To: All
Middle School
Students
TUNE
IN OR TUNE OUT!!!!!
Many
people listen to music while doing school work. It is a proven fact that
when we listen to music while studying, we cannot concentrate or learn any
better. First, it is simply distracting because of how catchy the music
and tune is. You start to listen to the song instead of concentrating on
your homework. Secondly, your brain moves to the beat of the song and the
tempos make the absorption of the knowledge more difficult. Next, only
one type of music, which is Baroque music can enhance learning. Although,
people claim that music is only a ‘white noise’ in the background, studies have
proven that it is only an excuse.
Studies expose the truth, which is that listening
to music while studying is distracting! One of those studies took place
in the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff, UK in 2010. One of the
trials they conducted was looking at the results of having people memorize
numeral sequences while listening to music, compared to those in silence.
Almost every time they repeated the experiment, the same results
surfaced. Silence was best compared to the modern day music including
lyrics. Music, especially with lyrics, impairs cognitive abilities,
especially short-term memory performance. Also, another study was done
and according to the Stanford University (Professor Clifford Nass) says, “The
human brain listens to song lyrics with the same part of the brain that does
word processing, which is the same part of the brain that supposedly is being
employed for studying.”
I attended a presentation in May, 2010 at the
International School of Zug and Luzern in Switzerland by a teacher and a
studies strategies expert, Terry Small. During the presentation, he explained
the three states of mind. The first is the Alpha mode. It is when
the brain is most open to the flow of knowledge and enables learning. The
second is the daily state of the brain and the third is its activity while we
are sleeping. The Alpha state occurs naturally during the most engaging
parts of your homework or studying. Small asserts that maintaining the
Alpha state renders your mind able to absorb knowledge at a rapid rate.
This state occurs naturally when your heart beat is at rest and at a
steady beat. Although, there is another way to jumpstart Alpha mode and
learn in a more efficient way.
Baroque
music is a blend to strings and soft wind instruments. The key soul of
the music is that it is between 55 - 70 beats per minute, which sets your brain
into the Alpha mode. It allows you to learn better by increasing your
concentration and memory and gives you less stress with an overall uplifted
feeling. Other research and studies have come to the same conclusion that
this type of music has awakened the Alpha state faster and maintains it for a
longer period of time. I also have listened to Baroque music while doing
my homework and assignments. It blends every other background noise
together and seems to mute them. The pleasant sounds and waves of sweet
music makes me feel satisfied and quite engaged. Infact, I gave myself
quite a scare because while I was doing my social studies family tree
assignment, I was enjoying myself! If Baroque music can uplift you and
improve your school work, why do people want to listen to the unearthly
pounding and clashing of modern-day music?
People often say classical and Baroque music
are the same. Although, the two are distinctly different from each other but do
share some similarities. For example, Baroque music came to be in
the 1600s and lasted to the 1750s. Also its tunes are quite dramatic and
made up of more melodies. Classical music, however, dates from 1750s to
1825. The musical style is balanced and the melodies are organized and
structured formally. Bach wrote many Baroque pieces and Mozart composed
more classical music.
When I ask anyone why they listen to music
while doing homework, they tell me that they like it and they can handle the
multi-tasking. Also people think that this depends on your preference for
music or silence.
When
I took a survey asking how many people listen to music while doing school work,
in one of my questions, I asked what kind of music the class listens to.
The most popular answer was Hip Hop. When I asked them later about
which music could worsen school work performance, the most popular answer was
Heavy Metal, yet three people do listen to it! We all enjoy listening to
music that keeps us occupied and happy but we need to break out of that and
think about what is best for our minds!
Thankfully Baroque music can be heard and
accessed anywhere online. YouTube holds many pieces from multiple
composers such as Bach and Vivaldi. Do your own experiments, try and
listen to your own music and then try with Baroque. You will find that
the outcome will be the same as reflected in the research already collected.
So now I have finished my homework, have you finished yours?
Bibliography
1.
When Doing Work: Music or No Music?
2.
Does Listening to Music While Doing Homework Help You Concentrate?
3.
Will Backround Music IMprove Your Concentration?
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