “I enjoy hearing the beats and harmony within songs,” said MacMillian. “Depending on a person’s situation, the person could be more inclined to connect to the lyrics. I do think that lyrics can have a profound impact on a person’s life. However, for me, upbeat music just puts me in a good mood.”