With a Kindle always in hand, English teacher Victoria Long doesn’t seem to fit the profile of a person who’d spend time listening to music.

However, she does.

For Christmas her husband gave her a pink iPod. Thanks to the capacity of its 8 GB, she has nearly filled it up with 1,172 of her favorite songs.

“I like P!nk because a lot of her songs are songs about powerful women. She totally looks butch, but she has very strong lyrics that have a lot of meaning.”

Long is one of many teachers with a passion for listening to music. Her favorite band remains obvious as seen on a poster in her classroom.

“The Beatles are my favorite band ever. They did so much to change the music industry.”

One of her favorite songs by The Beatles is “Blackbird.” With a flautist for a husband, music is a hard thing to escape. Her marriage can be described as very musical. Long is a woman always surrounded by music.

“Music is poetry. I like words and music. The lyrics mean a lot to me.”

In her spare time Long can be found singing. “I like singing. I don’t know why.”

As far as rap music goes, Long is not a fan.

“I don’t like rap, I think that it’s too violent, and too overly sexualized.”

As for queens of the music scene Britney Spears and Lady Gaga, she says, “I think, they’re too sexualized, a result of Madonna.”

When she was in high school, English teacher Thongthip Duangsawat was a huge fan of The Clash. Today, they’re still her favorite band, but she’s a little more widespread when it comes to her taste in music.

“I listen to quite a diverse collection of music. On any given day you can catch me listening to punk, Brazilian Forró. You may walk in during my prep and catch me listening to country.”

In high school, Duangsawat listened to artists like Nirvana, Elvis Costello, and David Bowie.

“I would like to think I was a little bit different.”

Today’s mainstream music is not Duangsawat’s cup of tea.

“I’m not really a fan of the top 40 stuff. Everyone is using the same writers, the music on the radio is not at all organic sounding. (It’s) driven by what sells, not by what’s good.”

When it comes to dance and electronic music, Kylie Minogue is her go to girl, not Lady Gaga. According to her, Lady Gaga is not as unique as people make her out to be.

“She’s all right. Lady Gaga tries too hard. I think I can take her down. (I would) show her my ‘Poker Face’ so she won’t see me coming!”

For Duangsawat music is much deeper than just a catchy melody. The lyrics mean a lot to her. Even in a different language.

“I listen to Alejandra Guzman. I don’t need to understand it because the emotions come out.”

Having such a worldly taste in music, one would find it hard to relate to her. However, once in a while she passes someone with equal ears.

“I think some of my students have very sophisticated taste in music,” Duangsawat says, “I listen to a bunch of things I didn’t know I’d listen too.”

When Biology teacher Marcus Sherman was 14 years old, sneaking into clubs to watch bands such as Black Flag was a must.

Instead of this generation’s All Time Low or Alesana, Sherman listened to groups like The Cramps and Dead Kennedys.

In his youth he was surrounded by Chicago’s punk rock scene. To him, it didn’t matter what you wore.

“When I grew up it wasn’t about wearing stupid clothes. A lot of West Coast punk rockers were all about skateboarding, Minutemen Band, X (band). As for the East Coast, The Ramones, Richard Hell. But every city had its little niche.”

Once in college, Sherman worked as the music director for WEIU, the school’s radio station.

“(It) paid for most of my college.”

Before his 80 GB silver iPod, he listened to records, and still does.

“I listen to a lot of vinyl. They reissued all the Jesus (Lizard) issues, so I had to get those.”

Since his college days his music from the past still rings in his ear. “It hasn’t changed much. Luckily I still have two friends in the music scene.”

Each band and each song reminds him of his teen years. Future of the Left reminds him of a girlfriend he used to have.

In October he reunited with his bands and saw No Means No, Jesus Lizard, and Future of the Left in concert.

Like Duangsawat, today’s conventional music isn’t his taste.

“I think it’s a joke, most of it’s driven by record labels. It’s become more homogeneous.”

Considering he listens to hardcore original punk rock, the mainstream music sounds, “Precious, a little pretentious.”

For Sherman, Mars Volta has too much soul, and when seeing a band, it shouldn’t be a spectacle.

“Rock n Roll was all about being rebellious, loud and fast, get(s) to the point. Sometimes the lost youth cannot be recaptured.”