Every music lover has at least once in their life tried to get some serious school work done while listening to their favorite tunes, but sadly ended up heavily distracted by the music.
You may think your favorite songs should get you in the zone to focus, but sometimes it fails to work. I’ve found that some alternatives have worked better to help me study, so here are a few examples.
I've noticed that putting on catchy songs that I like to sing along to is the first way that I get distracted. So I started switching between genres to see what would actually help me study. Songs without lyrics work great for me while I’m doing school work, such as heavy reading. I usually search for instrumentals that still have a nice beat to it, to create a cheery environment with less distractions. Artists like L’indécis, Khruangbin, and Monster Rally make amazing music and are a few of my favorites that I have added to my “Study” playlist.
Another genre of music that has really helped to put me in focus while doing assignments is listening to sounds of nature. Calming music with sounds like waterfalls, birds chirping, and rain are also super helpful in masking white noise, for those who often find themselves in loud environments. YouTube has a great variety of these videos that usually go on for a long period of time. Find one that suits you and let it play in the background as you study.
Classical music has also been said to have “mind boosting” effects if you listen to it while you study. There is even a theory called the Mozart Effect, that says listening to the music of Mozart may temporarily boost scores on one portion of an IQ test! Studies on this genre are showing that listening to classical music benefits the brain, sleep patterns, the immune system and stress levels, which are all helpful when facing final projects or end of semester exams. YouTube also has a wide selection of videos when searching specifically for classical music to study.
Many academic studies claim that music can help students focus more, improve performances and even improve brain functions. Since music is such an incredible way to express yourself, why not further that usage to help us succeed. There are so many different genres of music out there that I really encourage students to explore and find what works best for them.
