**Tl;dr: Classical music is the best music to study with as it activates the parts of your brain responsible for reasoning skills and its lack of lyrics prevent distraction from your studies.** In 1993, Raucher et al produced the ‘Mozart effect’ via an experiment which showed listening for Mozart for ten minutes provided listeners with greater reasoning skills.[1] Since then, his experiment has come under much scrutiny accused the theory of only provoking enjoyment arousal making his other claims false. However, a recent study by J S Jenkins proved listening to classical music activates the prefrontal and temporal regions of the brain (the same area concerned with reasoning skills).[2] This demonstrates classical music as the best form of music to efficiently aid your studies. Even without scientific evidence, classical music is the best music to study to as its general lack of lyrics prevent distraction based on what the song is saying rather than the words you are writing or reading. Classical music’s calming and relaxing melodies create an effective and calm study environment, the perfect atmosphere to produce the best work. [1] J S Jenkins, The Mozart Effect, Jr Soc Med, 2001 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/014107680109400404 [2] ibid https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/014107680109400404

**TL;DR Although classical music is great to listen to whilst studying, electronic dance music is equally as great as its fast beats and rhythm keeps you motivated.** Multiple reports have shown that listening to music without lyrics is best for studying. Of course, classical music falls into this category of beneficial study music. However there are other genres of music which do not have lyrics, such as electronic music, which are equally as great to listen to whilst studying. The chill but upbeat music within the electronic dance music (EDM) genre has equal study benefits to listening to classical music. According to the *WeRaveYou* website, studies show that electronic music for students improves concentration. The site also suggests that listening to electronic music will boost a person’s spatial reasoning skills, which will greatly help people to absorb knowledge and solve problems quickly. [1] I find that I focus better when listening to EDM in the background whilst I am studying. And others agree with me too - with the repetitiveness of many electronic songs helping people focus. The *Journal of Consumer Research* agrees that 'unlike all of the ups and downs of a symphonic piece, there are quite a few producers [...] that focus on a few melodies that repeat and build on each other' in EDM music. The article concludes that the song’s focus will help your focus, and that the repeating tones of EDM are beneficial to listen to when studying. [2] [3] By offering a continuous and mellow soundscape without lyrics, electronic music is equally as beneficial as classical music for studying. It can greatly improve performance in tasks by increasing focus as well as boosting the moods of listeners. Although classical music is beneficial to listen to whilst studying, it should be remembered that it is not the *only* genre that can greatly help improve study skills. [1] ‘Why is electronic music so good for studying?’, (https://weraveyou.com/2020/06/why-is-electronic-music-so-good-for-studying/) [2] ‘Is Noise Always Bad? Exploring the Effects of Ambient Noise on Creative Cognition’, (https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/665048?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents) [3] ‘Electronic Music Can Actually Improve Your Focus and Productivity’, (https://www.edmtunes.com/2014/08/electronic-music-can-actually-improve-your-focus-and-productivity/)

**TL;DR - In my view, classical music is not necessarily the best music for studying, although it definitely helps with concentration and boosts productivity in many studying situations. I believe there are different kinds of music that are suitable for different kinds of studying**. Studies have shown that classical music surely enhances brain power during studying. As Claudia Hammond writes in a BBC article, the idea of scientific phenomena like 'the Mozart effect' is all about improving intelligence. The term 'was coined in 1991, but it is a study described two years later in the journal Nature that sparked real media and public interest about the idea that listening to classical music somehow improves the brain'. Classical music definitely helps concentration on the task, but there are other kinds of music that also serve the purpose. A lot of the influence has to do with the task and the preference. Laura Bridgestock argues that, according to psychologist Francis Rauscher (who is largely responsible for subsequent research on the 'Mozart effect'), 'the most effective music will vary depending on the person. In short: “If you hate Mozart you're not going to find a Mozart Effect. If you love Pearl Jam, you're going to find a Pearl Jam effect'. This means that the effect of music on studying also depends on the person's tastes and preferences. Also, as blogger Aliya says as quoted by Bridgestock, '[m]atch the tempo to the task', meaning that different tasks invite different kinds of music. Works Cited Bridgestock, Laura, 'What’s The Best Music For Studying?' (2021) <https://www.topuniversities.com/blog/whats-best-music-studying> [accessed 24 February 2021]. Hammond, Claudia, 'Does listening to Mozart really boost your brainpower?' (2013) <https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20130107-can-mozart-boost-brainpower> [accessed 24 February 2021].

