While uncertainty and stress fill the halls of Edison High, music fills the ears of its students. Airpods accompany students on the ride to school, and act as companions on the walk to class. The Eagle’s Eye recognizes the prominence of music in students’ daily routines, and asked a range of students to share their listening habits. With this information, the Eagle’s Eye compiled a Winter Edition of EHS’ Favorite Music.

With 91 songs from 95 different artists, this playlist demonstrates the diversity inherent in Edison High’s student body. The playlist’s dominant genre was pop, with the most recurring artists being Taylor Swift and SZA. Other popular genres on the list include rap, hip-hop, and R&B.

Bryan Budhram ’23 shared the determining factors in his favorite genre: “My favorite music genre does not change often because I only really listen to pop. However, the artists that I listen to change often, but the genre stays the same.” 

Students state that the season itself did not determine their listening habits although there are a few exceptions to this sentiment. For some students, the season has a slight effect on their music. Amy Cortes ‘22 expressed this sentiment, “No, during the wintertime my music taste stays the same except I will play Last Christmas on a loop for the whole month of December. I find myself listening to more upbeat songs in the summer and in the winter I listen to more punk songs but I wouldn’t say it changes too much. ”

Rylee McEvoy ‘25 shares a similar perspective, sharing that, “I think that the weather impacts my music taste depending on what kind of music is popular at that time or season.” McEvoy explained that some songs reminded her of specific seasons as she associated songs like “Cigarette Daydreams” by Cage the Elephant with summer and “Exile” by Taylor Swift with winter. She believes that the melody, the lyrics, and the meaning of the song are all factors in creating these associations.

McEvoy also shared that environment is another determining factor in her music taste. “I think that your friends also have some sort of factor into what kind of songs you listen to or what kind of music you’re into at the time. If your best friend likes Justin Bieber, you’re probably gonna listen to him too and maybe start to like him as much as she does.” 

Regardless of the season or the genre, music still continues to play a common role in students’ daily routine and regulates their mood. David Zhao ‘23 expressed that the quality of his day is bolstered by music: “Music heavily impacts my day to day because, without it, school would feel longer than it already is.”

Samarth Kaushik ‘23 conveyed a similar sentiment as he shares, “I get into a certain mood or mindset when I listen to music. It either makes me happy or makes me think.”

Edison High School’s listening habits are indicative of its student body: diverse and ever-changing. Even as the outside world reshapes their music, their lives, the students continue to remain true to their music, their selves.