The most prevalent music taste at Hollis Brookline High School ranges from different genres, depending on both the age groups and the newest viral videos on social media. Pop and Rap are stereotypically the most popular for high school students, but music taste is much more varied for teachers. After quarantine, many people have discovered that their tastes have changed. As students steer away from pop and rap to other less heard genres,  it leads to a new field in the industry for artists with previously unnoticed mediums. To see how this falls at HB, we polled four students and four teachers to see the differences between generations.

Most HB students said they felt that pop or hip hop/rap would come up the most, but it turns out the most common genres were anything else. “I prefer to listen to pop/rock, generally more on the alternative side, I think it’s just because that’s what I’ve always listened to,” said Darcy Hinkle ’21. Most types of music that the students liked were even farther from the most talked-about artists. “I really like jam band music. My favorite is the Grateful Dead, but I like a lot of other jam bands like Phish and the Allman Brothers,” said Jack Duquette ’21.

Others said that their taste depends on the mood they are in. “Normally, when I drive I listen to the ‘Today’s Top Hits’ playlist on Spotify which is mostly pop or hip-pop, but I also love listening to Motown and jazz. I grew up listening to the Doobie Brothers and Gladys Knight & the Pips so I will always go back to listening to them. Overall, I mostly listen to pop because there are new releases almost every year and I love listening to new music,” said Lia Eisenberg ’21. She also thought Drake, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Eminem, Post Malone, and Billie Eilish would be popular amongst students.

“It might vary by class because I’ve noticed a lot of people pretty much like mainstream rap in every grade,” said Lawson Bill ’21, a senior here at HB who has recently taken a hobby to play guitar. “I really like the manmade feel of some music, that’s why I go more with the rock type of music, stuff made with hands rather than computers,” said Bill about what makes a song right for him.

The teachers’ tastes in music were a completely different story. “I listen to a lot more like, alternative type stuff…My taste in music is pretty wide,” said Matthew Portu, a teacher in the history department at HB. “I like that different genres are appropriate for different moods and situations. I like silly pop and hip hop when I’m doing housework, but I like classical music when I am cooking a big meal for my family,” said English teacher Lisa Danis.

“I like 80’s music, and anything acoustic. I also really enjoy live music. Growing up in the 80’s is a big part of why I like music from that decade. As far as live and acoustic music goes, I just enjoy the energy and vibes,” said Dr. Breault about her music taste. Breault explained that she grew up being a drummer and fell in love with that part of the music world.  “I like 80’s music, and anything acoustic. I also really enjoy live music. Growing up in the 80’s is a big part of why I like music from that decade. As far as live and acoustic music goes, I just enjoy the energy and vibes” says Dawn Breault of the student services department.

“I like to match music to my mood. If I need to relax, some classical music, if I want to clean the house, rock and roll!” said Eric Perry, a science department teacher.

Another thing that influences a person’s music taste is when they become new drivers, because, for many people, it is when they first get to pick their music in the car. “Your music taste changes more as you get older, particularly as you guys start driving now…you get to actually choose what you listen to in the car,” said Portu.

Music is an essential part of most people’s lives, whether they play an instrument or like to jam out on the ride into school every day. Although everyone’s taste is different, people can still bond over and share a mutual love of music.