As a hater of silence, I almost always have music playing; from getting ready in the morning, to walking around campus, to making dinner, you can find expect me to have earbuds in. One of my (controversially) favorite times to listen to music is while studying or completing homework. People have mixed opinions on this act: some–like me–need music to focus, while others get too distracted. Since I am an English major who works as a Writing Tutor, a lot of my studying consists of reading and writing. While I can’t function without music, I am specific about what I listen to.
The science behind studying with music
Scholars at the Université de Caen Basse-Normandie in France ran an experiment to test the influence of music on studying. In the article “Music during lectures: Will students learn better?,” Fabrice Dosseville, Sylvain Laborde, and
Nicolas Scelles document their findings. They gave the same lecture and quiz to around 250 undergraduate students; the one difference was that half of the students listened to classical music throughout the process while the other half: silence. Unsurprisingly, the students listening to classical music performed better on the quiz. The researchers claim that “music induces a change in the students’ perception of the learning environment;” music essentially offers a dopamine boost and makes studying more interesting (Dosseville et al.). Therefore, students enjoy studying more and will often perform better on exams.
Of course, there is the traditional option of listening to classical music, but here I will share some of my favorite non-traditional music to listen to while studying and completing homework.
OBSIDIAN SOUNDFIELDS on YouTube
A stunning mix of audiovisual ambience, OBSIDIAN SOUNDFIELDS offer one-hour long videos of liminal spaces coupled with atmospheric sound. My personal favorite is their 24/7 live mix of videos with zero ads.
Ambient Music for Reading on Spotify
As apparent, this playlist is also perfect for reading to. I love taking advantage of Spotify’s mix feature to ensure each song seamlessly blends into the next one.
Ambient Mix on Spotify
While I’m not too interested in doxing my own Spotify, the app loves to create “Made For You” playlists. Try searching “Ambient Mix” to find your own, often made from songs or artists you listen to often.
Complete Artist Collections
My go-to choice for study music is an artist playlist. Most artists and platforms have “Complete Collections” of any musician. By choosing this, each song is not jarringly different, and they typically begin blending into one another after the first few. Here are some of my favorites:
Snow Strippers – It’s a Dream Radio
Pastel Ghost – PASTEL GHOST — COMPLETE
Lil Peep – Lil Peep: The Complete Collection
Cigarettes After Sex – Cigarettes After Sex: Complete Discography
For more intensive work, such as reading, there are thousands of YouTube videos including music and manifestations for studying, i.e. “Employee of the Month,” “evening study at oxford,” and “academic validation.” If you’ve never studied with music, I encourage you to give it a try. Find one of your favorite low-stimulating mixes and enter see how your mind reacts.
Works Cited
Dosseville, Fabrice, et al. “Music During Lectures: Will Students Learn Better?” Learning and Individual Differences, vol. 22, no. 2, 2012, pp. 258–263. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1041608011001762