Angela Martin

Mrs. Thomas

UWRT 1103-020

April 2, 2018

So far, I think the first draft of my thesis is in relatively good condition. I have

incorporated some “They Say, I Say” templates, which I have found to be extremely helpful in

formatting my writing. This has also allowed me to add in the “I say” a lot easier because I’m

not used to writing in first person in my other classes. I have struggled with the layout of my

thesis and deciding which paragraphs should go first, but I think this issue will be resolved as I

continue to write the paper. I have also pretty much abandoned my outline since my thought

process has taken a different direction than what I had planned, but that’s completely okay. I’m

excited to see where the rest of the thesis takes me in my perspective on the topic and how I will

plan to formulate my ideas.

Beethoven, Rap, or Neither: Is Music Beneficial for Studying?

A belief commonly held by society is that if babies listen to classical music, it will make

them more intelligent. Pregnant women even go as far as playing Beethoven’s sonatas through a

speaker held closely to their abdomen. But does music actually increase their child’s intellectual

ability? How much does music play a part in human developmental growth? Even more so, I

have wondered how much listening to music affects the ability to learn throughout childhood and

into adulthood. In this day and age, access to music is readily available through our smart

devices. College students can be seen at the library with their headphones in, studying away and

tuning out the world with a Spotify instrumental piano playlist. Does this musical stimulation

actually benefit their cognitive ability? Does it improve their memory? Does it depend on the
genre or style of music? As an avid music listener in college, I desire to know whether or not I

am benefitting my studies or deteriorating them. Within this thesis I will be discussing the topics

of music and developmental growth, music affecting cognitive processes, music affecting

concentration, music affecting memory, and the significance of genre choice. Listening to music

while studying has become an integral part of students’ academic lives, and through this thesis I

will dive deeper into its effects that can benefit myself and the larger UNCC community.

Music is one of the defining elements that make us human. No other living creature on

Earth has the ability to compose songs, create instruments, or sing a tune. According to the

Greek philosopher Plato, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind,

flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything,” (Frey). From its

beginnings, music has been rooted in emotion like Plato suggests for religious, entertainment,

psychological, and even healing purposes. The Ancient Greeks even “prescribed” calming flute

music to people in a frenzied state or dulcimer music to those who were depressed. They

believed it had a mathematical connection to the universe that had the power to heal (Growney).

Sociologists and anthropologists have found that every single ancient and current society have

had it as a part of their culture. It is even believed that the creation of music arose before

language was developed (Greenberg). In modern times, music itself may not be believed to have

healing powers, but is certainly still used for religious, psychological, and entertainment

purposes around the globe. It can still be heard at church services, used to help people’s mental

states, and heard in concerts. Overall, the purposes of music have not significantly changed since

the beginning of human history, but our instantaneous access through technology. People in the

early 20th century and before only had the option to hear composed songs in concert, which is

crazy to think about in this day and age. We have radios, Bluetooth speakers, iPods, cell phones,
computers, wireless headphones, and other devices that have made this and recent generations

increasingly listen to music in our daily lives.

Our first encounter with music most likely does not begin with completing homework

when we’re nineteen and studying for a college biology exam. It is often heard, whether we

remember it or not, from inside our mother’s womb to being a toddler in daycare. It has even

been found that infants at the age of eight months old are able to recognize pieces of music after

two weeks of not hearing it. Musical experiences in toddlers and young children such as listening

to music or dancing promote socio-emotional skills, physical skills, cognitive skills, and even

language skills. For example, the sequences and patterns built into songs like “Old MacDonald

Had a Farm” or “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” help young children build early brain connections

relating to math and reading. Rebecca Parlakian, developer of resources regarding developmental

growth, explains that “Music quite naturally provides opportunities to practice patterns, math

concepts, and symbolic thinking skills, all in the context of a joyful noise - which makes it an

attractive, engaging activity for very young children.” Parlakian’s point is that music is not only

fun and appealing for children but also develops their brains in the process.

