Angela Martin

Mrs. Thomas

UWRT 1103-020

April 17 , 2018
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The process of writing the entirety of this thesis was not as difficult as I had expected. I

am used to writing scientific lab reports, so I assumed that adding my own voice into a paper

would be tough. Instead, I found it to be an enjoyable experience that allowed me to be creative.

It was nice to be able to add in my own opinion into my writing for once. The comments that I

received on my early draft were very helpful. I had a lot of little details such as proper citations

that I weren’t sure about and they were quickly cleared up. I was also nervous about the layout

of my paper, but my classmates thought that I was going in a good direction. I found that I also

struggled in the layout and procession of my ideas in the final draft as well, but in the end I put

them in a format that I thought was best. I think I did good in the area of incorporating templates

from TSIS and summarizing the highly scientific studies. I am happy that my thoughts on this

subject and the research that I conducted is in its final form.

Beethoven, Rap, or Neither: Is Music Beneficial for Studying?

A belief commonly held by society is that if babies listen to classical music, it will make

them more intelligent. Pregnant women even go as far as playing Beethoven’s sonatas through a

speaker held closely to their abdomen. But does music actually increase their child’s intellectual

ability? How much does music play a part in human developmental growth? Even more so, I

have wondered how much listening to music affects the ability to learn throughout childhood and

into adulthood. In this day and age, access to music is readily available through our smart

devices. College students can be seen at the library with their headphones in, studying away and
tuning out the world with a Spotify instrumental piano playlist. Does this musical stimulation

actually benefit their cognitive ability? Does it improve their memory? Does it depend on the

genre or style of music? As an avid music listener in college, I desire to know whether or not I

am benefitting my studies or deteriorating them. Within this thesis I will be discussing the topics

of music and developmental growth, music affecting cognitive processes, music affecting stress

or anxiety, and the significance of genre choice. Listening to music while studying has become

an integral part of students’ academic lives, and through this thesis I will dive deeper into its

effects that can benefit myself and the larger UNCC community.

Music is one of the defining elements that make us human. No other living creature on

Earth has the ability to compose songs, create instruments, or sing a tune. According to the

Greek philosopher Plato, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind,

flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything” as quoted by Frey.

From its beginnings, music has been rooted in emotion like Plato suggests for religious,

entertainment, psychological, and even healing purposes. The Ancient Greeks “prescribed”

calming flute music to people in a frenzied state or dulcimer music to those who were depressed.

They believed it had a mathematical connection to the universe that had the power to heal

(Growney). Sociologists and anthropologists have found that every single ancient and current

society have had it as a part of their culture. It is even believed that the creation of music arose

before language was developed (Greenberg). In modern times, music itself may not be believed

to have healing powers, but is certainly still used for religious, psychological, and entertainment

purposes around the globe. It can be heard at church services, used to help people’s mental

states, and heard in concerts. Overall, the purposes of music have not significantly changed since

the beginning of human history, but our instantaneous access through technology. People in the
early 20 century and before only had the option to hear composed songs in concert, which is
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crazy to think about in this day and age. We have radios, Bluetooth speakers, iPods, cell phones,

computers, wireless headphones, and other devices that have made this and recent generations

increasingly listen to music in our daily lives.

Our first encounter with music most likely does not begin with completing homework

when we’re nineteen and studying for a college biology exam. It is often heard, whether we

remember it or not, from inside our mother’s womb to being a toddler in daycare. It has even

been found that infants at the age of eight months old are able to recognize pieces of music after

not hearing it for two weeks. Musical experiences in toddlers and young children such as

listening to music or dancing promote socio-emotional skills, physical skills, cognitive skills, and

even language skills. For example, the sequences and patterns built into songs like “Old

MacDonald Had a Farm” or “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” help young children build early brain

connections relating to math and reading (Parlakian). Rebecca Parlakian, developer of resources

regarding developmental growth, explains that “Music quite naturally provides opportunities to

practice patterns, math concepts, and symbolic thinking skills, all in the context of a joyful noise

- which makes it an attractive, engaging activity for very young children.” Parlakian’s point is

that music is not only fun and appealing for children but also develops their brains in the process.

