A Study on Music
I usually come home from dance at one-thirty in the morning; it’s cold. My face is red, my hands are frozen, I’m hungry, tired, and just want to go to bed. Having the occupation of a student, however, taking a hot shower, drinking a warm glass of milk, and going to sleep isn’t usually in my schedule. Of course, I’ve got to finish that biochemistry problem set or write that essay for English that will be due in eight hours. At times like these, I need something to keep me awake. Coffee? That stuff stopped working on me in high school, Chocolate? Yummy, but only keeps me going for about five minutes. I needed a long term solution to my problem. Eventually, I turned to music. I created a study playlist that I could listen to while I studied. I recognize that some teachers and other professionals believe that music distracts the brain and forces one to concentrate on either the music or the work. I do agree that some music may cause people to lose their concentration, however, certain types of music may in fact enhance one‘s ability to study. My definition of quality study songs are compositions that motivate me to study and don’t distract me while I’m studying. If a song doesn’t do these two things, then it is essentially useless to me while I’m doing homework. Even more specifically, my study songs embrace four very specific criterion. First, the music cannot be of the pop genre. There are too many fun, sing-along lyrics in pop music. Second, the song cannot make me want to dance. If the song has an upbeat tempo, I will want to dance and then I will be too distracted to concentrate on the task at hand. Penultimate, the music must not make me fall asleep; nothing too soft, rhythmic, or repetitive. Finally, and most importantly, every song on my study playlist must inspire me in some way or another. My top five songs go in a logical order related to where I am in my study schedule and fit comfortably into the criterion I have listed.My first song, “Your Guts” by Reel Big Fish is a pre-study song. When I sit down with a task in mind, I sometimes have negative thoughts like why did this professor give me such a long assignment? It’s so pointless. I’m so angry right now! Having thoughts like these do not do much to quiet the mind. To increase efficiency, I listen to “Your Guts” which helps me get ready to pull a long haul. It enables me to release all my negative emotions before I study. The lyrics relate to my feelings and allow me to vent them. In short, this song elaborates on the dedication of hating someone and how one says the most accursed things when angry. The lines:
“I wrote this song about you
Just to let you know that Your Guts
And I think you suck.”
really hits home on how I feel. It inspires me to not let myself down just because I’m angry. This song motivates me to do my best and show life just what I’m made of! The tune of this song doesn‘t really fit my particular taste of music. It starts with some slow jazz at the beginning of the song. In the middle, it switches to a more mellow rock tune including percussions such as drums and symbols. Near the end, the beat picks up and turns into a more hard rock song that is a combination of “screamo” vocals, loud percussion drums, and the electric guitar. Although I’m not an avid fan of either jazz or rock, the lyrics of this song just really get me pumped. Once the negative feelings are out, it’s time to raise myself confidence.And I think you suck.”
“I’m going to do my best” is always easier said than done. To raise myself confidence when I’m studying, I listen to the song “I‘m Gonna Fly” by Sydney Forest. Again, the lyrics are what inspire me. They are all about believing in yourself and doing things successfully on your own. My favorite lines from the song are:
“And my feet can’t stay on the ground any longer
With every leap of faith I feel a little stronger
Wanna swing from a star in the big blue sky
Don’t wanna watch it all go by so I’m gonna fly.”
These lines are also the so-called climax of the song. Forest’s voice raises to a slightly higher pitch and the music speeds up a little bit before going back to its regular tempo. This song also has a comfortable acoustic guitar playing in the background and a soft tambourine playing at the very beginning of the song. Forest’s voice is clear and somewhere in the second soprano range of vocals. “I’m Gonna Fly” inspires me to fly as high as I can to reach my goals. I feel that I will do well on whatever I am working on. All I can do is give it my all, so I might as well believe in myself. The lyrics are a reminder that I control my work, it doesn’t control me. With every leap of faith I feel a little stronger
Wanna swing from a star in the big blue sky
Don’t wanna watch it all go by so I’m gonna fly.”
