For most high schoolers, listening to music is a regular habit. Whether taking the bus to and from school, going on a long road trip with the family, or reading and\or studying. Music has always been a means to get lost in oneself. Even as a student crams for a big test due the next day, they will have their headphones and electronics nearby.

Most teachers might say that listening to music while reading or studying is distracting. In reality, listening to music might actually help improve studying, but only when done in a way that suits the individual student’s needs. Instrumental music is the simplest way to go about it. Music without lyrics might not sound all that appealing for most students, however, it helps to not distract from studying.

This doesn’t mean that you have to play Mozart or Beethoven. There are many instrumental covers of today’s radio hits available. The key to making instrumental music help your studying is to find the type of music that helps you relax, but at the same time, not zone out. Instrumental music also might help relieve any stress or anxiety accumulated throughout the day or while studying.

However, instrumental music doesn’t work for everyone. If multitasking is difficult for you, listening to music might not help your studying. It should be noted that this method isn’t an overnight miracle worker. Instrumental music won’t give you higher memory, though it might help learn things at an easier rate. It may help with studying for a quiz or test, but not so much with memorizing a presentation.

Some students might feel that music with lyrics helps them better with their studies.

The thing with lyrics is that they take up most of your focus. For example: Let’s say that you need to write or type an essay about Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon culture while listening to regular music of your choice. If you get easily distracted, you might end up writing\typing the lyrics of the song you are listening to instead. The music might end up hindering studying if it’s the only thing you can focus on.

With Instrumental, you won’t accidentally type lyrics since the only voice you’ll hear is your own. The background noise will keep you from getting bored when reading a novel for English class or cramming math equations into your head.

In the case of reading, Instrumental music will help deepen your reading experience. Hearing an epic soundtrack along with an epic novel paints a clearer picture of what is going on.

Instrumental music doesn’t just have to be for school work. Besides for reading, it can help create motivation for things like drawing and painting. It can help with any stress or anxieties you may have, or just give you something new to listen to.