We are resolved NOVA academy should allow students to listen to music during

instructional hours if the student is completing independent tasks.

For the purposes of this debate we define music as any vocal or instrumental sounds
(or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of
emotion. Additionally we define instructional hours as the time prescribed by the schedule as
period 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, LINK, or family. Lastly we define independent tasks as those which a
student is instructed by the teacher to complete on their own without teacher or peer
assistance.
Our proposed resolution will improve NOVA academy Early College High school by
Creating a quiet, stress free environment during independent work periods, increasing the
productivity of students in class, And improving neural connections within the students
brains.
According to Dr. Lesiuk of our resolution will help create a more productive
environment by decreasing student anxiety during completion of independent tasks. She
cites a previous study by Knight and Rickard, stating Quote Music may also serve as
an anxiolytic treatment, that is, an anxiety preventative or anxiety reducing measure.
Knight and Rickard (2001) explored the effect of sedative music on participants
subjective and physiological stress levels following a cognitive stressor involving
preparation of an oral presentation. Significant increases in physiological stress were
reported for those who prepared the task without music, while the presence of music
suppressed significant increases in subjective anxiety, systolic blood pressure, and
heart rate. Further, individuals value their own or preferred music when considering
the music that best relaxes them end quote. Therefore students at NOVA should be
allowed to listen to their OWN preferred music during these periods. Students who
experience anxiety, particularly in classes which they have difficulty, will likely see their
grades increase if they are able to complete work in a relaxed environment as opposed
to an overly quite, anxiety inducing environment
Additionally/Also Dr. Lesiuks research points to our resolution creating an
environment which is more productive. In an August 2012 New York Times article,
reporter Amish Padnani summarizes Lesiuks study stating quote Dr. Lesiuks research
focuses on how music affects workplace performance. In one study {} she found that
those who listened to music completed their tasks more quickly and came up with better
ideas than those who didnt because the music improved their mood. End quote. There
is a direct link cited in Lesiuks study between a work environment with reduced anxiety
and improved work performance. The link is that worried brains tend to wander off task
while those who are happy tend to stay on task and complete tasks in less time.
Lastly/Furthermore according to Don McMannis, an expert on children's music
from an Edutopia article by Professor Elias of Rutgers University using music in the
class room increases brain function because (quote) Music is [] an effective, almost
magical medium for learning and retaining information. It activates three different
centers of the brain at the same time: language, hearing, and rhythmic motor control. By
inducing emotions, it also creates a heightened condition of awareness and mental
acuity. Words paired with music are far easier to retain. As an example, most of us can
remember the words and meanings of songs we haven't heard for years. Isn't it

interesting how you still remember your ABCs? (end quote) By this theory students
should be able to not only complete tasks in less time but also learn more within that
smaller amount of time. If students were this efficient at NOVA they could learn even
more in the school year and be better prepared than their counterparts when they have
graduated to the college level.
Clearly, judge, our resolution would bring about an improved scholarly atmosphere at
NOVA academy as music has been proven to help alleviate student stress during work
periods, increase productive of individuals, and improve the way in which the brain
learns new ideas, words, and concepts.