How Classical Music Can help You Study

Classical Music, My Secret Weapon: Beethoven, Bach, and Brain Power

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As the single mother of two beautiful, intelligent, extremely active daughters, ages 16 and 6, concentration isn’t something, I have the luxury of. Neither is brain power after getting them both to school, one to and from her part-time job, the other to and from cheerleading practice, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and school functions, and my speaking engagements. When you add that to my life as an entrepreneur, which means no days off, it’s a wonder my shoes are on the right foot from one day to the next.

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I had to find some balance. And with that, a way to make sure that I kept my mind sharp, and I’m able to focus on the tasks at hand, as well as the ones to come. People always ask me what my secret weapon is, and how I manage to make it all happen. Well, I’m giving y’all the inside scoop. You ready? Read on…

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We’ve all heard about classical music and how it aids in concentration. I’ve seen women walking around with headphones on their bellies that when curiosity gets the best of me, and I ask, tell me that they’re playing classical music for their unborn to help with brain development. I think it’s cute and thoughtful, but I didn’t look any further into it until I settled into my career. I’ve been an author for 16 years and an editor for almost 4. Great right? Well, we all know that there are challenges with these careers, just as with any other career choices. As an author/writer, I needed something to get me going and keep me crunk, yes I said crunk, during the five, ten, and sometimes thirty-six to forty-eight-hour stints that I devote to writing my novels. For this, I use trap music and R&B. Hey, I write Urban Fiction and Lesfic, what did you expect?

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But, as an editor, the jobs can become redundant. There’s a lot of repetition, in the corrections and even in the proofing, to make sure that the storyline is intact. For this, I have learned that classical music helps a great deal. I have the attention span of a toddler, in real life. And when I find myself distracted, I put on my Skull Candy headphones and turn on one of my Classical for Concentration playlists. With the help of the great classical composers and even the more recent ones, I’m able to bang that edit right on out.

Recently, I was contracted as a writer with Submit Your Assignments. This is a bit different from writing fiction because it requires meeting academic requirements. But, because we all know how tedious writing for academia can be, this was yet another task that I had to turn to music to get that extra push.

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I tried to trap music. But imagine songs about guns and drugs when you’re trying to write about business structures, or psychological theories, or worse, biblical concepts with regards to a real-world experience. Right. Didn’t work.

Then I tried R&B, but love songs and academic writing just didn’t mesh. Listening to a song about a metaphorically broken heart doesn’t really work when writing a paper about anatomy and physiology. That was another no-go.

Finally, I gave classical music and shot and— BINGO! It worked. Classical music is the shiznit. And, I have to admit, when I’m listening to it, I feel smarter. The light, flowy feel of it, or the more aggressive tracks, dependent on what I’m writing, get those juices flowing and put me in a great headspace at the same time. (See what I did there? Lol.) I have even tried it when I’m writing my fiction, and it works.

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So, the verdict is in. Whenever you find yourself burning the midnight oil, and you need a boost, be in writing or editing a paper or a novel, studying for that test that when you just can’t seem to get jiggy with the content, or even trying to focus when you meditate… Classical music is it! Give it a try and feel free to comment on whether it works for you. I’ve even included my favorite classical music playlists on YouTube and Spotify for you to give it a try.

You’re welcome.

Til next time,

Write On!

Joi Miner

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/R0kl9xFVSnI