For many students, music is an integral part of surviving college.

It can be a tool to help the brain focus on studying, or a de-stressor after a long day of soaking the brain with information.

For some, browsing the Internet for freebies and listening through headphones is not always enough.

For those who need to interact with music and not just hear it, there are a number of places around Charleston to help fulfill that need.

To watch:

Getting up close and personal with live musicians or even stepping up to the microphone are some of the ways to get a fix of music at the Jackson Avenue Coffee shop.

Past the eating and studying area, there is a back room with a stage for musical performances.

Dan Reible, the owner of the JAC for the past three years, said customers are free to try out the piano and guitars located in the back room.

“Any time of the day you can walk in and hear someone in back practicing their own thing,” he said.

He said customers could often hear his own band, Tequila Mockingbird, practicing on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Thursdays at the restaurant are open mic nights and often the busiest nights of the week, Reible said.

“We’ve had five or six-year-olds come up and sing for the first time,” he said. “We’ve had guys that have been retired for 10 years in here playing music, and it’s any style of music that you can imagine.”

Some Friday nights feature the EIU Jazz Ensemble playing a set and asking the audience to join with them.

On Saturday nights, live bands that are either local or travelling through the area come to the JAC to put on a show.

“It’s very much a listening atmosphere,” Reible said. “When people are performing, you don’t hear people talking to each other very much. It’s very respectful for the artist and people get to get a feel for new things.”

He said there is there is no limit to what style or genre of music is played. The only stipulation is that it must be family-friendly.

Reible said this type of intimate setting allows the audience to see the artist up close and get a chance to talk to them.

“You’ll have a performer less than 30 feet away from you where the PA is sort of just supplementing the sound,” he said. “It isn’t even needed because the sound is so good.”

To collect:

Keeping a gallery of the work of inspiring musicians is not entirely a lost practice.

Many people still enjoy walking into a record store like Positively Fourth Street to pick up the albums of their favorite bands.

The store features various music-related merchandise such as band tee shirts, CDs, records, posters and tapestries.

Melinda Olsen, a cashier at Positively Fourth Street, said the store usually receives a shipment of new CDs every Tuesday.

She said if a customer is looking for an album that the store does not have, it can be ordered and will arrive the following Tuesday.

“We have everything from popular music to unpopular music and indie stuff,” she said.

Adam Krischel, another cashier, said the store has modern pop like Katy Perry and Taylor Swift and big names like Kanye West, but it also has older music, obscure bands and classics like The Beetles and The Doors.

He said they usually have six to eight new releases each week, and when a customer orders a CD, they will try to keep copies in the store.

Krischel said he uses customer feedback to choose CDs to get for the store as well as personal opinion and a vendor rating system.

Olsen said customers purchase records from the store more often than CDs.

“Records are coming back because they have better sound and there are a lot of collectors,” she said.

Krischel said records are also increasing in popularity because a lot of newer bands are releasing them in a package that includes a CD or digital download.

Olsen said many people enjoy having CDs or records to physically hold in their hands, and regular customers of the store often have collections.

“We have a guy who comes in three times a day and probably has a whole room of stuff,” she said.

Despite this genuine appreciation, purchasing physical copies of albums is not as popular as it once was.

Olsen said the store dropped the word “records” from “Positively Fourth Street Records” because it now sells various merchandise to compensate for the decrease in music sales.

Kirschel said although the apparel part of the store has expanded since it first opened, the music has never left and remains a big part of the business.

To play:

Listening to music has its benefits, but for those ready to start playing, Z’s Music and Sound sells, repairs and teaches customers how to play instruments.

Mike Ziebka, the owner of the store, said Z’s Music sells guitars, amplifiers, drums keyboards and PA equipment.

In addition to the standard instruments, Ziebka said the store also has a small selection of ukuleles, banjos, fiddles and mandolins as well as vintage equipment.

He said the most unique vintage items in the store include a 1957 Gibson Les Paul Junior in TV yellow finish and a1956 Hammond B3 Organ.

Currently the store is offering guitar and bass lessons, he said.

“Lessons have paired off a bit lately,” he said. “A lot of people have been trying to learn on YouTube.”

Despite the lag in interest for one-on-one lessons, Ziebka said there is no comparison to learning from an instructor in person.

“I kind of parallel it to driving,” he said. “Could you imagine trying to learn how to drive from a DVD? You probably could get some basics, but there’s no substitute for the one-on-one.”

Ziebka said he started working at the store in 1973 when he was a sophomore at Eastern, and he continued working there as he completed graduate school.

In 1978, he purchased the store.

Ziebka said the store primarily does custom design sound systems for schools, churches, clubs and sporting facilities.

He said the store provides sound and lighting for fairs, festivals and concerts, including orientation nights and Quakin’ in the Quad at Eastern.