Drowning Slowly
Angel Alba | Maui High School, Class of 2026
In this day and age, people are drowning slowly in their minds through the sounds of music. Music has been around for many years and has evolved in countless ways. The art of music allows people to confess their feelings to others or express themselves in general. As the years went by, music flourished through different genres: Pop, Jazz, Rock, HipHop, Country, Folk, and several more. Musicians frequently draw inspiration from their emotions or firsthand experiences when writing songs and lyrics. Artists write songs with a deep purpose relating to others’ life experiences and, in most cases, help them find their sense of self. With the diverse types of genres of music, individuals can relax in peace listening to their favorite songs without feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
A high school student who attends Maui High School, Dea Leen Asuncion, listens to K-pop and enjoys listening to it whenever it is played, whether on the radio, phone, or anywhere else. Listening to K-pop makes her cheerful, lifts her spirits, and helps her see the bright side of life. Aside from that she states “It also helps me to relieve stress.” Because music can be developed based on how people feel or their firsthand experiences, Dea states she would create music based on random events in her life, such as a leaf falling onto her food.
Amanda Yadao is a student at Maui High, who listens to R&B and Reggae. Whenever this type of music genre comes on, it makes her feel happy and calms her down whenever she is feeling overwhelmed. She says, “But on days I feel sad, I listen to sad music to match whatever I’m feeling.” Amanda has benefited from music in some ways, as it allows her to escape from reality when things get too stressful. “It has helped me focus on various of my assignments that I have,” she utters. Besides listening to music, if she could write her own songs, she suggests it would be like Jhené Aiko and SZA’s music, or any type of music in the R&B genre.
Angello James Alvarez, a student at Maui High School, enjoys listening to R&B. Listening to R&B brightens up their mood and has made a wide-ranging impact on their life in many multiple ways.
As the sounds of the music flow into their head, it makes them feel like they are in a safe space and it brings them comfort. If Angello had the opportunity to create music, it would be focused on “my journey as a Filipino growing up in Hawai‘i that isn’t as connected to the culture.”
As for Khenzy Aliyah Pascua, a student at Maui High School, she mainly listens to Pop music and Korean R&B. “I find it astounding the artists from these genres capture my interest in music,” she says. As she continues to listen to music, she mentions “Music has been a way for me to express myself.” Khenzy further explains “When I can’t find ways to express something I’m feeling, it’s therapeutic there are songs that can correlate how I think with the lyrics.” As everyone has their taste and style for music, Khenzy wishes to create music that associates with what she appreciates and loves about life’s small and simple things. For that reason, she enjoys songs treasuring something or someone. “It makes me feel happy to listen to songs capturing the beauty of things,” she shares.
In the end, music is more than just a distraction; it can be used to comfort people who are stressed, depressed, or anxious. Music has a variety of effects on people’s lives, regardless of the genre they listen to. The art of music is inspired by people’s thoughts, feelings, stories, and messages. Each piece of music played on the radio every day contains at least one deep message relating to someone; that single message has the potential to change their life. Music can be found and created anywhere. If you could write your own type of music, what would it be about?
Google® Is Not Everything … is a monthly column authored by high school students. The title of the column emphasizes education is more than just googling a topic. Google® is a registered trademark. This month’s guest columnist is Angel Alba, a Junior at Maui High School. She is a Cultural Representative of Maui High’s Filipino Cultural Club, a member of HOSA, Upward Bound, and the Filipino folk-dance group “La Galería: Compañía Baile Filipino.” Angel is in the Nursing pathway at Maui High School and aspires to be a pediatric nurse. In her free time, she enjoys creating blogs, building Lego structures, going to the gym, spending time with family and friends, singing karaoke, and watching dramas or any type of movies that have her interest. She is the daughter of Normalita Alba and Pablito Alba Jr.