Did you know that listening to music can help you become a better student? Most students listen to music to pass the time, when stuck in traffic or when they don’t want to interact with other people. Besides, even in schools where music is incorporated in teaching, the programs are usually the first to get cut when there are no funds. However, scientific research says there are numerous benefits of music in education.
It boosts mood when a student is sad and be a relaxing tool in stressful situations. Furthermore, students deal with different emotions, which can result from the home or school environment. As a result, an educator can use music to assist students in getting through the emotions. So let’s uncover the benefits of music and how it can be easily incorporated into education.
Enhances Learning
Students who have a hard time understanding a specific subject or assignment can turn to professionals from RankMyWriter accessible round the clock. The writer will simplify any complex topics and make them easier to comprehend. Students who are still having a hard time memorizing the information can use music. It’s crucial to note that students have different learning styles. Aural or auditory learners grasp information taught in a classroom faster and focus much better when music is present than in silence.
Research further shows that listening or performing music reactivates the brain sections associated with:
- Reasoning
- Speech
- Memory
- Reward
- Emotion.
Recent research further shows that music plays a part in helping to retrieve stored memories and in learning phrases and words faster. Besides, for many years nursery rhymes have been used to teach children the alphabet and other crucial information. Thus the musical structure enhances memory and the ability to learn. So the next time you find a specific science process such as glycolysis or carbon cycle or even the period table hard to remember, try turning it into a song, and you will remember it for the rest of your life.
Creates a Positive Mindset
Daily challenges can affect mood and how we view life. But music can affect both attitude and mood. In a stressful situation, music can create a sense of calmness and get a student in the proper mindset. It can also promote a positive attitude and act as an encouragement tool. Slower-tempo music relaxes and soothes the mind and works as great stress management.
That is why people tend to listen to sounds of nature or rain and even classical and jazz to help relax. So if mediation has been less efficient, students can turn to music to achieve the same meditative states. To enhance alertness and boost concertation, listening to faster or upbeat music is encouraged.
Helps With Exam Anxiety
It’s normal for a student to feel nervous or anxious before a test. Challenges that expose students to high levels of anxiety often undermine their ability to perform well on exams. Some students feel more anxious during exam periods than others. This usually comes with symptoms like headache, rapid heartbeat, and excessive sweating.
Exam anxiety can be managed by various relaxation techniques, which include listening or playing music. Recent studies show that active music playing and passive music listening reduce test anxiety in college students. Apart from music being a great coping method for test anxiety, it can also elevate mood and stimulate positive thinking. It also brings the mind to focus and creates an environment for better understanding and recollection of information taught in a classroom.
Ways to Incorporate Music in a Classroom
Students can only reap the benefits of using music in an educational environment if only the right music is applied at the right time. One effective way to effectively use music in school is to start the day with music. That way, both teachers and students can start the day in a good mood.
Educators can also use music as a transition in a classroom. That way, students become familiar with the song and associate it with a particular activity. This helps to enforce good learning habits. Teachers can also introduce music as a way to break classroom monotony and to improve concentration. In some cases, music playing in the background during an art class can reduce chatter and maintain student concentration. However, it can also be a distraction during reading and writing activities.
So the trick is for an educator to know when to use music so that it’s beneficial to the students. Experimenting with different genres of music and seeing how students react to it is the only way to ensure that music will indeed become helpful in education.
