Listening to music while studying: Yay or Nay?

Daysha

Obviously a lot would depend on the song you're listening to too, eg studying while listening to Mozart or Berlioz should be easier than blaring out heavy metal in your ear.
I'm not sure what to think about this. I've studied with my ipod on before and I did feel it helped pass the time a bit more but a few people I know don't really recommend it, what do you think?

PurpleFistMixer

If the music has lyrics in it, I'm gone. Can't concentrate.

It's alright if it's classical or ambient/trance, it sort of fades into the background and I don't notice it so much.

That said, I try and avoid doing any serious work while listening to music, I find even the sensation of having headphones/earphones on can be distracting... too easy to start playing with the cord, or start changing songs, flicking through library, zoning out...

Xhristy

This post has been deleted.

Doriath

its a bad thing to do your memory stores what you learn from study with the sound of the music, so you kinda need the music playing to remember what you studied while listening to the music, which is a pain in exams

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Slightly OT, but has anyone every tried white noise to help their study?

Fad

Sean_K wrote: »

Slightly OT, but has anyone every tried white noise to help their study?

surprisingly no

on the subject of lstening to music, sometimes it can help, other times it just distracts me

The Walsho

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

If the music has lyrics in it, I'm gone. Can't concentrate.

It's alright if it's classical or ambient/trance, it sort of fades into the background and I don't notice it so much.

That said, I try and avoid doing any serious work while listening to music, I find even the sensation of having headphones/earphones on can be distracting... too easy to start playing with the cord, or start changing songs, flicking through library, zoning out...

Yeah, that's basically what I'm like, though put across far more eloquently than I'd have done!

Is white noise supposed to help studying or something btw?

regob

i dont listen to music to distracting

mesmad

i always listen to music while studying and doing homework, i tink it really helps, keeps me sane anyway:)

Fad

i find if your listening to something new you'll pay more attention to the music, so stick with stuff your familiar with

Jack Sheehan

Yay. White stripes or radiohead.

Overheal

If I have my mp3 player on when I study I find myself turning the volume down lower and lower over the course of a half hour until eventually its pointless having it on. You'll be trying to sort a problem and then you will conciously wander over to your music. Its distracting. Though you could try it that way to phase yourself into study as well: you'd be at full steam within the hour.

Mars Bar

I can't study with music on...it's surprising as I am a musician!

nerdysal

I can't study with the music on. I would take absolutely nothing in because I HAVE to sing along! And I have to tap my feet so I wouldn't be concentrating!

Mark200

The only reason why people think it helps is because it makes it easier to sit there in front of a book for a few hours.
You're taking less in if you have music on in the background, because it is distracting you.

thatone!

I think its really hard to study and to listen to music at the same time. It's like that thing where you rub your stomach and pat your head at the same time , It's too hard doing two things at once!

Chunky Monkey

Listening to music without words helps me when I'm pulling an all nighter for an exam the next day and I just want to crawl into bed.

Still got the As so I'm going to ignore anyone who says you can't retain information when doing so.

However I'm sure it's really up to the individual.

eoghan h

I always listen to music while doing Tech drawing homework - I usually work faster with music playing and it gets me psyched up kinda :P

It doesn't work for any other subjects unfortunately....just a distraction

1huge1

Depends on what im doing

If its something like a English essay its probably better that I have the music on very low or not at all.

Other subjects like geography etc I love listening to music and it rarely affects me.

But when it comes to studying (in any subject) I really got to have quietness otherwise I can't learn anything

aliqueenb

i never did it once for my junior cert anyways and i got 9a's and 2b's...but sometimes i like to listen to music to help me come with ideas for personal writing essays in english!

daggy

yay all the wayy. Need it in the background, but it has to be something i havent listened to before otherwise my foot will be tapping away..
its lovely to have music on while doing art!

aliqueenb

daggy wrote: »

yay all the wayy. Need it in the background, but it has to be something i havent listened to before otherwise my foot will be tapping away..
its lovely to have music on while doing art!

grrrrrr your a talented arty person *jealousy*:p

daggy

aliqueenb wrote: »

grrrrrr your a talented arty person *jealousy*:p

HA. I wouldnt say talented at all, i just do it because its easy for me and very relaxing especially compared to biz.Prefer ceol! everyone has their strengths. i do suck at physics.

aliqueenb

daggy wrote: »

HA. I wouldnt say talented at all, i just do it because its easy for me and very relaxing especially compared to biz.Prefer ceol! everyone has their strengths. i do suck at physics.

duhhh you have to be talented if its easy for you!...i couldn't even draw a stick man if i tried!
and you prefer music...sure that probably means you play instruments making you talented!!!:p

Parsley

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

If the music has lyrics in it, I'm gone. Can't concentrate.

Me too. I like instrumental jazz, jazz fusion, prog metal and progressive death/math metal.

Piste

I find I can have the radio on or a CD if I'm doing maths, and nothing will distract me, but woe betide me if I have ANY music on during English! It's the English equivalent of having someone whisper random numbers in your ear when you're tryin to do maths!

daggy

aliqueenb wrote: »

duhhh you have to be talented if its easy for you!...i couldn't even draw a stick man if i tried!
and you prefer music...sure that probably means you play instruments making you talented!!!:p

Oh come on! You are probably really good in some field...
I play instruments but sure who doesn't !!

Overheal

Piste wrote: »

I find I can have the radio on or a CD if I'm doing maths, and nothing will distract me, but woe betide me if I have ANY music on during English! It's the English equivalent of having someone whisper random numbers in your ear when you're tryin to do maths!

Algorithms (formulae, methods, algebra, etc) access entirely different areas of your brain. Music impacts your speech centers and such, so not great at all for english or history or geography*. It does however have a positive effect on creativity so it is very handy during your art exam.

