[Student Voices] The Sounds That Make My Day
Published: 15 Dec. 2025, 09:30
Jaesung Yang, North London Collegiate School Jeju
By Jaesung Yang, North London Collegiate School Jeju
Every morning, the first thing I do is put on my headphones. It’s automatic now, like brushing my teeth. I listen to music while reading a book, while watching videos with subtitles, and while playing games. The moment the headphones cover my ears and the notes enter, the world around me begins to glow.
Once, when I forgot my headphones for two days, I couldn’t get away from the blank space in my head. I was trapped in the emptiness. When I tried to do my homework, I couldn’t keep my eyes focused on the page. My mind would drift off... “School... school... What’s tomorrow’s lunch?” My thoughts kept wandering.
Without music, I felt on edge. When my sister asked me to play with her, I said, “Why in the world would I play with you? Go away!”
That day I realized how much music shapes my mind. It motivates me when I’m tired, helps me concentrate when I’m distracted, and comforts me when I’m overwhelmed.
One day, I had my most-hated type of homework: math questions that were easy and brainless, but tons of them! I had been putting it off for days. Finally, at 10 p.m. when my eyes were struggling to open and my hands could barely find a pencil and lift it up, I put on my headphones, and the first song hit like a burst of lightning—sharp beeps slicing the air, and fast electronic beats pounding like a racing heart. My body was electrified. The beats jolted me awake like a splash of cold water. Suddenly, I was racing through the math problems. I was no longer tired or bored.
During my summer break in Seoul, I lived on the fourth floor across from a department store—I could hear cars honking like impatient birds, motorcycles roaring like tigers, and elementary school children laughing and screaming as they played. But I still had to do homework. In this case, what music should I choose? Certain genres, such as classical or electronic music, are known to stimulate concentration. They create an ideal background for studying. This type of music can help soften life’s challenges, just as it can reduce the sounds that come through a fourth-floor window in Seoul.
About a year ago, I had an audition for a TED talk. As I was writing my script, I kept thinking, “How in the world am I going to do this?” For two days, I could hardly sleep. My hands hovered over the keyboard, and the words just wouldn’t come out. Every sentence I typed looked wrong, too plain. The blank space on the screen started to feel bigger and heavier, like it was swallowing me. On the third day, I put my headphones on. The beat flowed into my ears like a warm wind. The solution came to me. My fingers started moving again, one word after another.
With music playing, I feel lighter, steadier, and ready to face any challenge. Music doesn’t remove my problems, but it transforms my emotions so that I have the strength to deal with them.
Every time the K-Pop Demon Hunters song “Golden” is on while I’m in the car with my family, I’m automatically singing with my sister: “We’re goin’ up, up, up, it’s our moment. You know together we’re glowing!” If we make music part of our daily routine, it transforms ordinary moments into opportunities for growth, connection and joy.
In fact, I’m wearing my headphones right now as I write this article!
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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