Matthew Kearins, 18, B/Communications and Media Studies.
After completing high school in 2013, Matt chose to pursue a Bachelor of Communications and Media studies at Wollongong University. With hopes to become a news reporter, specifically for ABC or SBS he delves into how music has played a rather large role in his life.
“I decided to move to Wollongong the day we came here for a school trip, I loved the campus and Wollongong as a place. I also thought look, why not?”
18 years old and fresh out of high school, Matt decided to make the big move. One thing that has helped over the course of the semester, adjusting to such a big change is definitely music for Matt.
“Moving straight from high school to university was interesting. There have been some things that have thrown me. I’ve had to adjust to so many new things; if it gets a bit too much I’ll listen to music to put things into perspective.”
Music has been a big part of his life, it is clear how powerful music is to him and it is definitely evident from the way he speaks about its effect in his life.
“The effect that music can have on your general mood is amazing.. If I’m in a shit mood, I can listen to a great song and completely destroy that mood and continue on with my day.”
He firmly believes that music has the power to get you through the toughest of times. With many memories attached to particular songs he explained that sometimes these memories could be not as uplifting, and rather bring back emotional times.
“I remember my ex girlfriends favourite song, I avoided it for a while. One day I happened to walk through a shop where it was playing and yeah, it definitely got to me a little but it is amazing the power a song can hold in your mind.”
The connections formed with particular songs/bands play a role in the different aspects of your life. He went on to explain how a Daft Punk song can make you feel like you can tackle the world, in contrast to a Jack Johnson song which can completely slow life down, and make you just stop and listen.
“Music inspires me, it really does. I can listen to the soundtrack of ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ and get the immediate inspiration to go travelling, it just sparks something inside of you that was probably always there, it just needed something to encourage it.”
For such a busy time in Matts life, its important to him have that one thing that can bring you back down to earth, and help you to think clearly in amongst all the hustle and bustle of university life.
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