Music is a vital part of a student’s school day. Whether it’s listening to it while they work, taking a musical art class, or making their own music, it has a way of connecting people regardless of their taste in music.

“Music is a means of expressing and feeling,” choir director Annara Whitcher said. “All art programs in schools allow students to learn a new skill.”

Students around school use music as an escape from reality, a way to focus on school work, or to calm down in times of stress. 

 “I like to listen to reggae songs,” freshman Loralee Patterson said. “I guess because I feel like I’m in a movie and I’m the main character and it’s the background music.”

People listen to different genres for many different reasons.

 “I listen to a lot of music, but right now I like to listen to industrial style music,” junior Alex Huntsacker said. “I feel like it’s more nuanced than most people think.”

For students who love music, RRHS has its own music review class sponsored by Chad Melmood and their president junior Zach Bolash. The club specializes in anti-bigotry music. They also focus on music closely, write reviews and look at music from earlier in the year. 

Melmood sees this club as a sort of fulfilled dream, teaching kids and talking about music. He said he has always wanted to do something creative with music and he thinks of this club as a side project to talk about music.

“There are so many studies that cite music helping to facilitate learning,” Ms. Whitcher said. “We need it because it’s fun, because it brings us joy, because it’s vital.”