While the development of the brain through music may be true for babies and toddlers,

what about as we move past childhood and grow throughout puberty and into adulthood? Studies

by Johns Hopkins University have found that as we age, music acts as an “exercising” tool for

our brains. It stimulates our minds in a unique way by creating vibrations at different frequencies

that end up going through the eardrum and are then transmitted into electrical signals. These

signals travel through the auditory nerve, which is a nerve that processes the sounds we hear, and
eventually reaches the brain stem where the frequencies are rearranged to what we perceive as

music. As one ear, nose, and throat doctor from Johns Hopkins puts it, “‘Music is structural,

mathematical and architectural. It is based on relationships between one note and the next. You

may not be aware of it, but your brain has to do a lot of computing to make sense of it,’” (Johns

Hopkins Medicine). The essence of their findings is that this rearrangement of frequencies and

perceptions requires our brain to stay active and engaged while listening to a musical piece. I

find this to be an interesting claim because not only do young children develop math or language

concepts from the patterns in music, but so do adults. Even though we already know our ABC’s

and how to do algebra, unlike toddlers, it still exercises our mind.

The engagement of our brains while doing homework would be immensely beneficial

(especially while attempting to solve calculus problems or writing a history paper) but do the

claims by Hopkins still apply while performing cognitive tasks? One of the primary reasons for

listening to music while studying is the claim that it aids concentration and cognitive ability.

Scientists at Stanford University performed a study that sought out to understand how the brain

processes information with music. Ten men and eight women listened to symphonies that were

composed in the 18 century while the scientists watched their brains in action by using
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functional magnetic resonance imaging. fMRI technology is an imaging system that shows

which parts of the brain are active during an activity. It was found that the brain became most

active during transitions and pauses in the music. According to the Stanford researchers, “An

event change . . . activates the first network, called the ventral fronto-temporal network. Then a

second network, the dorsal fronto-parietal network, turns the spotlight of attention to the change

and, upon the next event beginning, updates working memory” as quoted by Baker. In other

words, the participants brains became engaged in the continuation of the musical pieces, which
caused memory and attention span to increase. This study ultimately suggests that music with

pauses helps the brain organize information (Baker). Although I agree with the conclusions by

Stanford up to a point, I cannot overlook the fact that the study only used instrumental classical

music. They are right that the transitions in symphonies probably increase cognitive ability, but I

do not think this conclusion applies to all music. Even though rap may have pauses, I think it

would have a completely different effect than classical due to its potential distracting nature.

Since the topic of music being beneficial during academic tasks is widely split, I wanted

to hear directly from my classmates and other students about their personal experiences. I created

a survey in order to get a better idea of how students use music as a tool for studying. The survey

was posted on social media that asked questions regarding the genre they listened to, music and

concentration, music and memory, and how often they listened to music while studying. In total,

I received sixty-one responses. Even though the results of the study are not significant due to it

being posted on social media, I found that 29.4% of the respondents listened to classical music

while studying. This is a much higher percentage than I expected. This evidence could possibly

suggest that people listen to classical music while studying because of its benefits on

concentration and memory like Stanford claims. However, while this may seem significant,

61.67% of the respondents found that music did not or somewhat aided their concentration. The

results from the study by Stanford and my personal survey have led me to conclude that while

classical music with pauses may help concentration, it may not be the case for everyone or apply

to all genres of music.

While it is claimed that music aids concentration, there is also a large argument against

music helping people focus on cognitive tasks. Arielle Dolegui, psychologist and

biopsychologist, performed a study researching the impact that music at different genres and
volume levels has on college students completing academic work. Thirty-two undergraduate

students from the University of Maryland were asked to complete five arithmetic tests, each with

twenty different questions. Each test setting had a different music condition with either high

intensity music (metal, rap, rock) or low intensity (classical, indie, acoustic) at different volumes.

