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Garrett Gooch

Professor Van Grimbergen

English 1201

29 October 2017

Music and Studying

Throughout every library and school in the country, there will be students studying for a

big exam coming up. Most of these students will be listening to their favorite music. All students

should listen to music while studying because it has been scientifically proven to promote

concentration, and students that listen to music have demonstrated improved memory.

There have been numerous studies that have proven the beneficial effects music has on

concentration. Chris Brewer, the author of Soundtracks for Learning, and founder of LifeSounds

Educational Services, has found that students of all ages have been proven to focus better when

listening to music (Lucas). She says that the type of music can influence the effect it will have on

the student. For example, before sitting down to study, listening to upbeat music will prepare

their brain to study. Then, when it is time to sit down and study, listening to calm, instrumental

music is the best way to promote focus, unless they are tired, in which case listening to upbeat

music can help keep them awake and focused. However, the benefits outlined in this article can

only be utilized if the student likes the music they are listening to.

The findings of the previous study were affirmed by another study, which goes into more

detail on how the type of music affects the brain. Dr. Jonathan Burdette, a neuroradiologist,

conducted this study. In his study, participants brains were scanned using fMRI as they listened
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to several types of music. The findings of his study proved the findings of the previously

mentioned study.

fMRIs work by detecting blood flow through the brain. The more blood that flows

through various parts of the brain simultaneously signifies a higher connectivity between the

regions of the brain (ScienceDaily). The researchers can pinpoint what regions of the brain

experience the change in blood flow, and tell what effects the music has on the participants.

In this study, the participants named two genres of music that they liked, and one song as

their personal favorite. When the participants listened to the music that they said they disliked,

the fMRI scans showed that there was the least amount of connectivity throughout their brain.

When the participants were listening to the music that they claimed they liked, the scans showed

a higher level of connectivity than with no music. When listening to their favorite song, their

brains showed the highest level of connectivity out of every test, and there was an effect on the

connectivity between the auditory regions of the brain and the regions responsible for memory.

The improved connection throughout the participants brains, and especially the connection

between the auditory regions and the regions responsible for memory prove that music can have

a great beneficial effect when it comes to studying (ScienceDaily).

The benefits of music are employed not only by students, but also by therapists. There is

a type of therapy, simply called music therapy, that is used to benefit Alzheimers patients. This
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Fig. 1. Elderly people are receiving music therapy at an adult daycare in Nevada. Music Therapy Session for the

Elderly.

type of therapy uses diverse types of music to improve the brain function and memory of

people who are suffering from Alzheimers.

Most patients across all the music therapy offices are played music, either by the

therapist, or they are given iPods with music on them to listen to. The patients have been

described to light up when they hear the music (ScienceDaily). This effect is most obvious

when the patients are played music from when they were around 20 to 30 years old.

Music therapy also has uses for people recovering from strokes, brain surgery, or

traumatic brain injuries. Music activates almost the entire brain, which makes it a great treatment

for brain injuries. When the entire brain starts working with music, the connections between the

various parts are reestablished and strengthened.

These studies demonstrated how music engages and strengthens the brain, which allows

students to study more efficiently and more effectively. Another study, performed by researchers

at the Stanford University School of Medicine, used fMRI to scan participants brains while

listening to classical music. This study focused on the effects the pauses in music had on brain

function. Participants were given noise cancelling headphones, which played music, while they

laid in an fMRI chamber. All the participants were non-musicians, so they represented the

average student.

The brain stores events in memory based on beginnings, endings, and transitions through

a process called segmentation. To study how music with abundant pauses and transitions would

affect memory, the researchers chose the composer William Boyce. This composer is not well
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known, but the style of his music is familiar to most people. His music also has relatively short

movements followed by a short pause, and sometimes transitions from one pattern to another in

the middle of his music.

The study found that the participants experienced the most brain activity during the short

pauses in the music and that there was a significant difference in the amount of activity in each

side of the brain. The right side of the brain was much more active than the left. As the music

came to a pause, a network in the brain became active, and as the music began again, a second

network became active. The second networks job is to highlight the change, then begin updating

the event in memory (Baker, Mitzi).

