“In the 1990’s, a study showed that listening to classical music, specifically Mozart’s sonata for two pianos, improves spatial reasoning skills and test scores,” says article Can Music Help You Study? The question is why does it help? 

“I think music can be a meditative experience,” says Alicia Rodenko, the guitar, piano, and choir teacher at Central Kitsap High School. “It can calm people. I also think that … coming out of the pandemic, how a lot of people kind of turned inward?” 

It doesn’t just help in studying.“I think other people just need the ability to step outside their hectic daily, maybe really traumatic lives,” Rodenko says. 

Music also helps with stress with things called cortisol. “Research shows that cortisol production decreases when you listen to music” says 7 Ways Music Can Help Reduce Stress and Anxiety – ASCAP. 

“Listening to (or making) music increases blood flow to brain regions that generate and control emotions,”According to Why — and How — Music Moves Us | Pfizer

It helps your brain focus and work better while you listen to music. Lots of people turn to classical music, but does it help the most? “People believed that classical music helps people study better and that may not be necessarily 100% accurate,” says Melinda Sauder, exceptional Family member Counselor who has a professional specialization in Music therapy.

“This is called the mozart effect.”

The Mozart effect is an effect “…Believed to help the baby read earlier or perform better,” said Melinda, “That it works for certain people in certain instances.”

The problem is that the Mozart effect isn’t entirely proven true.“The study shows, If they are not a musician… then it does help them with their study skills, but if they’re not a musician, it doesn’t actually help… because they’re following the music,” Said Melinda.

For most people, music that is slow will typically help people the most, “research here says it’s music with 60 beats a minute, that is relaxing” says Katie Perrone, Central Kitsap High School health teacher. 

It is not just music that affects people. There are noises that can also help known as white noise and brown or pink noise. “White noise contains all the frequencies mashed together equally, brown and pink noise put more energy into the lower frequencies, the result being a bassier sound,” says What are white, pink and brown noise? – BBC Science Focus. 

In the end, It all comes down to what kind of music helps. But any music can help, just depends on if it helps you focus. “A big factor that I’ve seen personally. . . is that it really depends on you.” says Sauder. “So I think it depends on you as a person what music you like and what motivates you, and so that would be different for everybody.” 

All music that calms you or catches your attention is likely the music that could help you study best, as long as you don’t get too distracted by the song.