Test one had soft music at low intensity, test two had loud music at low intensity, test three was

conducted in silence, test four had soft music with high intensity, and test five had loud music

with high intensity. Dolegui and the other researchers found that complete silence produced the

highest test scores from the participants. The second highest test scores came from the condition

of low intensity, regardless if it was played loud or soft. Based on the results of the study,

Dolegui states that “Through this process, it can be implied that it is easier to process

information in the presence of a minimal level of distraction. It can be implied that students

should not listen to any music or allow any auditory disturbance while studying to obtain

maximum performance level.” In making this conclusion, Dolegui suggests that students will

perform the best while completing academic work in silent conditions, even if the music is

classical or played quietly. She even goes as far as claiming that “Classical music was not shown

to enhance performance contrary to the study’s expectations. Hence, the direct benefits of

listening to music on cognitive processing could be more of a fantasy than a reality.” This claim

that classical music is not beneficial to studying directly contrasts the results of the study

performed by Stanford which found that music with pauses could benefit our concentration and

memory (Dolegui).

Alice Mado Proverbio, professor of psychology at the University of Milan-Bicocca, also

performed a scientific study in which she concluded that music was not beneficial for cognitive

tasks. Proverbio has received two doctorate degrees related to psychology, practiced as a
research scientist, founded a cognitive electrophysiology lab, and even written four books about

psychology. Within her study, she aimed to investigate the effects of listening to either silence,

joyful music, emotional (instrumental and classical) music, or rain sounds in fifty-four non-

musicians and their abilities to memorize faces. It was concluded from the study that silence and

emotional music is the most optimal for memory and cognitive performance, while joyful music

and rain hinder these abilities. I find this to be interesting because Proverbio concluded that we

project the feelings of the emotional music we listen to onto our visual surroundings which

enhances our memory. While it was found that music may help with memory, Proverbio also

pointed out that listening to background music while studying can interfere with completing

numerical problems, reading, and learning new tasks. She complicates matters further when she

states that “The interference caused by task-irrelevant information (for example, listening to

music) also depends on the complexity of the information that is being processed and on the

workload that is required to process task-relevant information. Indeed, increasingly complex

musical distractions may result in decreased cognitive performance.” In simpler terms, it

completely depends on the subject matter or how much of our attention is needed when deciding

to listen to music while studying (Proverbio).

My personal opinion on whether or not music aids cognitive processing while completing

homework is extremely split. Whereas the separate studies performed by Stanford University and

Alice Mado Proverbio provide ample evidence that classical music helps memory, Proverbio’s

same study and research by Arielle Dolegui also convince me that music can be a distraction. My

experience with listening to music while studying heavily depends on the subject matter and how

comfortable I am with the material. I cannot listen to any type of music while reading, writing a

paper, or any task that requires critical thinking because it distracts me. My brain will begin to
focus on the music and I’ll lose track of my thought process. For example, I am currently writing

this paper in a location that is playing soft pop music in the background and I am having a

difficult time concentrating. On the other hand, I always listen to music when doing work

involving numerical problems. The concepts in math and science are usually easy for me to

grasp, so whenever I do homework for these classes I can jam out to anything from classical to

rock. I think that this music, whether it is classical or rock, helps me focus on the problems

instead of getting distracted from the people or environment that I am in. One of the respondents

from my survey has my same perspective and stated that “If I don’t have any background noise

I’m more likely to look around/break concentration at any small noise such as a chair moving,

papers shuffling, or footsteps.” I agree because even though I may not have an attention problem,

locations to study such as a library or coffee shop can certainly be distracting. I also think that

the improved memory aspect of classical music could be valid but depends on people’s

backgrounds with classical music. As a former band member who played the trumpet for seven

years, I absolutely love the elements of instrumental pieces and I find myself tracking the

progression of classical songs like the research by Stanford suggests. I find that this tracking of a

classical piece keeps me focused which, in turn, may improve my memory of the material that I

am working on. People who hate classical music or find it boring will probably not track the

piece subconsciously in their brain and instead just turn it off.

