Should college students listen to music
while writing?
It started at the Starbucks on
campus. I sat at an open table with my
headphones on, listening to Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire”, while I wrote a
creative piece. Then, it hit me—how was
the Boss’ song influencing my writing?
Well, not so much Bruce, but music in general.
Think about it—nowadays most of us
can’t even function without listening to music.
I know I can’t. Whether I am
doing homework, or simply writing for school or pleasure, I’m listening to
music. When homework seems unbearable, I
play pop music to help alleviate the stress and push me through. When I’m writing, I listen to slow music to
get me in the mood, to give me ideas, and to help me think faster. Music helps me—but, does it have the same effect on
others? In other words, does listening
to music help or hinder the writing process of college students?
Although there have been studies showing
music’s negative effects on the college student’s writing process, there has
yet to be a study on students listening to their own musical choices while
writing. How would the student’s choice
of music affect their writing process?
Would it positively or negatively influence it? As college students strive to excel in their
studies, we need to fully understand how music—familiar and unfamiliar—affects
the writing process.
Literature Review
In 2001, the article “The effects of
background music on word processed writing” by Sarah E. Ransdell and Leonard
Gilroy was published in Computers in Human Behavior. The purpose of their study was to determine,
“whether background music disrupts [college students] ability to word process
fluently and effectively” (141).
Prior to the experiment, the
researchers administered a questionnaire to 45 volunteer students. The questionnaire revealed that “67% [of the
participants] had been trained to sing or play a musical instrument, [and] 51%
sometimes listened to music while word processing” (143). Afterwards, the
participants were tested. The procedure
used for gathering data went as follows:
"All subjects participated in both
the silent and music conditions.
Participants wrote two 10-min
essays using a simple word processor, first in a silent control condition, and second with one of the following, instrumental
music, vocal music, or both. The silent control will henceforth be compared to
simply the “music” condition since none were reliably
different from one another on any dependent measure. Participants wore headphones in both conditions and were not required to
respond or make any judgments; participants
were told to concentrate on writing.
They were told to write as if writing for a professor in class...The two 10-min essays were written on the
following topics: the best possible
college class, best possible college instructor, best possible boyfriend/girlfriend, and best
possible vacation" (145).
It
should also be noted that the participants were unfamiliar with the music they
were subjected to.
In order to determine if music
affects word processing, Ransdell and Gilroy looked at the student’s writing
fluency, average sentence length, percentage of long pauses, and writing
quality (144). Writing fluency, sentence
length, and percentage of long pauses were measured using FauxWord—a computer
program. Writing quality was judged by
student peers, and was based on organization, technical quality, word choice
and arrangement, content, purpose, audience, and tone (144).
After collecting the data, Ransdall
and Gilroy found that “the music condition significantly slowed word processed fluency with mean words generated per minute at
18.8 in the silent control condition and 17.8 in the music condition”
(145). As for effectiveness or quality, “it was not significantly
reduced by the music condition” (146).
However, the study also showed that “[w]riters who had high writing span[1],
or who had some musical training wrote essays of higher quality...” (146). In their conclusion, Ransdall and Gilroy
wrote, “One’s writing fluency is likely to be disrupted by both vocal and
instrumental music. And quality will be
especially poor if one also has relatively poor memory skill and limited
musical training” (147).
Although this study associates
student’s poor writing with background music, it doesn’t take into account the
student’s own writing habits or musical choices. If the students in Ransdall and Gilroy’s
chose what they wanted to listen to and when they wanted to listen to it, how
would the study differ?
This subject is important to discuss
since many students listen to unfamiliar music and/or ambient noise while
writing. However, there is a large
amount of students who listen to their own musical choices, under their own
circumstances. Thus, students know what
music to listen to and when to listen to it while writing. My goal in doing this research is not only to
determine if listening to familiar music helps students think creatively and
write fluently, but, also, to expose the choices students make in music
selection while writing.
Method
Whereas Ransdall and Gilroy analyzed
the essays of 45 college students, I chose to conduct a single interview, which
I later transcribed for textual analysis.
I chose this method to get a personal account on the research
topic. I felt that this method was
appropriate because it gives an intimate point of view on the research
topic.
For my research, I interviewed S at
a Barnes and Noble. S is a college
senior and honor student. She is
majoring in English with emphasis in professional writing. She has never played a musical instrument;
however, she did sing in a choir when she was younger. Nonetheless, her days singing in choir are in
her past. S has been writing since
second grade and started writing frequently in her diary at 11. It wasn’t until college that S started
listening to music while writing. S
normally writes with a pad and pencil at her desk while listening to music over
her laptop. The music is not random;
hence, she has a playlist dedicated for when she writes. Her playlist consists of 16 songs, most of
them by John Mayer. That being said,
this qualifies her as the perfect subject for my study.
