The hills may be alive with the sound of music, but the halls
are bumping with a mix-tape of artists ranging from Sublime, Missy
Elliott to Del Tha Funkee Homosapien.
As students stroll down the corridors of any given UCLA
residence hall, a diverse blend of music invades their ears, but
the blend isn’t always smooth.
For Hedrick inhabitant and undeclared first-year student Charlie
Brandick, who doubles as the resident electric guitar player, the
exposure to new and different kinds of music is met with open
ears.
“I think the diversity of people and music is really
cool,” Brandick said. “Since I’m kind of the
resident musician around here, a lot of people come in and
introduce me to new songs, wanting me to play them on my
guitar.”
However, for every positive aspect, there is an equal and
opposite negative side effect. Unlike Brandick, many dorm residents
cringe the very moment their roommates or neighbors press play on
their stereos.
By holding up the universal hand sign for rock ‘n’
roll as he gets up from his chair in his dorm room, Rieber resident
and first-year undeclared student Aaron Torchio declares his
allegiance to all things rock. Torchio understands that everyone
has different tastes in music, but he is wary of the influence they
may have on him.
“My roommate listens to a lot of country,” Torchio
said. “So now I’ve learned the words to like four
country songs.”
A first-year math and economics student, fellow Rieberite Shan
Fernando sees bad timing as a major source of aggravation,
especially during tenth week’s extended quiet hours.
“What is really annoying is when my roommate’s alarm
clock goes off in the morning and Spanish music starts
blaring,” Fernando said.
Dykstra dweller and second-year computer science student Amy Kao
believes the most obnoxious aspect of suffering through her
neighbors’ music is the ear-splitting volume.
“I have neighbors that blast their heavy metal really
loudly,” Kao said. “Sometimes I can even hear them
sing. The singing can get pretty painful, and there hasn’t
been any improvement. Every time they start blasting, it’s
like “˜here we go again.’ I’ve gotten used to it,
but my roommate has a big reaction to it.”
Second-year communication studies student Sarah Michaels lives
in the part of De Neve Plaza that faces Dykstra. According to
Michaels, she can hear music all the way from the neighboring
building.
Repetition is also a cause for headaches. Whether the weapon of
choice is FM or AM radio, CD, or MP3, some feel that students use
electronic devices to shove their musical preferences down fellow
residents’ throats.
“This person from Dykstra plays the same songs over and
over again,” Michaels said. “It’s so irritating
““ especially if the songs suck. Every damn hour, it’s
always that pill song by Pink or the Ludacris song.”
As a proponent of the subwoofer, undeclared second-year student
Stephen Park occasionally engages in stereo speaker battles with
his neighbors. The Rieber resident also pays great attention to
what music genre his neighbors and roommates play. He has become a
music critic since entering the dorms.
“I don’t really like trance,” Park said.
“Trance is for drug users.”