Listen to music while studying?

mgeorge

Do you listen to music while studying? If so what kind? bands etc...

I find listening to classic music really relaxing and I can concentrate more.

Mrock4

I can't. I play guitar/write music on the side, and hearing any kind of music completely distracts me. I find myself tapping the beat, or singing along, and not paying attention. When I take my breaks though, it's usually something like Beck, or maybe Flogging Molly.

KGhaleon

I wouldn't be able to unless I'm doing work that doesn't involve actually remembering much of what I'm reading. If I'm grading a paper or something, for instance.

I generally hang out in coffee shops or someplace relaxing and study a book(usually one that I don't own or plan to buy at the bookstore).

ajs1976

If i'm in a quite environment, I usually do not. But is there is a lot of background noise, I will listen to music. Usually metal, techno, or industrial.

cisco_trooper

mgeorge27 wrote:

Do you listen to music while studying? If so what kind? bands etc...

I find listening to classic music really relaxing and I can concentrate more.

I find it nearly impossible to study without music. Music tends to calm me down. Sometimes I put so much pressure on myself that I get all wound up and can't get ANYTHING done; music always helps bring me back down to earth. I also have two small children, so without music there is a huge source of distraction.

BigTone

i listen to classical when i study alot. Ever since I read that during some study that it helps you retain info.

cisco_trooper

BigTone wrote:

i listen to classical when i study alot. Ever since I read that during some study that it helps you retain info.

Specifically classical, or music in general? Do you know where you read this?


Update:
I found this http://www.howtolearn.com/Mozart.html for those interested. Pretty interesting. I never heard of this before.

Ahriakin

I listen while studying pretty much all the time, I find it helps with the ADD to have something to focus on in the background. If it's lab work then some good techno (Paul Oakenfold/perfecto high melody stuff, maybe Fluke/Syntax) does the trick. For pure reading then some electronic instrumental like Mike Oldfield/Vangelis/William Orbit, occasionally movie soundtracks.

Slowhand

I enjoy listening to music while I study, it usually helps me disappear into my own little world and ignore the distracting noises of people talking, traffic, and other weird sounds. I tend to like studying out in coffee shops or in bookstores, so having something like an iPod is essential, (speaking of which, I still need to re-organize my music and label some mp3s so that I can actually find them in the mix). Usually, I prefer music without lyrics, since I can get a little distracted listening to the words, so I'm usually listening to jazz, classical, or techo-esque stuff. I'm also a lifetime gamer, so OC Remix songs take up a lot of space on my study-playist.

Ahriakin

Slowhand wrote:

I'm also a lifetime gamer, so OC Remix songs take up a lot of space on my study-playist.

And http://remix.kwed.org . Hail to the geeks

MrD

When I'm labbing (which is 90% of my study time now) I listen to music the entire time. When I'm studying/reading out of books/vid's etc... I don't listen to music.

Schluep

I like listening to classical music while working and find it to be very helpful to me. Piano, cello, and violin concertos seem to have a way of lifting my spirit, keeping me focused, and keeping a smile on my face even if things aren't going as well as I would like to them to with whatever I am working on.

Studying is very different for me than working on a computer however. I cannot listen to any music while studying or I find that I have a hard time retaining the information and staying focused on the studying.

I guess all of our brains work a bit differently despite many similarities.

tmlerdal

I usually have some mp3's going while I'm studying. Just on random shuffle. Most of the time I don't find it distracting..but every once in awhile it is distracting.

Labs and even at work when I'm working on stuff I like to crank up some tunes. For whatever reason it helps me focus.

What actually drives me crazy is going in for the test and not having any background noise there. I think it's harder to take the tests in dead silence with only cpu fans buzzing than not having a little something in the background going.

snadam

when Im not actually watching videos, I will listen to music. For some reason, one of THE only music i can listen to and study is Johnny Cash. His music soothes me. I try to listen to most other kinds of music; ie metal, rock, rap, techno, etc, I just cant concentrate. Its gotta be the 'man in black'. I find listening to classical also works, but I dont have any in my music library.