Forest’s song is the “get started” song where I’m working on the first couple questions of my homework assignment. My third song, “God of Sun” from the drama soundtrack A Man Called God, is the point where I’m transitioning into my hardcore study mode. “God of Sun” starts off with a fast and war-like melody. It’s engages some light opera, which doesn’t really distract me since I don’t really comprehend what the woman is singing a lot the time. In the middle of the song, the beat loses its drums and changes to a light orchestral melody. In particular, there is a strong piano and violin synchrony. In my head, there is calming image of the ocean. It’s just enough to keep me awake and, at the same time, the tune keeps me from being sidetracked by thoughts other than my homework. It helps that the first part of the song is fast paced since “I’m Gonna Fly” is somewhat slow. Though too much of a fast beat gets me too excited, so the transition from the war-like melody to a slow orchestral sound fits my needs perfectly. The war-like melody gets me riled up into thinking “I’m the best!” When the orchestral music commences, I think of myself by the ocean writing a letter or doing some homework and looking into the sunset with the wind blowing through my hair. It’s pretty much real life minus the sunset and sand. This song inspires me to stay on task no matter how hard it is because in the end everything will be as it should be, so I shouldn‘t give up. It’s like thinking only an hour more until I’m done. Then I can go to bed and turn in this paper tomorrow morning like the good student I am. That is the message I get from “God of Sun” when I listen to it.
After such an intense and somewhat hardcore classical song, I transition into listening to “Lost Butterfly” piano version by Rurtia (pronounced Lu-lu-tay-ya). This song is one that originally always put me to sleep. The artist’s voice is very airy and soft like a lullaby. Then, a friend of mine recommended I listen to the piano version. Many Japanese music critics argue the non-lyrical version of Rurutia’s “Lost Butterfly” is of no value since it is Rurutia’s voice that makes her songs ultimately unique. I, on the other hand, disagree. I feel like the instrumental version of this song is one of the most inspiring songs I have ever heard. Not only does it have the strong memory of Rurutia’s voice in my head, but the song mostly hits the higher keys of the piano. These high notes remind me of the sky. The sky is an image that always pushes me to do my best. I always look for ways to touch the sky. This song fits into the classical category of music. The only instrument in it is the piano and it is easy to focus on since there are no other instruments to divide my attention.
My last song, “Requiem for a Dream” by Mozart was put onto my top five list when I once read from a 2009 Baron’s ACT book that Mozart’s music makes a person smarter. Some scientists doubt this theory stating that Mozart does as much for you brain as Linkin Park; nothing. However, I can’t help but still listen to it out of habit as I once did when studying for the ACT. Just as with Rurutia, I only listen to the piano version of this song. Some skeptics may say that this song is boring in its piano version. There are many versions of “Requiem for a Dream” in orchestral versions with the piano only as an accompaniment. Although I concur that orchestral versions of this song are much more interesting, I still consider the piano version of this song sufficient enough to stand on its own. It is easier to concentrate on my homework when there is only one instrument to focus on than listening to a piano plus many other orchestral instruments as well. The beginning of this song gives me no imagery whatsoever; all I see is black. This is good for some time because I’m only focusing on my work. Then, I start to get an image of myself playing the piano and composing music. While I may not be composing music exactly, I am creating something in my homework. Whether it is paragraphs of an essay or figuring out an RNA complementary strand in problem number five, it is somewhat similar to the image in my head. This song goes from a slow tempo but quickly speeds up while staying on the standard 4/4 metronome. This helps me stay awake when I start feeling sleepy. This song, with its somewhat dark tune, is the perfect ending to my top five songs. By the time I hit this song, I’m usually in a full frenzy to finish my homework. I start speeding up my work pace with the speed of this song. It inspires me to not become lazy and work fast and hard when I start feeling a little crazy and tired. Also, it is a good contrast to “Lost Butterfly” because a lot of the piano notes are low keys, so it gives off a completely different vibe which aids in keeping me awake.
It’s four o’clock in the morning and it’s finally time to go to bed. While I may not have time for a warm glass of milk or a good night’s rest, I have finished my homework and it’s all thanks to the music that keeps me awake during the wee hours of the morning. Granted the fact that I must put my own hard work into it, my top five list for study songs helps me concentrate and work as efficiently as possible. My pre-song helps me get into the mood for studying. Then I’ve got my light study songs and eventually work my way into the hardcore study songs. Before I know it, I’m done and can continue on with the daily rhythm of my life.
