Music is an emotionally evoking and unifying phenomenon. It serves as a documentation of the evolution of American culture over the decades, is the pinnacle of several cultures and films, and its intricacies seep into the lives of individuals. Music is everywhere, but more specifically, in senior Jude Guttenberg’s day-to-day life. 

  His busy schedule consists of taking all AP, IB, and CE classes, participating in four clubs- NHS (National Honor Society), DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), Be Kind, and FBLA(Future Business Leaders of America)- and working two jobs. Gutenberg expresses that music is what helps him manage his workload and “dial in.”

  For studying, he says, “I put on 10 Hertz,” which is an infrasonic frequency felt as a vibration to help him focus, and he is also a fan of house music, or songs he says he will not sing-along to in order to help him study. 

  To discover new music, Guttenberg says, “I’ll be in the car, and my friends will play music on aux, and I’m like, ‘dang, it’s a good song.’”

  Music can serve as a linking factor between friends and memories. Guttenberg shares that a significant experience was, “The Weeknd concert, and his songs, because that was one of the last times Adoni (his friend) was here.” He says, “That was a good memory and kind of bonded us with music, and then he moved away to Spain.”

  Besides being able to spend time with friends, Gutenberg enjoys live music because of the big venues and the opportunity to experience the artist’s music firsthand. “I feel like you have to be more active and more of a positive mood to be out there at a concert.”

  Guttenberg taps into the emotive qualities of music, saying, “Sometimes if I’m happier or more energetic, I’ll listen to house music, and then if I’m feeling calm, I’ll listen to country music.” He uses music to amplify the mood he is in, rather than letting his emotion be dependent on his music. Guttenberg says, “Escape reality and then just turn on some music, and then you can always choose different music… it gives you a way to be more productive.”