Music is used every day in our lives, our culture, and throughout our world. Many people view this as a distraction for when students are learning, what they don’t know is that music can positively affect their focus, and motivation for finishing their work.
Music affects your brain by making you feel happier, smarter, or productive. Music runs into your memory center of your brain which helps you memorize the songs! Many studies have shown that listening to music actually improves your completion of tasks in areas such as math, and your creativity. It makes your brain more engaged, and productive throughout long periods of times. Listening while you work in your classes helps improves the brains ability to work with events, or sharpen your attention. Sofia Rodriguez ninth grader says, “music helps me focus more because it blocks out my surroundings so I don’t feel obligated to interact,” Rodriguez also says “I prefer listening to soothing music it calms me down, makes me feel relax, and I really pay attention to what I’m doing.” Music sharpens the attention and focus of the brain.
Studies tend to show that listening to slower, and more soothing music actually helps the brain focus more while working on anything. Soothing music is based more of classical. Classical music helps not only the brain, but sleep patterns, immune, and stress levels. All those equal to all the necessities of performing good. Classical music has really been more focused on in recent studies with positive effects on the brain and body. It helps students go in a more relaxed emotional state making them more eager to have the information. Over a period of time it helps anxiety levels lessen, and shows improvement of relaxation in children when listened to over a period of time.
Students who listen to music while testing tend to show better behavior, and better repetition to the tests. This increasing the scores of the students. Even though classical is the preferred music genre to listen to others may help students in their own ways. Juan Mahoney ninth grader says “I like to listen to more hip hop when I work.” Mahoney says the beats help him “stay motivated” in his work. Students listening to music while they work might actually help them stay concentrated, and perform better as silence can seem tiring, boring, and can be easily distracting. Next time you’re working consider putting some headphones in and work with music.