ChilleeB

I was a musician in various rock bands before I went back to college. I found I couldn't listen to the type of music I usually listened to because I got easily distracted listening to a certain guitar solo or asking myself "what was that lyric" again.

A study partner of mine, quite a bit younger than myself, listened to "trance" while he studied and turned me on to it. It's not like you can hum along to it or anything. Its just something in the background that doesn't distract and I found that I really like it.

I also started listening to more classical and new age, because it can be soothing and doesn't draw your attention away from the task at hand.

dynamik

ChilleeB wrote:

A study partner of mine, quite a bit younger than myself, listened to "trance" while he studied and turned me on to it. It's not like you can hum along to it or anything. Its just something in the background that doesn't distract and I found that I really like it.

I usually listen to Paul Oakenfold. I've been meaning to start branching out a bit, but I haven't had the time to research any other artists.

On a related note (that was a pun, wasn't it?), I picked up a pair of noise canceling headphones, and they have been worth every penny. People chattering (or even the cats attacking each other) can really distract me, and these just drown all that out.

The cool thing about them is that they actively cancel noise. They take a AAA (which lasts about 40 hours), and as soon as you hit the switch, extreme silence. I was skeptical about how well they would work before I tried them out, but they made a believer out of me. You can even use them without any music as well (the cord detaches too).

ChilleeB

I have found myself using two of the little "squishy" stick-in-the-ear-type hearing protectors along with a set of basic construction-type ear muffs have provided the silence I need on occasion.

I think I will take dynamik's suggestion and pick up a set of noise-cancelling headphones.

Do you remember how much you paid for them and where a set might be purchased at?

MrD

Get the new Bose QuietComfort from bose.com. They run between 300-350. They are awesome!

iMigraine

I find myself listening to ambient or classical music while studying. It keeps me focused and less likely to fall asleep when I'm reading technical material. Normally I like rock & roll or alternative music. I know Internet radio has help me a lot in my studies. Before, I was nodding off and forgetting what I read.

Whatever works for you, stick with it.

dynamik

ChilleeB wrote:

Do you remember how much you paid for them and where a set might be purchased at?

I linked to the ones I got in my post. Most of the reviews I read said the Bose were overpriced and not worth it.

No offense MrD. Maybe you're an audiophile with better hearing and would actually get more out of the Bose model

I think that extra $200 would just be wasted on me though...

networker050184

I like music when doing labs, but when reading I like the quiet. If I listen to music while I read I tend to start getting into the music more than the book. I'm a big fan of music so it tends to pull my interest away if I'm not physically engaged with something.

Darthn3ss

networker050184 wrote:

I like music when doing labs, but when reading I like the quiet. If I listen to music while I read I tend to start getting into the music more than the book. I'm a big fan of music so it tends to pull my interest away if I'm not physically engaged with something.

+1 to that. i've tried music while reading, doesn't work. readin gwhile labbing is fine though.

cisco_trooper

I've been listening to this dude tonight. Not bad.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=34723177

Mrock4

I'm rocking some "Beatsteaks" while working on my lab tonight.

mgeorge

Wow this thread got popular ^_^

Well as some one said earlier listening to classical help retain info. I have to agree.
It's scientifically proven when your more relaxed you retain information better
and listening to classic music is very relaxing; so yeah, you do the math..

katel2k

Should this be on the off topic? why is it here? anyway, I like it quite.

jamesleecoleman

I like to listen to chemical brothers or the prodigy while reading. It's not really a problem until I goto youtube and play dj tiesto's - power mix then I start to bounce around in my chair with the laptop on my lap reading the material off the screen lol.

A_hicks

I listen to slow music it makes me study and concentrate, but it depends on the mood...

Just say after a real bad day with the girl... hmmm i don,think even music will help to calm me down in to study...

dynamik

This is my new study music when I'm working on MS exams: http://youtube.com/watch?v=dsU3B0W3TMs

mgeorge

haha that windows music is great

mikej412

I think I've been doing too much Voice stuff lately. I just noticed that I've been looping the CallManager Express music on hold au file -- and I don't remember when I started it

Seriously -- I think its been going since January.