10625.
I have 10625 songs on my IPod.
When you think about it, the number is pretty impressive. It’s a big number, and it’s even more remarkable that I know every song.
Music reflects who we are. It reflects our tastes, our desires, our needs. It shows how we feel on the inside when we can’t express it on the outside.

When I hear my friend’s music collections, many of them have one or two types of music they listen to. Much of it is similar, with pre-existing sounds and vibrant tunes that reflect maybe one or two aspects of their personalities. All claim to have diverse musical tastes, and will even lecture each other on how their music is different from everyone else’s playlists. Yet beyond a few distinct styles, all they’ve really done is dabble in a few other kinds of music. One or two rock songs surrounded by dance music doesn’t show diversification.. And while that’s fine and perfectly respectable, it’s just not who I am.

There are 10625 stories on my IPod.

I like to think what we all, as human beings, like to think. That we are special. That we stand out in a crowd. That we are all different. That our “song” is unique.

I am as unique as the many types of music I listen to. The different styles of music are a reflection of the many facets of my personality.
I listen to everything from classic rock to popular dance, rap and hip hop to classical, r&b to alternative, pop to the blues, and even a little country. A guilty pleasure of mine is not only soundtracks, but musical scores, from piano pieces to music from battle scenes. I’m that girl that listens to Korean Pop, or Kpop as it’s internationally known, which has played a major role in my life for the last three years. Shipping from Korea is far from cheap, but it’s always been worth it for my favorite bands.

There is some very strange music on my IPod. I have the Epic Rap Battles of History and The Literal Trailers series by Tobuscus straight off of YouTube. Weird, but fun anyway.

Then I have fanmixes. Music put together in playlists to represent every TV show, relationship, character, or mood in existence. Some are sad and slow, and some are fast and made for dancing. They’re easily the most misunderstood music on my IPod, but I use them to find new music and help broaden my tastes.

I have sweet and slow music for when I’m sad or disappointed. I have fast, pumping dance and pop music for when I go on my runs. There is deep and thought-provoking music for everyday moments in life. There is light and fluffy music for my occasional lazy day.

My relationship with my father finds expression through the classical rock music we both listen to and enjoy. Dance music is shared by my mother and me as we move through the house, singing as we go. Rap music, something I would have written off a long time ago, is a topic of posturing between my younger brother and I. We have very different interests, but I get some of my music from him, and I wonder if he knows I download it just to be a little closer to him. Music is how I connect with people, and how my relationships represent themselves.
I’m a lot of different things in this world, and I use my music to express how I really feel. Music isn’t just a set of tunes. It’s a dynamic system, a rhythm that pumps and flows through our lives, with layers of emotion no different from what we all feel on an ordinary day.
Music is a reflection of who we are, of our similarities, our differences, and our emotions. It helps us tell our story. Each song represents a small part of me, and pieced together, they form a picture of who I really am.

I have 10625 stories to tell.

And I’m still adding more each day.