Some would say music is the color of life.

Music has helped students immensely through difficult times. “I had a very hard time in sophomore year, and music was one of the big things that helped me get through that,” senior Shiloh Beeler said.

For Beeler, music is a cathartic process, a way of expressing emotion and getting feelings out. It’s “my favorite thing to do outside of school, because it really just is a way of expressing emotions verbatim.” In particular, he enjoys “improvising music, because that allows me …  to just play what I’m feeling at that moment … just like writing would be.”  He plays piano for a couple hours a day, despite his hectic school schedule.

Music is a getaway, another world, in a sense, because it provides support for listeners no matter what they’re feeling. “Music can speak to people in different ways,” freshman and musical theatre actress Taylor Smith said.  “It always puts me in a better mood and makes me feel more alive.”

An aspiring professional songwriter, senior Michael Telles believes that music also offers joy, not just comfort “I’ve been really blessed in that my family has been really healthy for the most part, so it hasn’t actually helped me through difficult situations, but it’s always been there … I associate lots of my favorite music with joyful memories in my life.” In his spare time, Telles writes his own music and lyrics.

Music isn’t limited solely to individual enjoyment, either. “Apart from admiring the music in itself, it’s also a connection point between my brothers …  I’m the youngest of five brothers, and we all connect over that point,”  Telles said.