While Fruita is known as the country folks, the students at Fruita Monument High School aren’t actually the biggest fans of country music. Instead, the student body is much more diverse when it comes to musical tastes.

When asked for what genre people believed would be most popular, Popular music, defined as music appealing to the arts, was the winner. However, looking closer at the student body, their music taste is much more diverse. Jennah Targett said the music she listens to “depends on the day.” While this encompases the student body as a whole, we can narrow it down to be more specific.

While pop music was the consensus for most popular, reasons can vary. Henry Smardo, said that he enjoys pop because it “appeals to many emotions,” something that as teenagers, we are expected to deal with. 

Music is also a great outlet for many people, being a way of connecting to others and understanding that other people have felt similarly to the way we have. For example, junior Dustin Nunn chose country music as his favorite genre. He said that he enjoyed it because of it’s “catchy” nature and that it is more “down to Earth” than some other genres. 

Another country lover is sophomore, Lily Desserich, who likes it because it is “what [she] grew up with.” 

Many responses would agree that their favorite music is descended from what their guardians listened to. However there is enough within the music for each student to create their own opinions. Desserich specifies “there is so much truth and emotion behind each song.” While this stretches to every genre, it is a way for artists to connect with certain people who may have shared an experience. 

There are also unique preferences, most commonly being a mix of multiple genres. Addy Eyre states that she likes both “country and pop,” while others would assume that these genres can be quite different. Eyre’s taste stems from them both being “good music” and their “catchy nature.” 

Music does not have to bring people together; instead it can be isolating, or help you find who you are through the poeticness of the lyrics. As a student body, music is very diverse. It can be seen that the differences in music taste can create the friendships and relationships seen at the school.

Music can be seen as culture, allowing people to come together in a different way. We see music transported over oceans to bring together. For example, Dean Lewis, a popular artist in Australia, has broken number one on charts here in the US with many of his songs. This explains the atmosphere that we see at dances, because no matter the music genre that is playing, looking in from the outside you can see that music brings the student body together.