Did you know it has been proven that music makes your blood flow more easily? Music is also proven to lower blood pressure and help with neurological conditions such as ADD or ADHD. As a mature 14-year-old girl, I prefer to work with music to keep me focused and stop me from being so anxious. When I was in a previous grade, a teacher had me remove my headphones because she believed I “wasn’t focused.” Then I only finished my assignment halfway due to my not being focused. Later that day, I had to speak to a counselor because I didn’t feel like myself. To support all students, parents and students should advocate for teachers and school administrators to lift restrictions on music listening during work time.
It seems that many teachers don’t feel comfortable allowing students to listen to music while they work. However, this is a problem because, without music, some people feel out of place or uncomfortable. What they don’t recognize is that music has benefits: According to researchers at Stanford, “listening to music can reduce blood pressure and heart rate in some patients, which are both known signs of stress.” The aforementioned evidence proves that music is beneficial, which is the antithesis of what some teachers believe.
Not all teachers frown on music in the classroom. A former teacher of mine noticed that when she played music while her classes worked, the class would be more relaxed. In juxtaposition, without music, most classes would be loud and wouldn’t get much work done. According to a teacher interviewed on Patch.com, “While the music played, we became our civilian selves again; we entered a better place, far away from war’s woeful worries.” The aforementioned evidence proves that with music, it is possible for people to feel at ease and comfortable.
Considering all the facts, music is known to be beneficial, especially for students who cannot stay focused or can be distracted by other classmates. Music is also a coping skill for those who have anxiety, ADHD, or other mental conditions. Michael Jackson once said: “Gonna make a difference, gonna make it right.” I want to help my classmates, myself, the people with mental health struggles, and music lovers that can’t get comfortable without a melody in mind.