This study shows how the transitions in music can benefit memory, and why music may

have been created. Music causes the brain to become active, especially the regions associated

with memory. Listening to music engages the brain for as long as the music is being played,

which allows the brain to focus for however long is necessary.

Some students listen to music when they study, but it could not be the best music for

them to listen to. A study was conducted that attempted to find a correlation between the tempo

of the music being listened to and the extent of the effect it had on memory.

This study found that music with a slow, consistent tempo had the greatest benefit on

memory. Music that had an inconsistent tempo had the least benefit to memory, and music with a

consistent, fast tempo, had a slightly larger effect (Balch). Overall, the study found that for

students to gain the largest benefit from studying with music, they should choose music that is

calm and consistent.

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Some students will listen to different genres of music while studying, and these songs

will sometimes have almost nothing in common with one another. To find if this is important, a

study was performed to determine if the changes in type of music had any effect on the

effectiveness of studying.

To test if there was an effect, researchers took participants and gave them a list of 20

words. They were given 100 seconds to memorize the list. After the 100 seconds passed, the list

was taken away and the researchers waited 30 seconds before asking the participants to recall as

many words as they could.

With no music being played as the participants were memorizing the words, the scores

were the worst. In the next trial, the participants were given a different list of 20 words, and were

asked to memorize them. This time as the participants were memorizing the words, there was

music playing. The music stayed consistent throughout the trial. In the third trial, the participants

were once again given a list of words, but this time before they were asked to recall the words,

the music changed to a different song with a similar tempo and tonality. In the final trial, the

music was changed to a song different from the first song in both tempo and tonality.

The trials showed that music itself increased the participants ability to recall the words.

In the second trial, there was a significant difference in the participants ability to recall the

words, and the results stayed consistent throughout the third and fourth trials (Isarida). The

results from this study demonstrated that as long as there is music playing when a student is

studying and attempting to remember the information, it does not matter what the music is.

Another study was done that expands on the results of the previously mentioned study.

This study focused on how the type of music being listened to affects the effectiveness of
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studying. This study attempted to find if music helped students focus more than just background

noise, and if there was a certain type of music that had the greatest effect.

The study found that background music was much more effective than background noise.

The study also found that different genres and types of music did influence memory and focus.

The results even found that a students personality can influence the best music for them (Baker,

Max).

One of the most important takeaways from the study is that, ultimately, the best type of

music to listen to while studying varies from student to student. The study found that introverts

tested worse than extroverts when listening to music. Similarly, students that are not great at

multitasking tested worse than those who were better when listening to music. If a student often

feels overwhelmed due to a large test approaching, calm, steady music has been shown to relieve

some of the pressure that the student feels.

Even with these significant differences between students, there were still correlations

within each of the groups, such as introverts and extroverts. The results found that when

studying, listening to music that is calm, has a steady tempo, is not too loud and is constant is the

best to listen to while studying. Throughout every group tested, this kind of music provided the

highest scores versus music that either had a fluctuating tempo, or was too loud.

Recently, a conference was held where researchers could meet and present their findings.

During this conference, research teams tried to identify connections between their research and

others.

One study used a computer to identify emotions that a person was experiencing, and

using different musical patterns, composed a piece of music that represented the emotion. This
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study showed how music represents certain emotions. If music can convey emotions, then calm

music can be used to calm nerves, or keep a student awake if they need to study (TDLC).

Another study that was discussed at the conference identified a correlation between music

lessons and memory and focus. The study compared preschool students. Some of the students

had taken at least a year of music lessons, while others had no lessons. The results indicated that

the kids who had taken at least one year of music lessons had an enhanced memory and ability to

focus (TDLC). These results clearly show that music has a large effect on students memory and

focus.

Another study presented examined the ability of musicians to detect minute differences in

words versus non-musicians. The findings of the study showed that musical experience improved

a persons ability to detect the slight changes. This shows how a musicians brain can process

language and other sounds more efficiently. In conclusion, this study shows how easily music

can change the way that a persons brain works.

One of the studies that was performed attempted to find a correlation between a students

ability to synchronize when playing music and their ability to focus in school. Students were

chosen without any consideration of existing musical ability. 150 students were chosen for the

study. They were all given a part to play in a concert, and were taught how to play the instrument

they were assigned.

