While spring, for its lively and amiable nature, may be the season that goes well with any kind of music, note that hitting the right notes can make your spring a more memorable one. Yes, it is just another spring, but that is just the reason to single it out and make it that one “other” spring. So, here is a short list of suggestions on what to listen to.

The warm sunlight and cool breeze of spring make you want to take a walk and listen to some music. In Korea, it is hard to think of music during this season without humming “Cherry Blossom Ending” by Busker Busker at least once. Chances are if you are Korean or an international student who have lived in Korea for a while, you either know the song or you probably have heard it without knowing it.

The harmonious combination of the acoustic guitar strums, the lead singer’s melody, and the little moments of harmonica fills combine to voice the singer’s suggestion of going to watch the cherry blossoms together. As great as the prospect of going on a date in this weather is, for me, the thought of actually taking a break by itself is plenty attractive. The song reminds me to take a breather once in a while, which might help more than just working continuously. So go out there and enjoy the weather, and maybe listen to the song while you are at it!

When I listen to “Edelweiss,” it brings me back to the first time I heard the song as a child while watching the 1965 film adaptation of The Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews. As a simple-minded elementary school student, I was less concerned with the lyrics themselves and more interested in the context of the movie. The first time Captain von Trapp sings the song is to his children, breaking free from his distant and cold-hearted image to reveal a softer and loving character. Following this scene, the captain warms up to his family, as he finds happiness and love again with the help of his future wife, Maria.

Having listened to the song and watched the movie multiple times afterwards, I later learned that “Edelweiss” is meant as a public tribute to Austria, the Captain’s homeland, in a defiant act against the Nazis. Even so, with the slow guitar accompaniment and delicate vocals, whenever I hear the song, I recall the softening of an emotionally disconnected and stern man to a loving and caring father. The song carries warmth much like the seasonal change that accompanies the coming of spring.

Frankly, I am the kind of person who only knew the tune – but neither the title nor the composer – of “Waltz of the Flowers” before joining KAIST Orchestra. Only recently have I begun to appreciate the piece of music by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky little by little, and I must admit that, distinct from the two songs mentioned above, the absence of lyrics in this orchestral piece only amplifies the indulgence into the season. Indeed, some people might go further to suggest that the notes themselves “speak” and thus have some form of implicit lyrics that resound in the minds, as we are often in need of a swift waltz rhythm rather than the monotonous beats of everyday routines. So, tune in to some classical music this spring if you have not yet done so. Who knows – it might secure a spot on your playlist, like it did for mine.