On Sept. 16, the University of Nevada, Reno held a jazz night inside the Starbucks at the Joe Crowley Student Union, providing free food and drinks. Miguel Jiménez’s Trio, featuring Zachary Tartan on the cello and Storm Nilson on the bass, filled the café with smooth and ambient music throughout the night. The trio played a range of classical jazz and covers, drawing smiles from the students.
Much like jazz, which embodies themes of two lives coming together, I even witnessed new relationships forming among strangers. United by music, students began to go through the motions of getting to know each other’s names, majors and interests. These new interactions are rarely planned, but in the spirit of jazz itself, students were able to go with the flow and improvise.
There were even interactions where students were able to go past initial introductions. Some discussed their hometowns, talked about their classes and then exchanged social media information.When given the time and space to interact, it can be easier for students to branch outside of their usual social circles, making new meaningful bonds.
That’s what this jazz night was all about, slowing down and connecting with one another. As students start to face more challenging coursework, obtain internships and join clubs, university can start to be a stressful time for many. The pressure of thinking about the future can start to outweigh the present.
But for a few hours, students were able to find time to take it easy and truly live in the moment. It’s easy for students to fall into the “go, go, go” mindset, but as we all know, this leads to a great burnout.
Events like this give students the opportunity to stop and reflect for a moment. Because as the music dies down and everyone goes back to their busy day-to-day routines, life goes on. That’s the value of slowing down. Even just a few hours of jazz and connection can remind students to focus on where they are, before rushing towards what’s to come next.
