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Created on: September 28, 2009   Last Updated: October 01, 2009

The Effects of Music in School

Listening to any music in school can help students focus more. Music can help mask any distracting background noise generated by fellow students, or it can serve as inspiration in art and English classes. Students who cannot focus their attention during independent work periods will listen to music to help them concentrate, but there are many teachers and administrators who force them to remove their iPods or MP3s, deeming those as the distraction instead of the student's peers. It has been proven that students who study music often have better grades in school, and that music helps develop the brain, yet teachers insist on students removing their ear-buds, even during silent work periods.

It is understandable that teachers do not want students listening to their iPods while they are teaching class or during exams. However, many students feel frustrated when they cannot work with music like they do when they aren't in class. Speaking as a student who needs music to focus, I often feel resentment during classes, especially math, when my teacher refuses to let me listen to music. I listen to music at home when I work, and it masks the conversation from my peers who will distract me during class when I can hear them talking. Music is a huge aspect of our society. The music you listen to can define who you are, or give you a connection with complete strangers.

Unfortunately, some people take what music you listen to as an indication to what your personality is like. If you listen to rap, you're violent against others, if you like rock n roll you're a trouble-maker, if you like heavy metal you will do poorly in school. These prejudices are not always correct. If you were to judge me by this mini-essay I have written, what would you guess my favorite music is? I enjoy a variety of music, but my favorites are rock n roll, heavy and symphonic metal.

This essay was in fact written while listening to Coheed and Cambria. Music is an important aspect of many teens lives today. To deprive them of the privilege to listen to their favorite songs as they work is a crying shame, since that ten minutes with music may help them solve that unsolvable math problem or unlock inspiration for the short story they need to write in English class.

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