Chungtintong Singson,
BA 2nd Semester Department of History, Modern College
Music is something we all carry with us, even when we don’t realise it. It slips into our lives quietly and stays through every phase. Happy days, stressful weeks, and moments when we don’t quite know how we’re feeling. Music has a way of understanding emotions before we do. It comforts, distracts, and sometimes heals parts of us we never knew needed attention.
As a student, I’ve started to see music as more than just songs playing through earphones. It lives in the everyday routine of campus life. College has made me more aware of the sounds I hear every single day, sounds I once ignored. Slowly, I realised that these ordinary noises come together to form the real music of our campus, a soundtrack made of voices, movements, and shared moments.
Our days usually begin early, often before we’re fully awake. The low growl of the college bus fills the morning air, followed by the familiar noise of backpacks being put down in the seats. There’s a sleepy silence at first, broken by quiet conversations and yawns. As we walk toward our classrooms, soft music leaks from someone’s earphones, blending with the steady rhythm of footsteps on the hallways. These sounds mark the beginning of our day, as the campus slowly comes to life. Once inside the classroom, the soundtrack changes again. The sharp scrape of a marker against the whiteboard signals the start of a lecture. Pens click repeatedly, pages flip in unison, and there’s an occasional cough or our wooden benches scraping against the floor.
In the middle of all this, there’s one sound every student instantly recognises, the collective sigh when a surprise test or assignment is announced. These moments might feel stressful, but they also remind us that we’re all in this together. Outside the classroom, in hallways and open spaces, the sounds become lighter and more personal. There’s random humming, unfinished conversations, loud laughter over inside jokes, and the constant background chatter that never really stops.
These aren’t just random noises; they are signs of friendships forming and growing. They fill the small gaps between classes and turn ordinary corridors into places where memories are made every day. As the day moves forward and the sun begins to set, the volume across campus rises. Music from dance rehearsals echoes through courtyards. Microphones are tested again and again for upcoming events. There’s excitement in the air, followed by cheers and applause when performances begin. In these moments, the campus feels alive, reminding us that college life is not just about deadlines and lectures, but also about expression and togetherness. For many students, music is also a lifeline.
Headphones become a safe space during stressful days, moments of homesickness, or long nights of studying. Certain songs become tied to specific people, places, and feelings. Years from now, hearing those same songs will instantly take us back to a familiar bench, a late evening walk, or a friend who once shared that moment with us.
Our college has an official anthem, like most institutions do. But beyond that, there is another soundtrack that truly belongs to us. It isn’t written down or sung on stage. It is made of everyday sounds, shared experiences, and unnoticed moments. It’s louder, messier, and far more meaningful. This unofficial soundtrack connects students across batches and years, reminding us that even after we leave campus, these sounds will stay with us. And that is what makes it truly ours.