*having said that I still have trouble listening to music while programming. All it is is algorithms but you are also dealing with a language unto itself.

aliqueenb

daggy wrote: »

Oh come on! You are probably really good in some field...
I play instruments but sure who doesn't !!

nope i don't curses to my mother!

Mars Bar

aliqueenb wrote: »

nope i don't curses to my mother!

I do believe it is the male that has the "deciding factor" on whether the child will be male of female...I suppose we do have to give the males something considering their Y chromosome carries no information, so they are only half the man they think they are!(suckers)
Blame daddy!!

nerdysal

Piste wrote: »

I find I can have the radio on or a CD if I'm doing maths, and nothing will distract me, but woe betide me if I have ANY music on during English! It's the English equivalent of having someone whisper random numbers in your ear when you're tryin to do maths!

You're exactly the same as my sister. She has to listen to music when she's doing maths but she has to have complete silence when she's studying sociology! (In case your wondering she's in UCD doing Arts, she done the leaving long ago)

ANarcho-Munk

Sean_K wrote: »

Slightly OT, but has anyone every tried white noise to help their study?

I think I speak for all two of us when I say yes. There's nothing quite like a bit of fuzzed up My Bloody Valentine, some Sonic Youth and Big Black, Yellow Swans...

It's not 100% white noise but it's pretty close at times. Lets call it...melodic white noise.

I'll put this up while I have the chance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtnZdrFsmj4


(the studio version is a lot more melodic...the official video for it should be in the sidebar)

Parsley

I Meshuggah for doing maths and physics type things. All them polyrhythms....

1huge1

Overheal wrote: »

Algorithms (formulae, methods, algebra, etc) access entirely different areas of your brain. Music impacts your speech centers and such, so not great at all for english or history or geography*. It does however have a positive effect on creativity so it is very handy during your art exam.

*having said that I still have trouble listening to music while programming. All it is is algorithms but you are also dealing with a language unto itself.

That would explain it then

music+maths=no problem

music+english= shakespeare turning in his grave

Fad

sugarman wrote: »

lol like myself.. I need music there and usually its heavy music.. metallica or the like

there is a very size-able difference between the heaviness of say: Meshuggah and Metallica

cant listen to music if im doing a language[im listening to music now so my spelling shat itself ] at all or when im trying to learn something off

aliqueenb

mars bar wrote: »

I do believe it is the male that has the "deciding factor" on whether the child will be male of female...I suppose we do have to give the males something considering their Y chromosome carries no information, so they are only half the man they think they are!(suckers)
Blame daddy!!

what are you on about!?:rolleyes::D
i was blaming my mother for not sending me to like piano lessons or any instrument lessons ha!

OpenYourEyes

yeah, Metal ftw!:D

i find i cant sit down and study for long periods unless iv got music bein pumpd into my ears! keeps me sitting still and drowns out any minor distractions around me.

only handy when doing maths or writing out notes for future referance though. get alot written out but probably dont take much of it in

ANarcho-Munk

Oh, and I can't see how in hell people study with music...through earphones. That crap is impossible, it's being pumped directly into your head.

Get a cd player ffs.

OpenYourEyes

ANarcho-Munk wrote: »

Oh, and I can't see how in hell people study with music...through earphones. That crap is impossible, it's being pumped directly into your head.

Get a cd player ffs.

i find if im listenin to it on a stereo system its not as effective. i still find myself lookn around d place or getn up or whatever. wen its on my mp3 i hav no excuse to move like, and i cant ehar anytn els either!

so

kwestfan08

Nay. Its just too distracting

irish_boy90

if i am awake i don't but when I feel tired I listen to it.
Doesn't distract too much but it always keeps me awake.

I don't browse my library just stick it on an artist i like or on all songs and leave it in my pocket. (can change without taking it out so it doesn't distract that much

Overheal

If you need the noise to keep you alert for whatever reason I suggest classical music. You can go torrent it, go on iTunes, etc. but get some and learn to like it. I downloaded a couple hundred the other day and Ive never worked better.

*most classical music is out of copyright: artists work such as mozart and beethoven belongs to the public domain so you are legally free to download them in any manner that suits you.

Chunky Monkey

I think the music of any artist who died more than fifty years ago belongs to the public. I think so, I could be wrong. But can't think of any examples right now.

Overheal

The copyright laws start to kick in somewhere in the 1900s anyway.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Yup, AFAIK copyright period in the EU is 50 years from creation of the work.

melboix

Yay, but I tend to prefer instrumental over stuff with vocals, particularly if I'm doing a lot of writing. Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, Mono, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and the like are all good to have in the background, I've found

The Walsho

melboix wrote: »

Yay, but I tend to prefer instrumental over stuff with vocals, particularly if I'm doing a lot of writing. Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, Mono, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and the like are all good to have in the background, I've found

Excellent choices young madam!

melboix

I approve of your approval

ANarcho-Munk

melboix wrote: »

Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Hells yeah.


Copius amounts of Big Black, Husker Du, MBV, Asobi Seksu, Jawbox, Leatherface, Large Mound, Cap'n Jazz and Dinosaur Jr have been doing it for me lately.

SonicYouth808

ANarcho-Munk wrote: »

I think I speak for all two of us when I say yes. There's nothing quite like a bit of fuzzed up My Bloody Valentine, some Sonic Youth and Big Black, Yellow Swans...

It's not 100% white noise but it's pretty close at times. Lets call it...melodic white noise.

damn right.But nothing beats some instrumentalism from Mogwai and MBV

Jayeire

yay, classical of course!
Proven to aid studying
Not blaring naturally, bur softly playing in the background...... it helps me nyway
;)