Another one of the main reasons for listening to music while studying is its potential

calming effects. Getting frustrated, anxious, or confused while studying are feelings that most

students are familiar with that ultimately lead to increased stress. In a study performed by

Myriam Thoma, clinical psychologist at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, researched

whether or not music had an effect on stress levels. Cortisol and alpha amylase; hormones that
the human body releases while being stressed, were measured in 60 women with a mean age of

twenty-five during and after performing a stressful task. The women either listened to relaxing

classical music, nature sounds, or nothing at all during their stressful task. The results of the

study indicated that the cortisol and alpha amylase levels of those who listened to classical music

went back to normal faster than the women who listened to nature sounds or nothing. The

women who listened to relaxing music also had a shorter stress response than the other two

groups. These overall conclusions add weight to the argument that music potentially lowers

stress levels while doing a stressful task (Thoma).

Within the personal survey that I created, I received many comments that described how

music made them feel relaxed. An anonymous respondent stated, “Music has always been

therapeutic regardless of the circumstances.” According to both the conclusions from Thoma’s

study and a few respondents of my survey, music can be a calming outlet in response to stress.

My personal feelings on the issue are mixed. On the one hand, I do agree that music can ease our

mind during stressful situations. If I am struggling with a math homework set, I might take a

break and listen to some relaxing music to unwind. On the other hand, I am not sure if listening

to music during a stressful activity is always beneficial. Stress-causing activities like waiting for

a test result to come back may benefit from music because intense concentration is not needed.

As previously discussed, some homework tasks require undivided attention that music can hinder

our performance on. Personally, even though I believe music can have calming effects, I prefer

to listen to it before or after I am studying stressful material in order to avoid distraction which

will make me even more stressed.

One of the largely debated topics of listening to music while studying is the choice of

genre. The common stereotype is that classical music is the only type of music that has cognitive
benefits while studying, but as my previous research concludes, this is not always the case.

Classical music may help some people’s brains stay focused during the continuation of a piece

like the research by Stanford suggests, but according to Dolegui and Proverbio, it also has the

ability to become a distraction or not have any benefits whatsoever. Aside from the debate on

classical music, there is also a lot of controversy regarding listening to a preferred genre. In the

study performed by Arielle Dolegui, it was also researched whether or not the participant’s

favorite genres had any effect on their cognitive ability. She found that volume level has a

stronger impact than genre in affecting concentration; however, the genre of music still plays an

important role. Dolegui states that “These results indicate that a preferred type of music can

serve as a distracting factor when one is engaged in a cognitively demanding task perhaps due to

the fact that less cognitive resources are available when the attention is drawn to the lyrics,

emotions, and memories that such music can evoke.” I find this statement to be interesting

because Dolegui is claiming that the mechanics of certain types of music are not considered in

affecting cognitive ability, but the distracting emotions that arise when we listen to our preferred

genre (Dolegui).

Within the survey that I conducted, I desired to know if the participants listened to their

favorite genres while studying. 39.66% of the participants listened to their favorite genres while

doing homework compared to 24.14% listening to classical. While this data is not statistically

significant, it did not surprise me that the largest percentage of the respondents listened to their

favorite genres. As college students that have grown up as a generation surrounded by readily

available entertainment, I think that most of us would prefer to listen to our favorite genres to

avoid boredom while doing academic-related tasks. This “entertainment” probably becomes

more of a distraction than a benefit to our studies, but I think it completely depends on the
subject and complexity of the material. As previously mentioned, I never listen to music while

doing English-related tasks, but I always listen while doing math or science-related work. I

prefer to listen to my favorite genres of music, which are pop and country, whenever I study

math topics because I tend to get bored easily. Writing papers and reading journal articles require

undivided attention in order to write or comprehend the material. Math, on the other hand,

involves crunching numbers and solving for “x” within repetitive numerical patterns or plugging

numbers into a formula. Of course, many students would disagree that some calculus or physics

problems are wordy and require more attention than just plugging numbers into a formula. For

those type of problems, I usually pause my music, think through the problem and create a

conceptual plan, then press play again and work through the numbers. Listening to my favorite

genres while doing work that involves numbers allows me to pass the time in an enjoyable, fun

way, even though it may not be giving my cognitive abilities any benefits. While my experience

regarding genre may not be true for every student, I think it is safe to conclude that the genre of

music you decide to listen to, whether it is your favorite or not, should depend on the intricacy of

the material and the subjects you feel proficient in.

