It’s that time of the year where you’re losing focus and stamina, and your motivation to do anything really starts to decrease, but it’s the last month of classes for the term – you’re almost there! Time to buckle down and study hard with the help of some music. Music is a great way to stay focused while studying, but lyrics can get distracting, especially those that you’re familiar with. Try listening to something Classical instead; I find that it really helps my concentration and boosts my creativity for when I’m suffering from writer’s block. Here are a few of my favourites to get you started:
1. Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: 1. Prélude (Johann Sebastian Bach)
More solo strings: Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: V. Ciaccona
2. Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46: I. Morning Mood (Edvard Grieg)
Listen to: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16: II. Adagio
3. Variations On a Theme Of Chopin, Op. 22: Variation 16. Lento (Sergei Rachmaninoff)
If you liked this, try: Prélude No. 4 in D Major, Op. 23
4. Suite bergamasque: Clair de Lune (Claude Debussy)
Similar: Deux Arabesque, No. 1: Andantino con moto
5. Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90: III. Poco allegretto (Johannes Brahms)
You might like: Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 118, No. 2: Intermezzo in A Major
6. 3 Gymnopédies: No. 1 (Erik Satie)
Sample this: Gnossienne: No. 1
7. 7 Préludes, Op. 17, No. 3 in D-Flat Major (Alexander Scriabin)
Something good: Piano Concerto in F Sharp Minor, Op. 20: II. Andante
8. Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act II, No. 10: Scène: Moderato (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
More from Swan Lake: Act I, No. 2: Waltz: Tempo di valse
9. 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 15 in D-Flat Major: Sostenuto (Frédéric Chopin)
More peaceful Chopin: Nocturne No. 8 in D Flat Major, Op. 27, No. 2
10. Má vlast: Vltava, Die Moldau (Bedřich Smetana)
Check out: Album Leaves: I. For Kateřina Kolářová
11. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 “Pathétique”: II. Adagio cantabile (Ludwig van Beethoven)
More Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73: II. Adagio un poco moto
12. The Carnival of the Animals: XIII. The Swan (Camille Saint-Saëns)
More from The Carnival of the Animals: IX. The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods
13. Miroirs, M. 43: III. Une barque sur l’océan (Maurice Ravel)
To continue the theme of water: Jeux d’eau, M. 40
14. Kinderszenen, Op. 15: 12. Kind im Einschlummern (Robert Schumann)
More from Kinderszenen: 7. Träumerei
15. The Planets, Op. 32: II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace (Gustav Holst)
More from The Planets: VII. Neptune, the Mystic
Here’s a playlist to get you plugged in and focused. Happy studying!