Why Exonians Should Go to Music Concerts
By SAM ALTMAN ‘26 and JINMIN LEE ‘26
After a long week of homework, tests, and sports games, you sit in the back of the Bowld as the audience becomes silent in anticipation. You watch as the musicians—your friends and classmates only a few hours ago—walk on stage with utmost professionalism. Even before the first note, you can feel the effort it took the students, faculty, and coordinates to make the performance happen. And when the harmonies finally play and reverberate throughout the room, you lose yourself and your anxieties in solace.
At Exeter, we’re constantly overladen with stimuli. Often, it can feel like as soon as you put out one academic fire, the next one sparks right behind you. There are a variety of methods employed by students to get out of their own worlds and, well, live a little—taking a walk outside, hanging out with friends, even listening to their Spotify playlist by themselves. But we argue that another under-utilized way to decompress at Exeter is our concerts. The acoustics of the Bowld are world-class. As cliché as it is, the subtle reverberations of the cello string and the whistle notes of the flute truly go straight to your ears. And, in the right season, the full glass wall, which opens up to a view of the courtyard and pond next to the health center, lets in fading rays of sunset onto gleaming Steinway pianos. Hearing a musical story unfolding before you—as opposed to listening to it on an electronic device in your room—makes a world of difference. You are forced to sit there and contemplate in silence, absent your phone or any other distractor, the meaning of the music, and then, perhaps, of your own life.
Arthur Schopenhauer was a 19th-century German philosopher who grappled with existentialism, the study of the human condition often involving pondering the meaning of life. Schopenhauer had a rather pessimistic outlook on life, firmly believing that we could not satisfy the wanton desires of our human minds. To Schopenhauer, there was no certainty nor existential stability. However, he did mention that people could find temporary solace in art, especially music. He believed the human psyche could lose itself in the complexities and emotionally stimulating moments in music. If even Schopenhauer could find some joy in music, we’re sure we can, too.
Further, listening to music playing live provides a unique opportunity for people in the community to bond with each other. It is rare to experience the same event with many others at the same time. Appreciating the same piece with others and applauding alongside them at the end binds you emotionally to everyone in the room. There is a reason why armies march with trumpets and drums playing on the side. There is a psychological impact when students rave to the same music at dances. Listening to music next to others at the Bowld is no different.
Balancing all the academics and extracurricular activities at Exeter with music is a tremendous feat. Every single note needs the utmost attention and practice, which can only come with time and patience. While we are doing homework or sleeping, remember that there are people constantly perfecting their craft with endless toil. Such hard work and diligence deserve appreciation from an audience.
Overall, students should show up to music performances to find a short, pleasurable, and healthy escape from their lives. Exonians ought to show musicians appreciation for their hard work, especially because they will be able to bond as a community.