The Melody of the Mind

By John C.

I’m sure that anyone reading this has, at some point in their lives, been trying to study and had trouble trying to focus. If this happened to you, I’m sure you were told, or maybe you found out on your own, that music helps people focus. I’d even be willing to bet that you were told classical music helps make you smarter while studying, but how much of this is true? Why does music help us when we study? Are certain types of music better or more helpful to people who are studying? Let’s make a deal: you keep reading, and I’ll answer all those questions above. 

Before I get to those questions, a poll containing 25 NSA students returned interesting results. The poll revealed that 8% of responders rarely listen to music while they study. In contrast, 64% said they usually listen to music while they study. Lastly, 28% revealed that they always listen to music while doing their schoolwork. 

These very same students who took part in the poll also responded to several questions. The first question: How has music helped you while studying/completing schoolwork? Out of 25 responses, 14 students said music helps them focus more on their work when they get bored. Six students said the music helps them stay happy and motivated while studying. Three students also mentioned that they feel more relaxed because of the background music. 

The second question: Why do you think music helps students while they study? This question had mixed results, and even a few that didn’t actually answer the question, but here is the best of the data. Obviously, there were many responses about music helping increase focus and productivity. Students also answered that music can be helpful because it blocks out other distracting noises. In a loud environment, it can be nice to listen to music, which has a more soothing and even predictable flow. If the surrounding noise isn’t too loud, or if the music is loud enough, students can replace the distracting noises with calming sounds of music. 

In reality, the true answer to the question is a combination of all the answers from each student. Here’s the real reason music helps while a person studies. Listening to music activates both the right and left parts of the brain, which allows a person to maximize their ability to learn or memorize something. Music also helps reduce stress and anxiety and improves motivation and performance. Listening to music can even take your mind away from distracting pain you may have from an injury. Music also helps you focus, which was quite clear from the responses. When the brain wants to memorize something, it looks for patterns to help it remember. This is why it’s easier to memorize song lyrics than it is to memorize information for a history test. By listening to music while studying, students allow their brains to associate certain information with certain musical patterns. This actually makes it much easier to memorize information. Finally, after you’ve completed your studying, and your mind is going crazy with all this information you just re-learned, you might find it difficult to sleep. Miraculously, music can help with that too. Studies have shown that listening to classical music helps students treat insomnia. Classical music slows down our thoughts, which causes us to start to fall asleep. 

One interesting note to mention was how students noticed different genres helping in different ways than others. Several students revealed that they prefer music without any lyrics as it is less distracting. The simple sounds of the music and instruments are able to help them focus more and keep them in higher spirits. A few students mentioned that when the softer music makes them feel tired or drowsy, they will listen to more rap/pop songs to “hype them up” and keep their minds awake. Genres such as classical, worship, and LoFi music were mentioned several times. However, there were also times when students expressed distaste for the LoFi genre.  Other students mentioned a few more random and seemingly less common genres such as video game music and movie soundtracks. 

Thus, this article comes to an end. I hope this helps anyone who reads it, and maybe you’ll ace your next test since you started listening to music while you study. As a quick recap: music helps students focus, stay motivated, memorize information, and increase productivity in general. Based on the answers from students I would recommend listening to music without any lyrics, as that seems to be less distracting than music with lyrics. However, maybe you’ll find that certain music helps you more than other music does. In all honesty, it doesn’t really matter what music you listen to as long as it helps you. Thanks for reading!

John C. has been at NorthStar for three years. He lives in the Middle East and is the youngest in his family. He likes to play sports, listen to music, and play video games. He has just recently started writing with the Navigator, and this is his first time working with a newspaper. 

🔎Informational, 🧑‍🚀NSA CultureEIC NSA2022-2023, February 2023 Publication