**TL;DR Classical music is definitely beneficial, however I would argue that ambient music / nature sounds are the best types of music to listen to whilst studying**. Classical musical can be great for studying. However, there are quite a few classical pieces which are quite intense and loud, these ones are probably not the best for studying. I have always found ambient music to be the best study music. Ambient music is that of a very calming nature, it lacks a true beat, does not have lyrics and 'ends up blending into pre-existing background noise'. It is definitely a lot more relaxing than classical music. Studies regarding this type of music have found that it can help people with ADHD to ignore background noises and can aid people to complete tasks with more efficiency. Nature sounds are also proven to be really beneficial for studying. It has been shown to boost mood and promote deep focus. Researchers have found that nature sounds can 'mask intrusive sounds and help workers stay on task.' So whilst classical music can help studying, I would not label it the 'best' type of music to listen to while working, WORKS CITED: Capritto Amanda, 'The best music to listen to whilst you work or study' (3 February 2020), https://www.cnet.com/health/the-best-music-to-listen-to-while-you-work-or-study/

There are times when listening to music while learning is helpful, and other times when it is not. Listening to music before preparing for an exam or doing homework, for example, has been shown to help students concentrate more on the task at hand and for a longer period. Listening to music can impair a student's ability to remember information during the actual memorizing process, not before, especially if they are listening to music that includes lyrics. This is because the music and the task at hand speak the same language, and the student can become confused as to which one they should remember. I prefer not to listen to music at all because I get distracted to fast. I've tried to listen to classical music a couple of times, but it's not for me because I need to be in complete silence, although it's a very good option. After all, it stimulates your brain. 1-https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa16/2016/09/15/is-it-better-to-study-with-music-or-without/

**TL;DR Music should not be listened to whilst studying as it impairs cognitive function.** A study by the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff explains how listening to music can affect performance of certain study tasks. They looked at the ability of students to recall information whilst listening to a variety of different sounds. The task involved students memorising and recalling a list of letters presented to them, the different music conditions included: quiet, music they liked, music they didn’t like, voice repeating the number three and voice reciting random numbers. The study found that students performed worst while listening to any music, compared the voice reciting numbers. The explanation for these findings is the following: listening to music impairs the ability to memorize things, especially in chronological order, this phenomenon is called the ‘irrelevant sound effect’ (ISE). Due to results like this, listening to any sort of music whilst studying appears massively counterintuitive.

**TL;DR- Though classic music can be very effective, Lo-Fi is the best music to study to due to the way it both relaxes and keeps you focused at the same time.** It's true that classical music benefits areas of your brain, allowing increased concentration and productivity. However, oftentimes classical music can be cacophonous with over-the-top fortes and dramatic changes in volume which can be very distracting. On the other hand, Lo-Fi is much more consistent and relaxing. Lo-Fi stands for low-fidelity, meaning that it contains technical flaws such as hum, distortion, and limited frequency response. These flaws in the music trigger the cerebrum in your brain, helping increase focus and productvity [1]. As well as increasing concentration, Lo-Fi music relaxes and lowers the blood pressure, allowing you to study with less stress also. This is due to the genrally lower BPM. Whereas this varies a lot more in classical music, for example, studying along to a manic song such as Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's *Flight of the Bumblebee* could make your study session more stressful. [1] Brenden Lutes in *Hyde School*, November 17, 2017 [https://www.hyde.edu/blog/hyde_school_blog/lo-fi-music-a-secret-to-focusing-during-study-sessions/]