Liner Notes: Such Great Heights

Anna Taylor

Features Editor

I have met and bonded with many people because of music. For several years now it has been a natural ice-breaker and tension releaser for me when it comes to getting to know people.

See, when I started college, I didn’t have a place on campus where I really fit in. I didn’t know many people and I came from a small town that was located approximately three hours away from Murray. Anxious to meet someone new and start writing again, I put in an application for The Murray State News and heard from my soon-to-be Features Editor weeks later.

I didn’t know anyone that worked at this paper so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Then, when I met Charlotte we instantly bonded … over music. We somehow began discussing the TV show “One Tree Hill” and then soon bonded over our adoration for Tyler Hilton, who plays an arrogant musician on the show and is a real-life singer-songwriter.

It turned out that not only was Charlotte a fan of Hilton, like myself, but she had previously met him in person after one of his gigs. Naturally, I was jealous. After seeing the proof for myself on Facebook, I knew I could trust her judgment from then on.

Nearly a year after that, I became interested in a particular organization on campus that withheld the membership of girls that had one main thing in common – their love and appreciation for music.

After meeting the members, I realized that I would always have something to converse with any of them about even if they had other interests and opinions. A few weeks after meeting them, I became a member. Because I decided to join, I am constantly reminded of how talented my fellow sisters are.

Even before college music has been a great way for me to meet and get to know people. I met my best friend when we were both in seventh grade. We were in band together and were both involved with the high school program, leading us to spend time together.

We soon bonded over instruments, scores and competition (be it with other musicians or our rival schools). Still to this day when we talk, we continue to discuss the weekends we spent together for band competitions and the music we got to play together.

If I didn’t choose to be in my school’s drumline, I wouldn’t even know my boyfriend. Although what only seemed like a playful friendship during high school, somehow, the rudiments, stick tape and long rolls made us connect. Today, we constantly find ourselves discussing the Billboard 100, our love for John Williams’ scores and this thing called “dubstep” that I have now been exposed to. We are usually in agreement but we always have the music appreciation we can both fall back on.

My three older sisters and I will forever share a special bond that mom and dad will never understand because they never had the pleasure to perform music in front of an audience. It’s a great thing.

Maybe music’s not the reason why I have been as successful thus far in life when it comes to connecting with people. But, it has led me to some of the best relationships I could have made.

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