While the development of the brain through music may be true for babies and toddlers,

what about as we move past childhood and grow throughout puberty and into adulthood? Studies

by John Hopkins University have found that as we age, music acts as an “exercising” tool for our

brains. It stimulates our minds in a unique way by creating vibrations at different frequencies that

end up going through the eardrum and are then transmitted into electrical signals. These signals

travel through the auditory nerve, which is a nerve that processes the sounds we hear, and

eventually reaches the brain stem where the frequencies are rearranged to what we perceive as

music. As one ear, nose, and throat doctor from John Hopkins puts it, “‘Music is structural,
mathematical and architectural. It is based on relationships between one note and the next. You

may not be aware of it, but your brain has to do a lot of computing to make sense of it,’” (Johns

Hopkins Medicine). The essence of their findings is that this rearrangement of frequencies and

perceptions requires our brain to stay active and engaged while listening to a musical piece. I

find this to be an interesting claim because not only do young children develop math or language

concepts from the patterns in music, but so do adults. Even though we already know our ABC’s

and how to do algebra, unlike toddlers, it still exercises our mind.

The engagement of our brains while doing homework would be immensely beneficial

(especially while attempting to solve calculus problems or writing a history paper) but do the

claims by Hopkins still apply while performing cognitive tasks? One of the primary reasons for

listening to music while studying is the claim that it aids concentration and cognitive ability.

Scientists at Stanford University performed a study that sought out to understand how the brain

processes information with music. Ten men and eight women listened to symphonies composed

by William Boyce in the 18 century while the scientists watched their brains in action by using
th

functional magnetic resonance imaging. fMRI technology is an imaging system that shows

which parts of the brain are active during an activity. It was found that the brain became most

active during transitions and pauses in the music. According to the Stanford researchers, “An

event change . . . activates the first network, called the ventral fronto-temporal network. Then a

second network, the dorsal fronto-parietal network, turns the spotlight of attention to the change

and, upon the next event beginning, updates working memory.” In other words, the participants

brains became engaged in the continuation of the musical pieces, which caused memory and

attention span to increase. This study ultimately suggests that music with pauses helps the brain

organize information. Although I agree with the conclusions by Stanford up to a point, I cannot
overlook the fact that the study only used instrumental classical music. They are right that the

transitions in symphonies probably increase cognitive ability, but I do not think this conclusion

applies to all music. Even though rap may have pauses, I think it would have a completely

different effect than classical. I personally listen to classical music when completing homework

that needs my undivided attention, but not any other genre.

(Paragraph about the negative effects of music on concentration)

Another one of the main reasons for listening to music while studying is its potential

calming effects. Getting frustrated, anxious, or confused while studying are feelings that most

students are familiar with that ultimately lead to increased stress. In a study performed by

Myriam Thoma, clinical psychologist at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, researched

whether or not music had an effect on stress levels. Cortisol and alpha amylase; hormones that

the human body releases while being stressed, were measured in 60 women with a mean age of

twenty-five during and after performing a stressful task. The women either listened to relaxing

classical music, nature sounds, or nothing at all during their stressful task. The results of the

study indicated that the cortisol and alpha amylase levels of those who listened to classical music

went back to normal faster than the women who listened to nature sounds or nothing. The

women who listened to relaxing music also had a shorter stress response than the other two

groups. These overall conclusions add weight to the argument that music potentially lowers

stress levels while doing a stressful task (Thoma).

While I find the results of this study to be intriguing, I wanted to hear what my

classmates and other students had to say about music and its calming effects. Within the survey

that I created, I received many comments that described how music made them feel relaxed. An

anonymous respondent stated, “Music has always been therapeutic regardless of the
circumstances.” According to both the conclusions from Thoma’s study and a few respondents of

my survey, music can be a calming outlet in response to stress. My personal feelings on the issue

are mixed. On the one hand, I do agree that music can ease our mind during stressful situations.

If I am struggling with a math homework set, I might take a break and listen to some relaxing

music to unwind. On the other hand, I’m not sure if listening to music during a stressful activity

is always beneficial. Stress-causing activities like waiting for a test result to come back may

benefit from music because intense concentration is not needed. As previously discussed, some

homework tasks require undivided attention that music can hinder our performance on.

Personally, even though I believe music can have calming effects, I prefer to listen to it before or

after I am studying stressful material to avoid distraction which will make me even more

stressed.