Life + Arts Music

Music used as a study aid for students

Gerald Sastra/The Cougar

Gerald Sastra/The Cougar

Consuming music content either as background noise or something to aid focus as the time to finish school work comes, students have different methods as to how they study and what sounds they use to do so.

Different tastes in music can affect what a student listens to, but it all narrows down to what keeps their head in gear as it’s time to work.

“Music helps me not get too distracted by all the random thoughts that pop in my brain while I’m bored studying,” said media production senior Jessica Henderson. “Plus, if I’m listening to something fun, it keeps my mood up (and) I tend to breeze through the work I am doing.”

Henderson listens to the soundtrack to the Broadway show “Hamilton” because it is just upbeat enough to keep her energized, she said.

Other students have alternative views on fast paced music as they are hard at work, preferring softer and slower tunes.

Environmental science sophomore Joaquin Gonzalez has a solid mix of what he chooses to listen to while working on assignments and studying.

“I go between meditation mixes and jazz hip-hop, those are my go-to’s,” Gonzalez said.

Sometimes the sounds students listen to while studying don’t include songs off of the latest streaming service, but videos with background noise.

“I follow along to those ‘study with me’ videos that have instrumental music in the background,” psychology sophomore Stephanie Fuentes-Moreno said.

Playing the ‘study with me’ videos on YouTube has conditioned Fuentes-Moreno to get into a productive mood right away and prevent her brain from stressing out, she said.

There have been studies regarding The Mozart Effect that state listening to Mozart’s music in the background of what you are doing has an effect on making you smarter, but this has proven false.

Listening to music while students study has been proven to show benefits such as improved mood, motivation and memory.

Instrumental music as background noise to a studying environment has students saying there is more productivity when the music has less lyrics and slower beats.

Fuentes-Moreno said good instrumental music sets up the tone for her study and homework time whether she accompanies it with a YouTube video or not.

“Although I do enjoy the quiet when I read books on my personal time, instrumental music helps me stay focused when it comes to studying for school,” Fuentes-Moreno said.

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