In many places across the world, music is everywhere. Depending on the city, town, or area you're in, music can be ubiquitous--appearing everywhere at once. For example, in a lot of college towns, you might hear music consistently, whether it's someone driving down the street playing it in their car, a restaurant inviting people to come eat or a band practice in a garage. In a big city like New York, you can expect to find it in some form on every corner. When I arrived in Singapore, I noticed something I didn't quite expect. A lot of public spaces are actually very quiet! People move through train stations, malls and sidewalks without much background music at all. Because of that, whenever I do hear music here, it stands out much more.
One place where I really noticed this was in Little India, a neighborhood near the downtown area. As I walked down the streets, music drifted out of many different shops and speakers near storefronts. The songs mixed with the sounds of people talking, cooking and moving through the markets. It made the whole neighborhood feel quite lively and colorful. Instead of being something in the background, the music felt like part of the environment itself.
