In the classroom, students love listening to music.  Some might say music can get students off task, but both students and teachers alike believe that music helps increase focus.

Amy Haefner, an English teacher at Horizon High School, says that music impacts people positively.  Haefner plays music for her classes because she thinks it helps them focus and creates a relaxing environment in the classroom.  Haefner usually plays jazz and classical music, along with some lo-fi hip-hop, but reserves upbeat music for celebratory times and social-emotional breaks.  Haefner says, “They [the students] usually tend to be more focused on their work.  They usually tend  to not be as distracted by other elements around the classroom, like other students, or their phones, or other noises in general, because the music really seems to help them zero in on what the task is at hand.”

Haefner also speaks on music and its impact on class behavior, “I definitely think it impacts class behavior because I think having the music on is just a calming force anyway… And I feel like music is one thing that brings us all, kind of, together.  It’s a unifying sort of force.  But I think that, you know, students enjoy listening to music while they’re working because, again, it’s important for that focus; for that sort of background noise or white noise that just keeps them more on task.”

Penny Flaming, a sophomore at Horizon High School, says that music helps block out others and makes it feel like you are in your own world.  This is beneficial to her because it helps her feel more focused while she works.  When asked if listening to music affects her focus, Flaming responds, “If anything, it makes me focus more.  Unless I’m listening to, like, rap.  But if I’m listening to just jazz music, it helps me a lot.”

Horizon High School junior Hayden Roberts says that music helps her stay focused and prevents her from getting bored.  Roberts also talks about how listening to music calms her.

Additionally, Roberts and Flaming both typically listen to their music about halfway up, or even a little louder.  Roberts states, “I usually listen to it at, like, 50-75%. But, during class, I typically listen to music around, like, half volume.  If I’m studying, though, I usually listen to it louder.”

When asked how music affects her productivity, Ava Krueger, a sophomore at Horizon High School, explains, “I feel like it positively affects my focus as long as it is the right type of music.  Like, I feel like rock or something really upbeat wouldn’t help me focus because it would be too distracting.  But, other than that, I feel like it does help.  And if someone else is picking the music, then I feel like I don’t focus as well because then it doesn’t have, like, my favorite songs, or even just calm songs on it.”

Overall, it seems like students and teachers have a positive outlook on listening to music while working, as long as it isn’t too loud or too upbeat.  Both groups seem to agree that classical, jazz, or lo-fi music are the best to listen to while working.