This year at Dobie Junior High students are now allowed to listen to music in class when permitted by their teachers. Most students say they appreciate the change while for some it is also a way of focus and stress relief.

Administrators say the change was made because teachers and students gave input saying their focus and work would improve while listening to music . Teachers said that students’ work ethic while listening to music improved, said Mrs. Altamirano, Dobie Assistant Principal.

Ever since the change this year, students have been enjoying  rules of music and even the teachers see a difference in the students when they are listening to music.’’I feel that because they are listening to something they are not focused on talking to their friends,’’ said Ms. Johnson, 7th grade math teacher. 

Teachers at Dobie have different rules in place for music. Some teachers only permit music during quiet independent work. 

Music is a very important part of our world today, and at Dobie, it’s no different. Some students say that music allows them to focus in class more. Some students even say that they couldn’t make it through school without listening to something while they were working. 

Music is a very influential thing in this day and age and most students at school listen to music in their daily lives due to this almost all of the students are happy due to the recent change. Some students say listening to music helps them focus on their work. “It gets me focused on my work and nothing else,” said Jordan Vorheier, an 8th grader.

Although this is the change the administrators made, is it really a good change to the school rules? Well according to Study.com who have done a study on if it is good to listen to music: “Students who listen to music with lyrics while completing a reading or writing task seem to be less efficient and come away having absorbed less information.’’

Music can help students feel better too. According to  National Center for Safe Supportive Learning Environment website, “Listening to music during class reduces the feeling of anxiety and stress.’’

To be productive, students should choose study-friendly music to listen to. An article on the Hey Teach website by Western Governors University (WGU), reported that the type of music that students listen to while working is important. According to the article: “Music with high intensity ( such as hip-hop) is more distracting and had a greater (negative) effect on task performance and concentration.”

Experts say music can have a good effect on the brain. According to Be Brain Fit, a health and wellness website, “Children who have musical backgrounds do better in subjects like language, reading, math and have better fine motor skills than their non-musical classroom.”

Resources:

• https://study.com/
• https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/should-you-let-students-listen-to-music-in-the-classroom1709.html
• https://bebrainfit.com/music-brain/
• https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/voices-field/how-does-music-benefit-your-classroom-or-school-community-most