Creating musical connections

Student-run @QUSongs Twitter account shares new music for Queen’s to check out during the daily grind

Student Elysia Maludzinski says she started @QUSongs because she wanted to create a way for Queen’s students to connect and bond over shared music tastes.
Image by: Sam Koebrich
Student Elysia Maludzinski says she started @QUSongs because she wanted to create a way for Queen’s students to connect and bond over shared music tastes.

The language of music is one we all speak.

And in today’s modern world of technology, most students on campus have two things — an iPod and a Twitter account.

Student Elysia Maludzinski has brought together her peers’ love for the two.

Under the Twitter handle QUSongs, Maludzinski has been tweeting out some of her favourite songs for students to listen to, from classic Guns n’ Roses tracks on a Monday to Irish-themed tunes on St. Patrick’s Day.

Starting the project less than a month ago, Maludzinski, ArtSci ‘13, said she got the idea by taking a look at what most students have with them at all times.

“I noticed that a lot of people walk around on campus with their headphones in at all times versus actually talking to each other,” she said. “Music seems to be this individual thing where you block everything out.”

Maludzinski said she understood why so many people have their headphones in for a lot of the day — music is one thing that almost everyone has in common.

“Music, for me, is so powerful — it changes your mood so easily,” she said.

Launching the QUSongs Twitter account on March 6, Maludzinski said she thought it was a cool way for people to share their favourite music.

She runs the account by herself and posts songs frequently every day.

Currently, @QUSongs has more than 100 followers tuning in to see what songs Maludzinski will tweet next.

QUSongs also asks followers to tweet at them with their own suggestions of the best music they’re listening to right now.

“I thought it would be cool to promote things like a radio station does where people could suggest things rather than isolate everyone,” Maludzinski said.

A fervent music enthusiast herself, Maludzinski has always been eager to spread the word about new music.

With modern folk artists like Mumford and Sons and the Avett Brothers listed as her current favourites, Maludzinski said she used to feel estranged when talking to her friends about music.

“Most of my friends listen to mainstream stuff on the radio, so it can be hard to relate,” she said. “I would post songs on my Facebook and Twitter, but I knew nobody was going to respond.”

Maludzinski said she’s excited by the feedback she’s getting so far.

“I’ve gotten tweets from a lot of people and it’s mostly students who don’t have a voice and don’t have instantly recognizable names,” she said.

Now, Maludzinski said her project has the ability to really help students in their daily grinds.

Maludzinski said music is something all students can identify with when they feel stressed.

With final exams coming up, a few good tunes can be the thing that keeps everyone from getting too freaked out.

“I thought it would be great to give the students something that can really support them,” Maludzinski said. “If people are having a down day, they need something uplifting.”

In the future, Maludzinski said she hopes QUSongs becomes a way for all Queen’s students to connect over shared music tastes.

“It has the potential to become this huge music sharing community.”

Tags

Elysia Maludzinski, Interview, QUSongs

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