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Can music help you study, and help you achieve better grades?

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People love music. Teenagers and students specifically, listen to it a lot. While they drive, while they get ready to go out, while they sleep, and sometimes while they work. Some people think that listening to music while studying distracts them, while others feel it helps them concentrate. Let's get to the bottom of it, and find out whether or not music can be good for students needing a new studying tactic.

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Dr. Masha Godkin is a professor at Northcentral University, in the Department of Marriage and Family Sciences. She has done a lot of studies on music and knows quite a bit about how music affects your concentration (NCU, 2018).

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“Music activates both the left and right brain at the same time, and the activation of both hemispheres can maximize learning and improve memory,” says Dr. Masha Godkin (NCU, 2018)

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Basically, there are two sides of your brain; the left side, and the right side. Typically, we use these sides of our brains separately and at different times. But, there are also times where we use both. When we listen to music, both the left and right brain are activated, and when they are, it can maximize how you learn and what you can memorize (NCU, 2018). This would help with memorizing answers for a test!

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Dr. Masha Godkin suggests you listen to one of four different kinds of music while you study.

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Dr. Masha Godkin suggests you listen to one of four different kinds of music while you study.

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Classical orchestra music can help to improve the mood and productivity of a person, which can ultimately help them study.
The tempo of the music you listen to is what is so important in helping you concentrate. Most professionals recommend 60-70 beats per minute, because the pace allows for people to study longer, and to remember more information.

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Beethoven's Fur Elise

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This option is better for people who don't particularly love classical music. New age and Ambient EDM Music help the same as classical music does, because the tempo isn't too fast. Professionals also suggest little to no lyrics, so that you can really focus and concentrate.

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The sounds of nature can be very relaxing and calming, and make very good background noise for studying. Dr. Masha Godkin suggests river sounds, birds, wind, and rain sounds. But, there are many out there to choose from!

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NatureSpace is a free app for IOS and for Android. It's full of nature sounds you can choose from, to help with soft background sound to help with studying.

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We create the finest 3D nature recordings on the planet.

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Spa music is also recommended as it helps you to relax and focus.

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Four out of five studies say that listening to music with no words is more beneficial for studying than listening to music with words or too fast of tempos.

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Four out of five studies say that listening to music with no words is more beneficial for studying than listening to music with words or too fast of tempos.

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Another tip is to control the volume of the music or sounds you are listening to. If you have the volume too loud, you will drown out your thoughts. Keeping it at a lower volume, so it stays as background noise, is what will produce maximum results for study concentration.

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The Mozart Effect is a series of test and study results that show that listening to Mozart while studying/working can improve performance. This technique is approaching what is known as "Spacial Temporal Reasoning" (Wiki, 2018).

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A Kaiser Family Foundation Poll discovered that 53% of students between the ages of 12 and 17 did a different activity while they studied. It was also found that 87% of those students listened to music as their different activity.
(NCU, 2018).

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Although the music genres Dr. Masha Godkin suggested are good for people to study with, different genres of music affect people in a worse way. A study done by the Univeristy of Toronto found that students who listened to fast and loud music while studying experienced bad reading comprehension. A study from University College London found that both extroverted and introverted students performed badly on reading comprehension tests when they studied listening to pop (fast) music. The University of Wales also performed an Adult Memory test and discovered that test takers did not get good results because of the fast music played.
(How To Learn, 2018).

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Not everybody likes to listen to music while they study or work. Some people find it distracting, or annoying. Of course, there are genres Dr. Masha Godkin suggests, and there's a small variety there to choose from, but it's not everyone's cup of tea.

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The method of listening to music to help you concentrate is only recommended, but not everybody is into it! There are definitely other ways to help you study better. Enjoy the tips listed here:

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Preparing for exams? Give yourself the best chance with these top ten study tips, and try not to let the stress get to you! Remember: you've got this.

Give yourself enough time to study

Don't leave it until the last minute. While some students do seem to thrive on last-minute cramming, it's widely accepted that (for most of us) this is not the best way to approach an exam. To help sort out your time management, set up a timetable for your study. Write down how many exams you have and the days on which you have to sit them. Then organize your study accordingly. You may want to give some exams more study time than others, so find a balance that you feel comfortable with.

Organize your study space

Make sure you have enough space to spread your textbooks and notes out. Have you got enough light? Is your chair comfortable? Are your computer games out of sight?

Try and get rid of all distractions, and make sure you feel as comfortable and able to focus as possible. For some people, this may mean almost complete silence, for others, background music helps. Some of us need everything completely tidy and organized in order to concentrate, while others thrive in a more cluttered environment. Think about what works for you, and take the time to get it right.

