Music + Study = Perfect Combination

It’s not uncommon that some students choose to listen to music while they study. But listening to music while studying is not for everyone; especially when it comes to certain genres like rock, hip-hop and pop— music can become more distracting than helpful for most. But studies show that there is a genre of music that has proven to help students concentrate and aid in memory and productivity. According to researchers, listening to classical music such as Beethoven and Chopin are not only excellent ways to improve memory recall, but it can also elevate a person’s mood. This is because researchers argue that music that is played at a rate of about 60 to 80 beats per minute creates Alpha Waves in the brain. These Alpha Waves are what the mind needs to reach a state of relaxation. The relaxation is what helps people concentrate. And naturally, the more you are able to concentrate, the more likely you are to retain information more effectively.

But of course classical music isn’t every person’s cup of tea. Other alternative genres could be smooth jazz, new age or trance. These types of genres create a sense of tranquility not only because they create the necessary alpha waves, but also because they generally have very minimal or no distracting lyrics. The word "distracting" is used here because the truth of the matter is when listening to a catchy tune with a catchy chorus, chances are you will be finding yourself singing along rather than focusing on the task at hand. So if you choose to select songs with lyrics, try to play the music at a low volume level so that the hook is not too over powering.

If you’d like to go ahead and take the no-lyric route but are unsure of where to start, some good song title choices will most likely have some of the following key terms: Pastorale, Adagio, Dolce, or Andante. For a couple of suggested classical music pieces check out work by these famous composers: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Claude Debussy and Johann Sebastian Bach.