Influence of music genre on learning and concentration

[nimzov]

Hello to eveyone.

What influence does music genre has on studying ?

Does classical music facilitate concentration more that rock ? How is the sound level involved ? Is silence the best choice ?

Or is this only a matter of preference for every individual ?

I have not found any reference on the subjet with google. Any scientific studies on this subject that you know of ?

On a practical note. Does children studying while listening to music any good?

Thank you for your comments.

nimzo

[Kiless]

'Stuff all positive effect', aka 'nothing useful at all', has been my experience. Often a distractor from studying.

I once had a head of department who claimed that Baroque music influenced learning. I think I posted about it on these forums a while back and I can repost them... will have to track it down.

Penn and Teller did half a ************ episode on Mozart and babies and the research done on that illustrated no effect. I'd probably hazard the same for any age.

In saying that, I mark work to Wait's Rain Dogs album, simply because it's so wonderfully weird sounding that it adds an odd sort of surreal quality to what I'm doing and makes the work seem less overwhelming when it's a lot of papers.

[BPScooter]

Oddly enough, I had a student that was interested in this in a graduate seminar and he decided to try a little study. He found a small part of a standardized reading comprehension test, then gave it to 3 groups of 6th grade (12 year old) students that he had in music classes. One condition was classical (a Bach Brandenburg Concerto, I think), one was pop music the kids liked (some kind of hip-hop) and the third was really abstract free jazz, John Coltrane I think.

The N was really small and of course the controls have to be tighter, but it seemed like the kids did better when they were not distracted by something that was irritating (random free jazz) or that was enjoyable (familiar pop) so rather than something making you smarter, maybe it's the distraction that matters. Some of the Mozart research was critiqued this way--it's an artifact of arousal vs. some kind of priming of the brain. Probably more related to state and attention, in other words. I have a lot of references on this so PM me if you want, I could send you some.

[kittynh]

all I know is that my very bright daughter is practically tone deaf. No music ability. Period.

I thought all really smart kids played the violin and stuff. Since then I have met some really stupid talented musicians.

[Shrike]

I usually play loud music (http://www.heavymetalradio.com (http://www.heavymetalradio.com/)) to help drown out background noise. Every little noise can and will distract me otherwise.

Or I just used to do it in my studying years to annoy my parents and roommates...

[blutoski]

Hello to eveyone.

What influence does music genre has on studying ?

Does classical music facilitate concentration more that rock ? How is the sound level involved ? Is silence the best choice ?

Or is this only a matter of preference for every individual ?

I have not found any reference on the subjet with google. Any scientific studies on this subject that you know of ?

On a practical note. Does children studying while listening to music any good?

Thank you for your comments.

nimzo


I think it's individual preference, and the question assumes that music is the only sound option. My wife and I had very different approaches: she could only study with radio talk shows on low volume. I study best with earplugs. We both found music too distracting.

[epepke]

Hello to eveyone.

What influence does music genre has on studying ?

Does classical music facilitate concentration more that rock ? How is the sound level involved ? Is silence the best choice ?

I don't know. However, when I was writing SciAn, my masterpiece and a rather impressive accomplishment, I lived on a diet of Frank Zappa's Synclavier pieces and other "experimental" music, with punk rock as a sort of mental sherbet to cleanse the palare. (Or in my case, the palette.)

[Aurelian]

I definitely work better with either instrumental/non-vocal music, or music in a language that I don't comprehend (mostly opera).

I can be distracted into listening to the lyrics of just about anything, unless it's been played so many times it's noise in the background.

That's my experience - doesn't do much for the classical/non-classical issue, and I'm into weird hybrids like Eric Clapton's Heart of Darkness.

[DrMatt]

Actual investigation shows that silence during studying, and full attention while listening are the best combinations. Background music doesn't cut it.

[nimzov]

Actual investigation shows that silence during studying, and full attention while listening are the best combinations. Background music doesn't cut it.
Do you have the reference to these studies ?

Thank you.

nimzo

[bigred]

all I know is that my very bright daughter is practically tone deaf. No music ability. Period.

I thought all really smart kids played the violin and stuff. Since then I have met some really stupid talented musicians.
lol. That's 2 diff things we're talking there though, ie listening to music vs playing it. I mean cmon listen to a lot of what passes as music nowdays and tell me that's the work of smart people......I think not....

PS I have a brother and sis who are musicians and both highly intelligent, but IMO they are the exception (and there are diff kinds of intelligence....eg both would struggle with using computers, but start talking to them about the arts or just about anything "humanities-related" and they're pretty impressive).

Anyway, music or lack of it - or certain types - certainly can influence concentration, at least. For me the more "white noise" oriented music is, the better, eg New Age or so-called "smooth jazz" etc. Much of anything else just bugs me, even most of stuff I like. It needs to have a very even keel about it, low on percussion, etc.

[Almo]

I study/work/sleep (SWS) with music a lot. I found the worst music to SWS with was classical. The problem is the extreme dynamics contrasts; when it goes all quiet then suddenly gets loud again, it demands attention.

I can SWS with many forms of Electronic music. If a rap CD is familiar enough, I can even SWS with that. Heavy industrial music works too (Ministry Psalm 69). There are dynamic contrasts in much of this music as well, but not to the extent they are found in classical.