Am I the only one who can study with music on? Sometimes, when you have a rather dreary book in front of you, or a large booklet of notes taken from a friend so you can highlight the living daylights out of it, you just feel the world around you is too silent. You’ve searched for this area, whether it be your room or the library, you’ve found you’re spot, but something is missing. Something loud. And musical.

For me personally, I remember that during my HSC, there was very little I would listen to other than music by two bands, namely Coldplay and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. For some odd reason, any other songs being played distracted me greatly, and I was left staring into the sky, pondering rather random things instead of focusing on the very important notes in front of me. However, I found I could get through my studying pretty efficiently with both aforementioned bands playing. But after a while, especially as I got into university, it became a problem.

Spending days on end studying a law subject was draining, but it worried me that I could do absolutely nothing without Chris Martin & Co. on my iPod. It was a strange feeling, because I did attempt to block out everything at some point (including my music), lock myself in my room and go on a 6 hour studying binge. It never worked. There was only one way for me to get through these horrendous notes and that was to be listening to my preferred music.

It probably has something to do with the fact I played the exact same songs over and over (there are only a set amount of songs you can go through for both bands, no matter how far back you go). Learning them by heart maybe allowed me to relax when I heard them, or I didn’t need as much brain power to process them anymore, seeing as how they were ingrained in my memory. The fact that anything new I listened to was a testament to it, but it can’t be ignored, that I basically became addicted to the feeling of studying with music. It was almost hypnotic.
Nonetheless, Coldplay and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers aren’t the only artists people may listen to. Although true, most will prefer just a quiet room with no one to bother them; some indeed would enjoy music without lyrics. Classical music is always popular amongst students, mainly due to the fact that it is relaxing, compared to the intensity of rap or metal, and does not need to be listened to, to be heard. The less there needs to be processed by your mind, the better it is for your studies, since you can now focus so much more.

I think it’s fascinating to see all the different habits people have while they study. Some eat snacks, some watch TV, some need to be on a computer, and some like myself, need music. I literally can’t go without it. But now, I ask you, dear reader, to let me know what kind of habits you have during study sessions. Sound of in the comments below!

-Mostafa Rachwani-