From the beginning of human history, music has been a source of worship, therapeutic

healing, and entertainment. The purposes of these varying frequencies that vibrate our eardrums

have not changed much over the course of millennia, but our instantaneous access through the

development of technology. We hear music from inside our mother’s womb to being a child in

preschool, which develops our early socio-emotional skills, physical skills, cognitive skills, and

language skills. In our modern age, the act of listening to music as a child eventually progresses

into getting a mobile device as a college student and using it as a tool for doing homework. But

is listening to music actually beneficial for studying? After sorting through multiple scientific
studies and examining my own experience, my personal answer to this question is that it

depends! I personally find that a universal “yes” or “no” regarding listening to music while

studying does not incorporate the many individual factors surrounding each student. In fact, most

of the conclusions by the scientists researching this topic have also determined that whether or

not you should listen to music while completing academic work depends on factors such as

complexity of material or confidence in a subject. Music also has the potential to alleviate stress

but can become a distraction to our cognitive processes. Choose to destress at a time that is the

most beneficial to you, whether that be before, during, or after completing a difficult task. One of

the respondents of my survey summed up my thoughts perfectly by stating that “I like to listen to

music when doing homework that I know I have the concepts/procedures down where I’m not

thinking too hard to complete the work. The music is a great background vibe and passes the

time! But if it’s new material that I’m not strong in, I ditch the music and think it out!” Listening

to music while studying has become an integral part of our lives as students, and the decision to

do so completely depends on ourselves as individual students with individual academic needs.

 Works Cited

Baker, Mitzi. “Music Moves Brain to Pay Attention, Stanford Study Finds.” News Center, 1

Aug. 2007, med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2007/07/music-moves-brain-to-pay

attention-stanford-study-finds.html. Dolegui, Arielle S. "The Impact of Listening to

Music on Cognitive Performance." Inquiries

Journal/Student Pulse 5.09 (2013). <http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=1657>

Frey, Angelica. “Here Is What Great Philosophers Thought of Music.” CMUSE, 10 Sept. 2015,

www.cmuse.org/great-philosophers-music-quotes/.

Greenberg, David M. “What Is Music...Exactly?” PsychologyToday, 3 Aug. 2016,

www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-music/201608/what-is-music-exactly.

Growney, Claire. “The History of Music and Art Therapy.” The History of Music and Art

Therapy, musicandarttherapy.umwblogs.org/music-therapy/earliest-references-to-music

therapy/.

“Healthy Mind.” Keep Your Brain Young with Music, Johns Hopkins Medicine,

www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy_aging/healthy_mind/keep-your-brain-young

with-music.

Parlakian, Rebecca. "Beyond Twinkle, Twinkle: Using Music with Infants and Toddlers." YC

Young Children, vol. 65, no. 2, 2010, pp. 14-19, ProQuest,

https://librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-

com.librarylink.uncc.edu/docview/197634170?accountid=14605.

Mado Proverbio, Alice, et al. "The Effect of Background Music on Episodic Memory and

Autonomic Responses: Listening to Emotionally Touching Music Enhances Facial

 Memory Capacity." Scientific Reports (Nature Publisher Group), vol. 5, 2015, pp. 15219,

ProQuest, https://librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-

com.librarylink.uncc.edu/docview/1899786876?accountid=14605,

doi:http://dx.doi.org.librarylink.uncc.edu/10.1038/srep15219.

Thoma, Myriam V., et al. “The Effect of Music on the Human Stress Response.” PLOS ONE,

Public Library of Science,

journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0070156.