The study found that almost the entire group of students tested exhibited an elevated

ability to focus after the study. The students ability to focus was measured in two ways. Each

student was evaluated with a standard psychometric test, and each of the students teachers were

given a questionnaire.
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One of the researchers present at the conference created a program for kids that have

issues with concentration or have dyslexia. The program includes various auditory brain

exercises, delivered via computer, that include music. After using the program, the kids brains

more closely resemble normal function when reading, and their reading improved

tremendously. The kids also demonstrated an improvement in their ability to focus and in their

overall performance in school. They even had a heightened ability in math, even though there

was no work on math in the program (TDLC).

Listening to music has been proven to influence memory and focus repeatedly. Even

though there has been significant research, some students may refuse to listen to music because

they believe that it may provide distractions. These students are correct in believing that the

music they listen to can provide distractions, however, there will be far fewer distractions than if

they only listen to the ambient noise of the room that they are in.

Some students may argue that if they are using their phone for music, which is what most

students use, they will be distracted by someone contacting them, either via call or text. All

phones have airplane mode, and some have a Do Not Disturb feature, which will prevent them

from being contacted unless it is an emergency.

There are some students that may not listen to music because they do not have any music

on their phone, and they do not want to pay for a subscription to a music service. These students

could use YouTube and leave their phone screen on. If leaving their phone screen on is too much

of a distraction, they could use another music service such as Pandora radio. Pandora is free, and

has a massive selection of music to listen too.

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There are students that may choose to listen to whatever kind of music they want when

they study. There is nothing to prevent those students from listening to the music they want, but

those students may not be able to as much studying done as they need, or they may not be able to

focus long enough to finish a long assignment.

Fig. 2. This chart is the results of a survey taken by Virtual Sheet Music. People were asked how they felt

music affected them in each category. Is Music Really Good for the Brain? How Music Affects Positively the Brain

and Your Soul.

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Listening to music is one of the greatest tools that a student can use when studying

because of the improved focus and memory they will experience. There have been thousands of

studies done that illustrate how music can improve the effectiveness of studying. Music can give

students an advantage, and should be utilized by every student whenever possible.

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Works Cited

Baker, Max. How Music Could Help You to Concentrate While Studying. The Independent,

Independent Digital News and Media, 2 Mar. 2016,

www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/Studies/how-music-could-help-you-to-

concentrate-while-studying-a6907341.html. Accessed 29 October 2017.

Baker, Mitzi. Music Moves Brain to Pay Attention, Stanford Study Finds. News Center,

Stanford School of Medicine, 1 Aug. 1970, med.stanford.edu/news/all-

news/2007/07/music-moves-brain-to-pay-attention-stanford-study-finds.html. Accessed

29 October 2017.

Balch, William R., and Benjamin S. Lewis. "Music-Dependent Memory: The Roles of Tempo

Change and Mood Mediation." Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory

& Cognition, vol. 22, no. 6, Nov. 1996, p. 1354. EBSCOhost,

sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db

=bth&AN=9703132350&site=eds-live.

Isarida, Toshiko K., et al. "Reexamination of Mood-Mediation Hypothesis of Background-

Music-Dependent Effects in Free Recall." Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology,

vol. 70, no. 3, Mar. 2017, pp. 533-543. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1080/17470218.2016.1138975.

Lucas, Cheri. Boost Memory and Learning with Music. PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 25

May 2012, www.pbs.org/parents/education/music-arts/boost-memory-and-learning-with-

music/. Accessed 29 October 2017.

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Music and the Brain. Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center, University of California San

Diego, 2010, tdlc.ucsd.edu/research/highlights/rh-music-and-brain-2011.html. Accessed

29 October 2017.

Music Has Powerful (and Visible) Effects on the Brain. ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 12 Apr.

2017, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170412181341.htm. Accessed 29 October

2017.

Music Therapy Session for the Elderly. Nevada Adult Day Healthcare Centers,

www.nevadaadultdaycare.com/services/music-therapy/. Accessed 1 November 2017.

Vose, Jennifer. Is Music Really Good for the Brain? How Music Affects Positively the Brain

and Your Soul. Virtual Sheet Music, Virtual Sheet Music, 20 Oct. 2017,

www.virtualsheetmusic.com/blog/brain/. Accessed 29 October 2017.