By Ismail Abaza, Year 12
Music is a very important aspect of human life, it can bring us together, awaken many different emotions within us and allows us to express ourselves through many different styles and types. Music can be used as a tool for many things, such as a tool for studying and focusing. Many people find music to be extremely beneficial for their studies, but also for their general mental health. Different studies show time and time again that music is important to humans. One of these studies from Johns Hopkins Medicine shows that music can help stimulate your brain and motivate you for tasks throughout the day. Another study from PubMed Central shows that music can have a significant effect on memorisation. A study from PLOS ONE also show that music can help decrease the amount of stress a person experiences throughout the day. I interviewed two Year 12 students to get their opinions on music and how it impacts them throughout their daily lives. The 2 students I interviewed, Eytane Meyer and Antoine Assa, share their views and opinions on music throughout their day-to-day lives:
How frequently would you say you listen to music?
Eytane:
I listen to music about two to three times a day, but it really depends on my day and what I’m doing throughout it. I find myself to use it quite frequently before I go to sleep.
Antoine:
I don’t listen to music that frequently, maybe about one hour per day. I do think that it depends on what I am doing.
What type of music do you normally listen to?
Eytane:
Depends on what I’m doing, usually when I listen to music for the first time of the day, I use it for the gym, so I listen to music like hardcore pop. Then usually the next time I listen to music I use it for studying, I usually listen to French pop while doing that. Finally, I usually I listen to classical piano as it helps me be more relaxed before I go to bed.
Antoine:
I listen to about all types of music, I don’t know the titles by heart, but I listen to just about everything.
Do you normally listen to music while you are studying? If so, do you think it has any positive impacts on you?
Eytane: I do listen to music when I’m studying because it helps me be more motivated, and I can stay longer in front of my desk. I am thinking about changing my study music to 40 Hz binaural beats, as I think that helps me focus more.
Antoine:
Yes, I do listen to music for studying, as I think it helps me relax and unwind. I do not think that it directly makes me concentrate on my work, however I think music can help calm me down.
Links to the studies:
Johns Hopkins Medicine’s study on music’s impact on brain stimulation and motivation: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/keep-your-brain-young-with-music
PubMed Central’s study on music’s impact on memorization:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4197792/
PLOS ONE’s study on music’s impact on stress management:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0070156
