New York City has been and always will be a place known for its boisterous noises and wild energy that is the lights, people and entertainment. Even if we don’t think about it, sound is always apart of our daily routines in the mornings, weather its hearing the alarm clock or walking through the streets listening to the unorganized symphony of cars honking. Sound is what keeps us going and what gets us moving faster even if you don’t realize it, an example would be the ticking of a wristwatch that would no doubt make you speed up just a tad faster in order to make it to work on time, or the sound of the Starbucks barista yelling out your name to alert you that your coffee’s ready. There is no doubt that we rely on sound, however, the blissful serenity that is quiet is not a daily constant that most people get to enjoy. I have found the best route to make sure that my commute from home to school is the quietest route.

One day on my own commute to school, I took the long way. One way for me to get to school is to walk down five blocks away from my house to the B41 bus, during that walk its quiet in my neighborhood and I like to hear the sound of the wind breezing past me as a car drives by because its very peaceful. When I reach the bus stop which is on Bedford Ave, I see a lot of people who are waiting for the bus dressed in their nursing scrubs or business casual wear, and younger people who are around my age or younger who have a dazed look in their eyes, or a very blank expression blasting their music on their headphones. When the bus finally comes, it makes a very loud screeching noise as it approaches which annoyingly interrupts the calm flow of my own music. The bus is always crowded but noise is usually kept to a minimum as the riders are either silent scrolling on their cellphones, or quietly chatting to their friends or asking a stranger if this is the right bus to be on. As for me I am a person who is always musically attuned, I usually start off my mornings with lo-fi hip hop beat instrumentals and soft R&B. I really like my music because it isn’t too loud and isn’t too quiet, but it has the right amount of slow beat that I can bob my head to. The ride down Flatbush is much more peaceful that way. When I get off at Atlantic Ave, I begin weaving my way through the insane amount of people who are very loud and awake which makes the walk annoying to hear the dissonance meshing sounds of cars honking and the music playing in my headphones. When I get reach City Point on DeKalb always makes my mornings a little bit better as I get to breathe easy in the open and quiet space inside on the first floor. Although on Jay Street, it’s even more loud and crowded my mornings are always better with those small five minutes of quiet, listening to my chill music.

There are many people who enjoy listening to their favorite tunes in the morning, weather it be slow jazz or loud rock music. There are many benefits to listening to music, especially in the morning according to Sandra Pawula of ‘‘How listening to music benefits the brain’’, “Listening to music triggers the brain’s nucleus accumbens, responsible for releasing the feel-good neurochemicals dopamine”(Pawula.). Music can help relieve some anxiety problems and reduce stress. It is even more beneficial to listen to music if you’re a student studying hard because Pawula also states that “science has shown that listening to music enhances reading and literary skills, reasoning and mathematical abilities”(Pawula). So creating a well rounded studying playlist so that you can concentrate is an extremely good idea if you’re determined to remain focused and energized. In addition to that, Deane Alban of ‘‘How music affects the brain for the better’’ claims that, “listening to music at work can make you a happier, more productive employee, especially if it’s the music you’ve chosen”(Alban). Music can improve your mood to a positive one and thus make you into a motivated person who completes tasks at a quicker rate. Alban also infers that, “Music … helps students excel in the following ways: improved language development, improved tests scores and increased spatial intelligence”(Alban). Music is a subject that is very easy to dismiss because of the stereotypes that surround people who prefer to listen to to a certain type of music more than another. Music has a lot of unseen benefits that can help the brain keep healthy and stay active which helps us do well on tests, learning abilities and overall intelligence.

In conclusion, sound is a constant in our lives that we are always adapting to in order to benefit our own need of survival depending on our environment. Quiet is a sound that is very under appreciated, I took a route of quietness and I valued the few minutes I got to spend when it was just my music alone.

Works Cited

1. Pawula, Sandra, et al. “How Listening To Music Benefits Your Brain.” The Best Brain Possible, 1 Dec. 2017, www.thebestbrainpossible.com/how-listening-to-music-benefits-your-brain/.

Alban, Deane. “How Music Affects the Brain for the Better.” Be Brain Fit, 22 Nov. 2017, bebrainfit.com/music-affects-brain/