Teachers constantly bicker at students to take out their earplugs, but why? Studies show that listening to music while studying actually increases concentration levels.

We went around West Morris Central asking students and teachers, why do students listen to music during a school day?

According to Seattle Pi, music doesn’t make you smarter but it does increase memory.

Let’s say you listen to a certain song while studying for a test and then listen to it again, this time while taking the test, it is known that you’ll have a better score.

If you listened to a specific song while studying and then once you actually take the test a different song is playing, you’ll most likely score lower. This is because students remember information more adequately in alike environments in which they originally learned it.

Not only does listening to music increase test grades, but it also releases the stress students have while trying to complete the task and it keeps them focused.

Below, teachers and student of West Morris Central voice their opinions on why music is listened to during school hours.

Junior Ashley Heath claimed, “Not only is listening to music a stress reliever, I believe kids listen to music in school because it’s easy to block people out. Especially right now, in the caf during IRT.”

Hannah Lindert, also a junior, stated, “People listen to music in school because it lets people relax when they have a lot going on in life.”

“People listen to music because it’s a coping mechanism.  We get a lot of work during school and music is a way to escape all that work,” claimed senior, Samrat Gollapudi.

Sophomore, Liz Gialanella stated, “Music relaxes students and helps them concentrate.”

Brett Cheadle, senior, claimed, “I think students listen to music during class because they don’t want to listen to the teacher talk.”

“To ignore friends while doing homework or classwork,” said by Sam Scott, junior.

“Students get bored and music keeps us awake, especially during class. When I listen to music in class, I am so focused,” stated by senior, Matt Steen.  

Ms. Harrington stated, “​I think students listen to music during the school day mostly just because they enjoy it! I think for some students it can also help them focus while they work by blocking out other sounds.​”

“Students listen to music in order to escape their surroundings and it’s a form of relaxation,” said by Mrs. Nixon.

“If one is in a negative mood during a school day or just life in general, music offers a release where the stresses and difficulties of life fade away and the mind becomes “lost” in tunes. If one is in a positive mood, I believe music offers the opportunity to heighten the positivity one is experiencing and potentially prolong it through actions such as singing or dancing,” explained by Mr. Laden

Mr. Pittala expressed his opinion, “I suppose students listen to music for a variety of reasons, much of them are probably the same reasons adults do. If I have to identify a specific reason it would be that, perhaps, music helps relax students and may even aid in focus while completing certain kinds of school work.”

“Students don’t really listen to music during my classes, unless it is in connection to something we are studying. However, some students find that listening to music helps them concentrate during in-class assignments,” stated by Mr. Herman.

Although classical music and music without lyrics is proven to increase test scores the most, a big portion of Central students prefer artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Shawn Mendes, J. Cole, the Chainsmokers, etc.

Popular music applications students use are Spotify and Pandora. Theses apps allow students to listen to their favorite genres and to take a break from reality.

John Hopkins University claims, “music will help us learn because it will establish a positive learning state, increase attention, and provides inspiration.”

Photo Credit:  http://www.forbes.com/

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/life-music

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