AACC students say they prefer to listen to classical music while they’re studying.

In an informal survey of 50 students on campus, 17 said they like to listen to classical music while they do assignments. A dozen said they usually choose rap, electronic, lofi or white noise. And 10 each said they listen to country and pop. A few others said they prefer rock, regional, hip-hop, jazz or indie.

“It helps me concentrate a lot,”  first-year education student Amanda Santos said. “It kind of helps me romanticize my homework. I can pretend I’m in some grand library.”

According to a national study by Grand Canyon Education, 41.8% of students said they benefit from listening to music while doing homework. In fact, they said it helps reduce stress, improve focus, reduce distractions and stay motivated while working.

Fourth-year theater student Milo Starling listens to rock music while doing homework because the beat of the music helps with concentration. “If it’s pure silence, I get distracted a lot,” Starling said.

“I think it just relaxes me because I’m anxious and nursing school is really stressful so having that music in the background just calms everything down,” fourth-year nursing student Leslie Rhodes said.   

Nursing student Anna Trochimowicza, who will graduate in May, said country music helps her calm down, especially when she’s stressed. “Music definitely helps lower my stress level,” Trochimowicza said.

Some students said they don’t listen to music as they are doing their homework.

“Because usually I’m trying to do math or something and it kind of messes with me,” Stevi Davis, a second-year engineering student, said. “I can’t think when I hear people talking at the same time.”