Does Music Affect Revising ?

Is it a good or bad thing to listen to music while Studying/Revising ?!?

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There was a survey on here taken by A* students, the majority of them prefer to revise in silence but it doesn't mean its a bad thing

Reply 2

Jammy Duel

Original post by Skeptyle

There was a survey on here taken by A* students, the majority of them prefer to revise in silence but it doesn't mean its a bad thing

And there you run into correlation vs causation. I suppose you should also ask the same of everybody, as it could just be that most people prefer silence. You also should be looking at what they listen to and how loud, again, over several groups. For instance I like to have classical on barely audible in the background and find it easier to work that way than in total silence, but then loud and lyrical, well, I guess most would run into problems there.

Reply 3

-Pericles-

Through my GCSEs I really got into music and listened to loads of bands I hadn't heard before, often loud and whilst revising. I came out with 9 A*s (all the GCSEs I was taking in that year) so the music clearly didn't affect me much in a bad way. Personally now though, I've found that I should just revise in silence because otherwise it can be distracting when halfway through an essay a good song comes on. Also based on the fact that it's silent in exams, so you better get used to it. If you really need motivation for revision, and listening to music whilst doing it will sway you, then just revise with music.

Reply 4

CeeDixon

I personally can't listen to music whilst doing any form of studying but I can't see why it would be a bad thing. It helps some people to concentrate better whereas others can't concentrate when listening to it. It's just personal preference and what works for you!

Reply 5

lightwoXd

Depends what helps you concentrate really. If you find you work better with some background noise, go for it. If you find your usual music distracting, try something that's purely instrumental like a movie score (there are loads of purely instrumental study playlists on 8tracks), or something more like this which just plays ambient noises in the background (you can probably find some generic rain sounds/white noise/whatever else through a bit of googling. You can always switch back to your own music for a bit when you take a break as well.

Reply 6

Student403

I can't revise with music w/ lyrics, but I find it helpful to listen to classical/electro w/o lyrics

Reply 7

harmony_x

It has to be completely silent when I'm revising.
Listening to music doesn't help me concentrate at all. :no:

Reply 8

TimmonaPortella

I can work on a very basic level, i.e. basically memorise facts, with some light music that isn't new to me, but if I have to understand something I need complete silence.

I'm not sure I buy that it helps people to concentrate better. It's a distraction. It's something else for your brain to process (unless you block it out, in which case what's the point?). Perhaps it helps people deal with boredom and motivation, but an equally valid way to deal with those things is just to shut up and get on with it.

Reply 9

Duke Glacia

I listen to this when revising.
[video="youtube;QImBolnTVH8"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QImBolnTVH8[/video]

Reply 10

Neurosci

I think I saw a study/article somewhere that said people who study with music consistently do worth and it seemed quite convincing but I can't say for sure

Reply 11

2ne1Aaron

I feel like when you are trying to memorise information then music would effect you since you might singing the lyrics and then be carried away,therefore you would lose attention from memorising the work,however when I am writing notes I listen to music because it motivates me and eases the bordness of revising.

Reply 12

WhimsicalSloth

For revision I find that music often heightens my energy levels and encourages me to progress more efficiently, but it absolutely has to be either instrumental, or (in the case of music with lyrics), with the volume turned down quite low. When I'm painting though, the music has to 'fit' with whatever the subject matter is, if that makes sense. If it's loud rock music and I'm painting a seascape, it just doesn't work for me. :tongue:

It's too intrusive. But everyone is different of course :smile:

I'm guessing that a fair few people would absolutely hate the idea of music being on when they're trying to concentrate.

Reply 13

Student403

Original post by WhimsicalSloth

It's too intrusive. But everyone is different of course :smile:

I'm guessing that a fair few people would absolutely hate the idea of music being on when they're trying to concentrate.

So alike

Reply 14

WhimsicalSloth

Original post by Student403

So alike

I know!

What the heck is going on?! I'm onto you sir/ma'am..

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 15

Roman_Akira

Ah yeah, I can see that it maybe not be the best way for concentrating.
I guess it really does also depend on what type of music you listen to because classical or even instrumental does help me to concentrate. If your revising fro math then it shouldn't really matter, but writing essays may be difficult etc.
Thanks for the help guys.

Reply 16

Student403

Original post by Roman_Akira

Completely agree! Lyrics don't go well with essay writing at all, but with maths work it's a lot easier because I'm not really thinking words, you're thinking numbers and symbols!

Original post by WhimsicalSloth

I know!

What the heck is going on?! I'm onto you sir..