Groovin’ while Improvin’ — What Songs Are RVians Listening To As They Study?

By: Reiko Hungee (24J08)

When you’re a student, every season is exam season. As the A-Levels slowly creep up on me, I find that many of my peers have begun mugging and revising like there’s no tomorrow. I should probably get to that too, so I head to the school library, dump my worksheets on the table, and begin. But as I look around at other students, everyone has some kind of earbuds in their ears, presumably playing music. I, being easily persuaded, join in too. I’m sure many of us can relate to this, but what are we all listening to? Should we be listening to music at all?

The school library, where I say the phrase “I need to lock in” 15 times and fight the urge to go on Instagram.

Personally, studying doesn’t come to me easily because I have the attention span of a toddler, always looking around for anything else to do. To keep my brain occupied when I study, I listen to music to fill the awkward silence in my brain. Although sometimes, it can get a bit distracting. I find myself singing along to the song. I’ll be thinking about what song to play next, doing anything but focusing on the work in front of me. Nonetheless, it has been shown in studies worldwide that listening to music while studying can remove some academic stress, even helping to improve memory.

While there are benefits and drawbacks of listening to music while studying, there is no doubt that many RVians partake in this method of revision. Thus, I got curious — what are RVians even listening to? I made it my mission to interview some of us and find out.

Pop Music

The first thing my mind went to was the latest pop hits, since I fall under this category. Catchy tunes can improve one’s mood as they study, hence making it a more enjoyable experience! And it definitely doesn’t hurt to take a short karaoke break every once in a while.

Both Joslyn from 24J08 and Sinyu from 24J12 listen to music while studying because it makes studying more interesting. For Joslyn, it gives her “the beats and momentum to write and continue studying for longer periods of time”. Sinyu, on the other hand, is a person who doesn’t like complete silence, hence wanting to “add some spice” to her study experience.

Joslyn confesses that this method of studying with pop music sometimes hinders her. “The lyrics and catchy nature of pop songs sometimes distract me,” she adds, “making me lose focus easily.” Though Joslyn thinks pop music prevents us from fully engaging with our work, she admits that sometimes, it’s just what we need to get us into the studying mood. “We can also allow ourselves to ease into studying with pop music first, before slowly transitioning to other genres, or no music too.” There she goes, spoiling the rest of my article!

“I like listening to female pop artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift and Tate McRae!” –Joslyn’s stellar taste in music

Similarly, Sinyu also feels as though music distracts people from “entering the zone” and truly focusing, herself included. “I often end up dancing to the music instead of studying,” she jokes. However, Sinyu manages this by playing music that is less upbeat than her regular playlist, switching out the exciting rhythm of J-Pop artists like Yoasobi for more laid-back songs from HYBS and wave to earth. She feels that such “chill” music creates a calming atmosphere that is more suitable for studying. “I think, if you’re going to listen to pop music, listen to the kind that suits you!”

“When I watch lectures, I play music in the background, but I turn it down quite a bit.” – Study tips with Sinyu

Joslyn and Sinyu both make important points: there are many different kinds of pop music for us to choose from! If having some songs with lyrics played in your ears helps you to study better, selecting the right kind of pop music can really make a difference. After all, while listening to mellow tunes helps some, others prefer raving music.

Classical Music

Next, some of us choose to listen to the original pop icons of music, like Beethoven, Bach, or Chopin. The soothing tunes of classical music and its included instruments, such as the grand piano, have been shown to calm people down, hence making it more conducive for studying.

One such person is Celeste from 24J08. She tells me that while she enjoys the occasional pop song, classical music and songs without lyrics are her go-to when exams are imminent. Though she listens to different artists, she mainly likes The Piano Guys, who masterfully blend modern and classical pieces.

“On Youtube, I especially like the playlist "Classical Music for When You're on a Deadline."

Listening to music while studying helps Celeste to “concentrate better and sink into (her) own little bubble”. A bonus benefit? She feels less inclined to use her devices since they are playing music.

But why does she specifically choose classical music then? Well, for Celeste, simple notes and repetitive melodies help her to keep her mind off her surroundings. She even recommends it over songs with lyrics in them! “When I study with songs that have lyrics,” she says, “I always end up dancing and singing along.” This causes her to be unable to put all of her attention on the work at hand, especially for content-heavy subjects like General Paper and China Studies in Chinese. “Music with lyrics then becomes really distracting,” she remarks.

“From the bottom of my heart, this song is SO good.” –Celeste’s thoughts on “Let It Go (Disney's "Frozen") Vivaldi's Winter” by The Piano Guys

Overall, Celeste recommends classical music to us because it helps her to sit down for hours and just “lock in”. It even makes her very efficient, helping her to feel good about herself. Pro tip from Celeste: “For those who can’t let go of your K-Drama OSTs or C-Pop heartbreak tracks, instrumental covers work just as well! :)”

Haters may say these classical tunes are “boring”, but I think that is exactly why they are suitable for listening to while studying! P.s. That “classical music for when you’re on deadline” playlist will definitely help to wake you up if you’re falling asleep from all the revision!

No Music at all

Finally, as I looked around for RVians to interview, some people shocked me with their reply: they do not listen to anything at all while they do their revision.

Leon from 24J03 recommends this method – it helps him to study better as it allows him to concentrate on his work. But don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, right? Well, Leon had listened to music while studying before, and it didn’t work out too well. “I got distracted by the songs,” he says. These songs make him unable to think properly, which affects the quality of his work, such as being unable to brainstorm coherent points for his GP essay. He thinks that he studies most effectively when he has a clear and focused mind to be able to think better. His advice? “If music disrupts your thinking, it’s best you don’t listen to it while studying.”

Instead of music, Leon does his work with the company of his fish pencil case.

However, Chuen Kit from 24J08 isn’t too sure whether she’d suggest this method. She doesn’t like wearing earbuds because they hurt her ears, hence she’s never had the habit of listening to music while studying. She finds that music “disrupts (her) train of thought and makes (her) very annoyed”, thus finding it bothersome. Even when she does play music, she plays it at super low volumes to tune it out. This ends up in her not hearing the music at all, which defeats its purpose. Despite all of this, Chuen Kit thinks that at least some music should be played in the background while we study. “Sometimes, all the silence makes me bored and restless, but the music makes me unable to concentrate too,” she laments.

Chuen Kit’s study zone in preparation for her upcoming Literature test.

In agreement with both Leon and Chuen Kit, some surveys have found that listening to music while studying can worsen reading comprehension and overstimulate one. However, other studies contrast this, saying that music improves moods and focus! I guess, most importantly, a balance must be struck. Perhaps different subjects require different environments in order to study them effectively. One might need a silent room to revise Literature, but a hyped-up pop banger to tackle Mathematics. Try out all the methods and see what works best for you! I think, for myself, I’ll stick to playing music. A distracted brain is better than an empty brain any day…

Though we may all be listening to different things while we study (or even nothing at all), I am positive that we can all remain productive as the academ

ic year gets harder. I hope we all manage to study well, with or without music playing in the background!