Asking the simple question, “Do you listen to music while doing homework or studying?” sparked enthusiastic explanations from students.
Students’ answers were varying. “I can’t even do homework without listening to music,” one student said.
On the other hand, there are some who think listening to music while working is “too overstimulating.”
I asked 30 students whether they listen to music while they complete school work or not. 22 out of the 30 students listening to music helps them complete their work, which is roughly 73%. While this is nowhere near the whole student body, the use of music as a tool seems to be a wildly popular trend within our school.
For many, including myself, music is the motivator for doing work. It helps by inspiring me to start my work in the first place, and follows through by encouraging me to stay focused. According to a 2007 study by ScienceDirect, music, but classical music specifically, can help your brain absorb and interpret new information more easily. Music is an auditory stimulus that can help activate multiple regions of the brain, which improves focus, memory, and cognitive processing. When we listen to music, especially pieces with consistent rhythm or soothing melodies, such as classical music, it can help the brain structure the flow of information and “chunk” it into more manageable pieces. When you’re faced with an overwhelming size of material — like all the chemical reactions and equations you need to study for that big test — music can actually help create the mental capacity for organizing and recalling that information.
Music can also help lower stress levels, making it more manageable to sit down and do work. Researchers at Stanford University have said that “listening to music seems to be able to change brain functioning to the same extent as medication.” They noted that music is something that almost anybody can access which makes it an easy stress reduction tool.
Following constraints, music is a helpful tool that stimulates the mind, making it possible to get more done. It is able to get you focused, and keep you focused as you settle in for a late night cramming for a test you have the next day or just finishing up the last chapter you’re reading for English class.