Use flow charts and diagrams

Visual aids can be really helpful when revising. At the start of a topic, challenge yourself to write down everything you already know about a topic - and then highlight where the gaps lie. Closer to the exam, condense your revision notes into one-page diagrams. Getting your ideas down in this brief format can then help you to quickly recall everything you need to know during the exam.

Practice on old exams

One of the most effective ways to prepare for exams is to practice taking past versions. This helps you get used to the format of the questions, and - if you time yourself - can also be good practice for making sure you spend the right amount of time on each section.

Explain your answers to others

Parents and little brothers and sisters don't have to be annoying around exam time. Use them to your advantage. Explain an answer to a question to them. That will help you to get it clear in your head, and also to highlight any areas where you need more work.

Organize study groups with friends

Get together with friends for a study session. You may have questions that they have the answers to and vice versa. As long as you make sure you stay focused on the topic for an agreed amount of time, this can be one of the most effective ways to challenge yourself.

Take regular breaks

While you may think it's best to study for as many hours as possible, this can actually be counterproductive. If you were training for a marathon, you wouldn't try and run 24 hours a day. Likewise, studies have shown that for long-term retention of knowledge, taking regular breaks really helps.

Everyone's different, so develop a study routine that works for you. If you study better in the morning, start early before taking a break at lunchtime. Or, if you're more productive at nighttime, take a larger break earlier on so you're ready to settle down come evening.

Try not to feel guilty about being out enjoying the sunshine instead of hunched over your textbooks. Remember Vitamin D is important for a healthy brain.

Snack on brain food

You may feel like you deserve a treat, or that you don't have time to cook, but what you eat can really have an impact on energy levels and focus, so keep away from junk food. Keep your body and brain well-fuelled by choosing nutritious foods that have been proven to aid concentration and memory, such as fish, nuts, seeds, yogurt and blueberries. The same applies on exam day - eat a good meal before the test, based on foods that will provide a slow release of energy throughout. Sugar may seem appealing, but your energy levels will crash an hour later.

Plan your exam day

Make sure you get everything ready well in advance of the exam - don't leave it to the day before to suddenly realize you don't know the way, or what you're supposed to bring. Check all the rules and requirements, and plan your route and journey time. If possible, do a test run of the trip. If not, write down clear directions.

Work out how long it will take to get there - then add on some extra time. You really don't want to arrive having had to run halfway or feeling frazzled from losing your way. You could also make plans to travel to the exam with friends or classmates, as long as you know they're likely to be punctual.

Drink plenty of water

As a final tip, remember that being well hydrated is essential for your brain to work at its best. Make sure you keep drinking plenty of water throughout your revision, and also on the exam day.

Good luck!

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This article was originally published in February 2008 and was updated in May 2017.

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Preparing for exams? Give yourself the best chance with these top ten study tips, and try not to let the stress get to you during this period of exam preparation.

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A British study claimed that test-takers who listened to Mozart for 10 minutes before a test experienced the "Mozart Effect" and had a raise of 8-9 points in their IQ scores compared to test-takers who did not listen to the music (How To Learn, 2018).

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- improved test scores
- cuts back the time it takes to learn something
- improves creativity
- integrates both sides of the brain to improve learning
- University of California, Irvine discovered it can raise IQ scores
(How To Learn, 2018).

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A Bulgarian Psychologist, Dr. Georgi Lozanov, used the Mozart Effect to create a method for teaching people foreign languages. In only one day, half of the vocabulary for the entire term was learned because of the music. He also discovered a 92% retention rate in those students (SeattlePi, 2018).

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A Bulgarian Psychologist, Dr. Georgi Lozanov, used the Mozart Effect to create a method for teaching people foreign languages. In only one day, half of the vocabulary for the entire term was learned because of the music. He also discovered a 92% retention rate in those students (SeattlePi, 2018).

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The College Entrance Exam Board Service did a study in 1996, on students taking SAT's. They found that students who were musically inclined (sang or played an instrument) scored 51 more points on the verbal section of the exam, and 39 more points on the math section, than those students who were not musically inclined (How To Learn, 2018).

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So listening to music can not only help you study and do better on tests, but can help you learn a foreign language faster than normal!

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Music is a large part of people's lives, especially young people. This research has shown that listening to specific types of music can improve your studying habits, and the way that you score on tests and assignments. It also shows that this method works for learning a new language as well! To answer the initial question: Can music help you study and to achieve better grades? Yes!

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In-Text Citation for this whole column (NCU, 2018)