"You should listen to a lot of different music"

Joanna Newsom’s suggestion to listen to a lot of different music highlights the transformative power found in musical diversity. Engaging with various genres, traditions, and approaches to sound broadens one’s perspective, both musically and personally. Each piece of music comes embedded with its own cultural, historical, and emotional context, offering opportunities to learn about other places, eras, and mindsets. When a person explores a wide spectrum of musical styles, from classical to jazz, from ancient folk songs to the latest electronic experiments, they develop a richer appreciation for the possibilities of sound and expression.

Beyond expanding taste, this approach stimulates creativity. For musicians, hearing different forms of music sparks new ideas, inspiring originality in their own work. Even casual listeners can benefit: exposure to unfamiliar musical elements, novel rhythms, instruments, harmonies, challenges the ear and mind, training the listener to notice detail and complexity that might otherwise escape them. This sensitivity builds empathy as well. Immersing oneself in a wide array of styles helps foster understanding and respect for cultures and individuals far removed from one’s experience.

Furthermore, embracing musical diversity can reveal unexpected connections between seemingly distant traditions. Patterns, instruments, and motifs reappear across geographical and temporal boundaries, demonstrating the universal language of music and the ways in which human beings share similar impulses to create beauty and meaning. By listening widely, individuals may discover new favorites or shape unexpected aesthetic preferences, finding joy in the serendipitous.

Ultimately, exploring a variety of music encourages open-mindedness. It is an act of curiosity and humility, an acknowledgement that no single genre or artist holds the entirety of musical value. By seeking out numerous ways of making and experiencing music, people nurture growth and open channels to greater understanding, creativity, and communal feeling, enriching their lives in profound and lasting ways.