After the interview I transcribed
the data. I labeled S’s speech in five
distinct ways:
1)
CAPITAL LETTERS = stress on words, which is higher in pitch from her normal
voice.
2)
Italicized Words = fast
talk, which is faster in speech than her normal talk.
3)
Underlined Words = low voice tone, which is lower in pitch and smoother
than her normal talk.
4)
Regular words = normal talk.
5)
[laughing] = S laughed.
When doing this textual analysis, I
analyzed the content, along with these 5 distinctions in speech to answer my
aforementioned research question. In
some instances during the transcription, I labeled the dialogue with two
indicators.
Presentation and Analysis of the Data
This data will focus on the
following: Listening to music while studying and writing; music’s influence on
the writing process (i.e. brainstorming, drafting, and/or revision); and how
listening to music while writing positively affects a writing environment.
Definitions
Familiar music is music known and liked by the
subject. It is music that the subject
listens to regularly. This music can be
found on the subject’s iPod, MacBook, or any other listening device.
Unfamiliar music is music unknown by the subject. It is music that the subject does not listen
to.
Upbeat music is most commonly known as techno/house
music. This type of music is often associated with dance clubs; hence, it is
known for its fast tempo. During the
analysis S says, “I don’t really like...like loud and like...upbeat when I
write, going out that’s a different story.”
When S says this she is referring to club music.
A Writing
Environment is a state in
which writing occurs. A positive writing
environment fosters creativity and fluency (effortless flow while
writing). A negative writing environment
will cause the opposite effect—stifled creativity and fluency while engaged in
writing.
Listening to music while studying and
writing
Most college students often listen
to music while committing themselves to a variety of activities. S is no different from her college
peers. S listens to music while working
out, driving, getting ready for school, and writing. When asked why she listens to music while
exercising, S says, “Well, I don’t listen to the same music while I’m working
out. BUT when I listen to music when I’m not working out, it just MAKES
ME FEEL GOOD
[laughing].” Instead of answering the
question, S makes it known that she doesn’t listen to the same music outside of
exercising. She then makes it imperative
to focus on the positive feelings music has on her away from physical
activity. The fact that S’s voice
pitches and speeds up on “MAKES ME FEEL GOOD”, confirms a pleasant emotion. The laughing at the end of S’s answer
indicates comfort. In S’s case, the
music that she listens to has a specific function, which evokes specific emotions. The music she listens to outside from
exercising gives her positive emotions.
And the music she exercises to isn’t enjoyable, since she never defines
it as a good feeling.
When S is asked to discuss her music listening
habits when she engages in homework and studying, her language turns
negative. Regarding the completion of
homework while listening to music, S says, “YEAH, but I can’t listen to like
upbeat music when I’m doing homework. Cuz then I just start like...I can’t
concentrate.” The beginning of this
statement (i.e. YEAH, but...) indicates conflict between music and
homework. S admits that she listens to
music while doing homework, but not upbeat music because it affects her
concentration. S can’t concentrate while
listening to upbeat music because she links this type of music with dance
clubs. Nonetheless, when S is asked
about music helping her study, she says, “Uhm, I don’t STUDY when, I don’t
listen to music when I study. But I listen to music when I like write things or
when I’m doing something else.” S not
only says that she doesn’t listen to music while studying, but her answer to
the question implies that it doesn’t help her.
Because S concludes the answer with listening to music while writing and
“doing something else” her language suggests that music does indeed help.
This part of the interview suggests
that some students choose specific music to listen to for each activity they
participate in. As a result of the
student’s own selection of music, they become motivated to engage in these
activities. Listening to music also
seems to alter the student’s emotions.
That said, if students listen to their own playlist or favorite musician
while writing, it would seemingly evoke emotions and motivate them to write.
Music’s influence on the writing
process (i.e. brainstorming, drafting, and/or revision)
Later in the interview, S discusses her
habits of listening to music during the writing process. When S is asked how music affects her
brainstorming and drafting, she says, “Uhm, I GUESS it’s different because when
I’m brainstorming or coming up with ideas it’s like just random songs that like
make me THINK. And I guess when I already have an idea and I’m writing, I’ll
like listen to something like more like JOHN MAYER. Something that I’m used to.” In this quote S explains that she listens to
random songs during brainstorming.
Nevertheless, during drafting S listens to John Mayer—an artist she is
familiar with and comfortable writing to.
Her language in this quote implies thought into the question; hence, it
begins with “Uhm, I GUESS.” S emphasizes
“THINK” to define how random songs create ideas while she brainstorms. Similarly, John Mayer is accentuated to
define who she listens to while drafting.
In both of these stages, S uses music to influence her writing, which is
quite different from when she revises.
