Listening to music has always been one of the many favorite past times of the human race. Not only can it speak in ways that words never can, music expresses and invokes many feelings such as joy, sorrow, anger, and countless others that allow the human race to connect with each other on a deeper level.

Although there are many different types of music that make people feel certain things, the idea of all of those types are still the same, which is to make people feel. As it turns out, listening to music can do more than create both sympathy and empathy.

For a long time, people have questioned the link between listening to music and learning.

According to eMed Expert, music can improve both concentration and the attention span. A writer (name not given) on the blog said, “Easy listening music or relaxing classics improves the duration and intensity of concentration in all age groups and ability levels.”

That is just one positive effect of listening to music while learning. Another positive effect of listening to music while learning is that it improves memory performance.

The same writer said, “Information learned while listening to a particular song can often be recalled simply by “playing” the songs mentally.”

Listening to music while memorizing facts makes the memorization easier. Although there are many good things about music and its effect on learning, there are still a few negative things about it as well.

According to Brain Health and Puzzles (information blog), some types of music are bad for the brain. A writer (name not given) for the blog said, “Some types of music can cause the brain to lose it’s symmetry between it’s right and left halves, or hemispheres”.

That means that the music is distracting from the learning. This happens due to mostly listening to loud music, such as Rock or Hip-Hop.

Briana Reese, a sophomore at NKCHS, said, “I listen to a mix of almost everything, so I don’t have a particular favorite. I listen to more Rock songs than anything though.”

Also, according to Homework Hero (a homework help site), “The complex rhythms of classical music enhance brain activity; simple pop-songs lower it.”

In order to gain more brain activity, one has to listen to a type of music they may not like, which is a negative effect of listening to music while learning. It is better to not listen to music at all than listen to something that is distracting because it isn’t liked.

All in all, listening to music while learning has both positive and negative effects. It helps improve memory, but only by listening to certain types. It can also be distracting, and take away from the learning experience. Music has always been a way of life for the human race, and positive or negative effects, it will most likely stay that way.