What do YOU listen to while you study? We want to know!

A Grad Student's Playlist of the Best Sound Experiences while Studying

By Samantha Flaherty

As college students, many of us long for a so-called “unwavering focus” when it comes to our studies. We constantly hunt for this transcendent mental state, oftentimes grabbing at music to achieve it. I like to listen to lo-fi hip hop and podcasts the most, but there are plenty more to choose from. 

I was first introduced to the “study music” fad by my stepbrother, who showed me something called binaural beats. They are known as auditory illusions involving different frequencies that play back and forth between your ears. He pulled up YouTube videos with such titles as, “Super Intelligence: 14 Hz Binaural Beats Beta Waves Music for Focus, Memory and Concentration,” (1) and “RELAXING Stress Relief Music: GENTLE VIBRATIONS - Feel Calm and Centered with Binaural Beats” (2). 

Video 1 

Video 2 

I was very intrigued, but also wasn’t sure if he was playing a trick on me. I continued to use them, but found them to be a bit too single-tracked. I like listening to multiple layers of sound. 

This brought me to listening to instrumentals. I find them to be calming, as advertised⁠, though at times they do cause me to yawn! So beware.

Sometimes I’ll find movie scores and TV show soundtracks and listen to those on shuffle. I also like a lot of piano and wind instruments, like the violin. Here’s a few I find helpful: 

• Focus Music for Work and Studying, Background Music for Concentration, Study Music 

• Reiki Music, Energy Healing, Nature Sounds, Zen Meditation, Positive Energy, Healing Music

• Lament - Steve Tibbetts, who is in his own category of instrumental music, is an American composer and guitarist who creates distinct, ambient world music. There's something ethereal about it that helps ease me into a state of calm and peace.

https://open.spotify.com/track/19e0WwcKny5tw89REKNYcF?si=eba3ab8ed6b844bb

After a while, I couldn’t really listen to anything while I worked. I needed pure silence. Sometimes this was fine and necessary; other times it was much more difficult to stay focused and generally feel motivated. I wondered why that was… why does art help to motivate us? What do you think? Answer in the comment section below! 

Eventually, I moved on to world famous lo-fi hip hop on Spotify. It’s soft, bubbly, cozy, and comforting. You can listen to full albums, or just see where your “next song” clicks take you. Pro Tip: falling asleep to lo-fi compilations on YouTube is a great way to achieve rest. Here are few playlists I gravitate towards: 

• SLEEPY Lofi hip hop mix - Beats to sleep/chill to - Deep Sleeping Music  

• Best of lofi hip hop 2021 - beats to relax/study to  

I also love listening to R&B! If that’s your style, I recommend checking out artists like Jhene Aiko, UMI, Kehlani, H.E.R., and SZA. It’s hard though because sometimes I’ll end up focusing on the lyrics instead of my work since I love to sing along to their music. So, I can’t listen to them for too long. Some of my fave songs by the musicians I mentioned above: 

• My Song - H.E.R. 

• Sukidakara - UMI 

• Wasted Love Freestyle or None Of Your Concern - Jhene Aiko 

• Keep On - Kehlani 

• Good Days - SZA

I found out recently that I really enjoy listening to certain podcasts while I work too, depending on the assignment and what my energy level is. I love true crime, shows within the topic of psychology, and duo humor podcasts⁠—my favorite right now is Ear Biscuits with Rhett and Link. 

Red Skies would love to know what our readers listen to! So, if you’d like to share what you’re tuning into lately, throw it in the comment section below! 

Of course, there’s always working with background noise. I’ve found that this is the latest trend circulating on YouTube; creators will upload a video of themselves doing their own assignments, with noises from their lives accompanying what I can imagine is the typing of keys and flipping of pages. Some videos will have timers to help you pace yourself. Some will include break minutes. With my understanding, this is something known as “body-doubling,” where sometimes, in order to get done what you need to get done, the presence of someone else alongside you is encouraging. In a sense, this second person helps hold you accountable. Here are a few videos I’ve come across that might be a good study choice: 

• 3-HOUR STUDY WITH ME/calm lofi/A Rainy Evening in Tokyo/with countdown+alarm 

• STUDY PLAYLIST 3-HOUR STUDY WITH ME POMODOROS/Relaxing Lofi/Cozy Autumn Afternoon/Timer and Alarm 

• 3-HOUR STUDY WITH ME - Background noise, Rain Sounds, 10-min break, No Music 

And finally, my newfound love⁠—healing frequencies, otherwise known as “sound healing.” Similar to binaural beats, healing frequencies are supposed to synchronize with the brain waves in your head and activate de-stressing responses in the body that would then surround the body, putting you in a meditative state. This is a new discovery for me, so I don’t know too much about the science behind them, but I do have lots of videos I like to fall asleep to within this sound category. My thoughts are so chaotic from day come night that having something to subconsciously focus on while I take a quick nap or sleep for hours is really relieving. Some of my most clicked links are: 

• 432Hz Miracle Tone - Raise Positive Vibrations - Healing Frequencies 432hz - Positive Energy Boost 

• Stress Relief - 432Hz - Cleanse Overthinking, Stress, Worry - Binaural Beats - Meditation Music 

• 528Hz - ACTIVATE SELF HEALING & Positive Transformation - Solfeggio Sleep Music 

At the end of the day, listen to what helps you study best! And if that doesn’t work for you, throw in some earbuds! Whether it be blaring techno music or calm classical, cheeky podcasts or peaceful silence, enjoy all of your sound experiences. 

Happy finals, and Godspeed!

Edited by Silver Lindberg