Despite typically listening to fast rock music when she does her homework, senior Fiona Smialek could not find the motivation to start her homework until she clicked play on slowcore music, a subgenre of indie rock.
“I like to listen to slowcore and songs like ‘God’s Green Earth’ while studying because [they have a] slower tempo and drawn-out instrumentals with quieter vocal styles which makes it easier to concentrate on what I’m doing while still being able to enjoy the music,” Smialek said.
A study co-authored by Efren De La Mora Velasco, associate instructional designer at the University of Central Florida, details the positive and negative effects of background music on learning.
The study found that simple, instrumental background music played at a moderate volume has positive effects on learning by improving memory, engagement and motivation, De La Mora Velasco said in an email correspondence.
The content of the music or the context in which the music is used is important, if you are listening to both music and spoken information simultaneously, because it may affect your brain’s ability to handle auditory information, De La Mora Velasco said.
In addition to the context in which music is used, the complexity of the music should complement the type of task at hand, De La Mora Velasco said.
“The complexity of the music is [determined by] knowing how many instruments are in a song, how fast it is… because some instruments are more simple and they have natural sounds as compared to digital sounds,” De La Mora Velasco said.
According to Smialek, listening to slower songs while studying helped her realize she could listen to an entire playlist, without skipping songs or switching playlists, unlike when she listens to faster rock genres.
“I think the faster, louder and catchier music can sometimes be a distraction because then I tend to focus more on the music over the task I’m trying to accomplish,” said Smialek. “When I listen to slowcore or other slower, more instrumental-based genres while studying, I feel that I don’t have to worry about the music at all.”
According to De La Mora Velasco, complex music requires more mental capacity, which interferes with learning by increasing the mental effort required to process information.
“You can do better with complex music and doing [simple math operations such as] subtraction as compared to doing some complex mathematical procedures,” said De La Mora Velasco. “Same for reading or writing, maybe you’re writing a really complex piece or essay that requires a lot of analysis from your part so you need to pay more attention so you might need simpler music for that as compared to just writing something that is creative.”
Simple songs to listen to while studying include instrumental music, such as classical, ambient or lo-fi beats that do not include lyrics, fast tempo, simultaneously playing instruments or sudden changes in rhythm and harmony, De La Mora Velasco said.
According to Smialek, she can’t imagine doing homework without music.
“Sometimes it’s hard for me to focus in environments where there are other people talking, and it’s distracting for me,” said Smialek. “So, [music is] a way where I can zero in and kind of block out any other noise and just really focus on me.”