Cassidy's Creative Corner: Music and Learning
Some say that background music helps them to focus on a particular task. Others may argue they can’t focus with any background noise. However, background music is shown to improve one's focus on a task by providing motivation and improving your mood. This can be very helpful during long study sessions. In some cases, music has shown to also help with memorization.
Despite music helping with memorization, some types can actually inhibit your ability to retain information. According to Texas A&M University’s Steven Smith, cognitive neuroscientist for the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, “In general, words are distracting. So if you want to listen to music while you study, try to listen to something that does not have words, or if it does have words, hopefully, it’ll be in a language that you don’t understand at all, otherwise, that’s going to distract from the stuff you’re trying to study.’” This is why some people find it beneficial to listen to classical music when working.
Students who use music to help them memorize may need to listen to the same music while taking a test. This backfires during silent test-taking, and some may find it difficult to recall the information. “If you have music going on in the background when you study, it’s going to be easier to recall that information if you also have music on in the background when you take the exam,” cognitive psychologist Brian Anderson said. “However wearing headphones will almost certainly be a violation during most exams, so listening to music when you’re studying will make it harder to replicate that context when you’re taking an exam.”’
We all know students are under a lot of stress, and listening to music can be a great way to relieve this. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, “Music is an effective stress reducer in both healthy individuals and people with health problems. Research finds that listening to soothing music can decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety levels in heart patients (UMD Medical Center)” So, the next time you're feeling stressed out by an assignment, or work, put on some music. You may find it to be helpful.
In the end, the effects of music depend on the type of person you are. If you know you get distracted easily and find it hard to focus on work with background music, then it’s probably best to not have any on at all. However, some students function best as multi-taskers and may find that music helps them concentrate on the task at hand.
Sources:
https://liberalarts.tamu.edu/blog/2021/03/10/does-listening-to-music-really-help-you-study/