When S talks about revision, she
says, “And THEN, uhm, and then, actually when I REVISE, I like read out loud a
lot to myself. So, I don’t think I listen to music when I
do that. Cuz I think I read
the same over and over and over again, like out loud. And people might think, I’m—” Unlike brainstorming and drafting, S can’t
listen to music when she revises. The
emphasis on “THEN” and “REVISE” indicates that she is retelling her experience
when she revises. S increases the speed
in her answer when she says, “I don’t think I listen to music when I
do that.” The increase in S’s language may imply that
she is confident and uncomfortable with the answer; confident because she is
able to form the answer without indicating thought; uncomfortable because she
rushes through her answer. Perhaps her
uncomfortable feeling is associated with listening to music while
revising. At the end of S’s statement,
she explains why she doesn’t listen to music: “Cuz I think I read the same over
and over and over again, like out loud.
And people might think, I’m—”
Again, S is gathering her thoughts in this statement. She then exaggerates her revisionary stage
when she says, “I read the same thing over and over and over again.” During revision S reads her writing multiple
times. This repetition indicates that
revision is a dedicated process which, in S’s case, involves intense reading
comprehension.
This segment of the interview
demonstrates music’s influence on the college student’s writing process. As seen in this portion of the interview,
listening to music while brainstorming and drafting can positively affect the
student’s writing process. Familiar
randomized songs played during brainstorming can help students conjure up ideas
prior to drafting. Ideas are important
because they setup a paper’s topic.
During drafting, students listening to familiar music can improve
fluency during writing. Again, this is
important because it allows the student’s writing to flow without being
stifled. Conversely, listening to music
while revising may be counterproductive; thus, revision involves the
manipulation of ideas and reading comprehension, which can be interrupted when
students listen to music. It should also
be noted that a student’s freedom to choose his or her own music during the
aforementioned process implies that students know what music to listen to and
when it applies.
Listening to music while writing
positively affects a writing environment
During the interview, S describes a
specific instance when she wrote while listening to music. S’s story begins with her traveling into New
York City for work. She says, “Mmhmm. And
I was on the train. And then I was, cuz I was in a BAD mood. I was writing about how going into the city
SUCKED. And it was like a little
short story. And it was kinda FUNNY.
I liked it.” S is
retelling the story as if she was there.
S says that she was in a bad mood during this time. Her emphasis on “BAD” and “SUCKED” implies a
negative tone, which would satisfy her negative mood at that time. Nonetheless, S’s tone turns positive when she
discusses the short story she wrote while listening to music on the train. “And it was kinda FUNNY. I liked it.” The emphasis on “FUNNY” defines her thoughts
on her story. And the tone in which she
says, “I liked it”, confirms her positive feelings towards her written
story. Both of these indicators combined
with the content imply a positive tone.
In essence, S used music to alter her mood.
Later S is asked if music affected
her writing and how so. She says, “Well, YEAH.
I like, well it helps me like zone—zone out from everyone else, I
guess. And, uhm, I think ACTUALLY,
wow this is making me THINK, actually I think it’s better if I don’t listen to
the same songs over and over again. Cuz
like each song kind like, cuz each song makes you THINK like a different
kind a way.” When S says, “Well,
YEAH” this emphasis implies agreement, in that, music did help her. She later says that listening to music
allowed her to “zone-out” from everyone else.
Judging from the context, “zoning-out” is a state of mind in which S is
able to write without the physical and emotional stressors associated with her
environment.
As witnessed in this part of the
interview, music can alter a student’s mood as well as create a positive
writing environment despite a negative atmosphere. By listening to music while writing, college
students can “zone-out” from physical and emotional stressors, and focus their
efforts on writing.
Conclusion
Music, unfamiliar and familiar, affects
the writing process. Whereas, the
research conducted by Ransdell and Gilroy proved that listening to unfamiliar
music during writing disrupts fluency and quality, listening to familiar music
while writing can benefit the writer in a few different ways.
First, listening to familiar music
while writing can evoke emotions and motivate the student to write. This is important because it creates a
positive writing environment. And a
positive writing environment creates productivity. Second, listening to familiar music that’s
shuffled during the process of brainstorming helps create ideas. As a writer, ideas are imperative before
beginning a draft. As students draft their
papers, listening to familiar music can increase writing fluency. On the other hand, students listening to
music while revising may disrupt this stage; hence, as mentioned earlier,
revision involves reading comprehension and manipulation of ideas. Third, listening to familiar music while
writing can establish a comfortable writing environment. A comfortable writing environment fosters
creativity and fluency in writing.
This research also shows that the
student’s choice in the matter is vital.
Students know what they want to listen to and when they want to listen
to it during their writing process. This
is unlike the research conducted by Ransdell and Gilroy where students were not
given the option to listen to their own music or when to listen to it.
Works
Cited
Ransdell,
Sarah E., Leonard Gilroy. “The effects of background music on word processed writing.” Computers in Human Behavior
17 (2001): 141-148. Elsevier Science Ltd. Web. 2
Apr. 2013. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563200000431
