High school can be tough. Going from class to class, working on assignments, and getting my homework done usually leaves me feeling tired or stressed.

When this happens, I put in my earbuds and shuffle my favorite Spotify playlist.

Listening to music is something that is important to many high school students, myself included. Music keeps me motivated and happy. Although music is important to my personal life, does music benefit my education in any way?

In order to keep my grades up I need to study, do homework, and turn in assignments on time. However, it’s music that helps me accomplish this.

Music tends to keep me more focused on my school work. Whenever I’m allowed to listen to music in class, I can really concentrate on my assignments. Instead of it being totally quiet, which makes me feel uncomfortable, I have my music playing in the background. I really enjoy the feeling of listening to my favorite songs while I work.

    I also feel more calm when I listen to music. Doing work for eight class periods straight is tough. Not to mention having to remember deadlines and homework. Sometimes I’m so busy thinking about all this other work I have to do that I begin to feel anxious.

If I feel anxious, I can’t concentrate on what I’m currently doing. This could result in me getting a bad grade on my work. The solution to this problem is listening to music because it temporarily relieves any current anxiety I have.

Although some may think that listening to music while working is inefficient and distracting, it all depends on the person.

Music makes me feel focused and calm. Some people may feel distracted with music, while others might have emotions similar to mine.

It also depends on how good you are at multitasking. For those who are good at multitasking, they can easily listen to music while working on something else. However, some people find this challenging. Everyone has a different perspective.

Others may also argue that listening to music may be distracting to others around you.

There is an easy solution to this problem: earbuds or airpods.      Both earbuds and airpods are small and barely visible. With this decreased visibility, other students are unlikely to notice them or be bothered by them. Unlike when playing music from your phone’s speakers, the only person who will be able to hear the music playing is you. This makes listening to music a minimal distraction for those around you.

Not only do I listen to music, but I also make music. I play the violin in the KHS orchestra.

I usually practice my violin after school and on the weekends. By doing this, I earn practice grades, improve my performance, and get high grades on my playing tests. This all contributes to my overall grade in orchestra. It also allows the orchestra to sound better as a whole group.

Music will continue to be an important part of my life even after high school. After graduation, I plan on going to college and majoring in music theory. As for my career, I want to be a professional violinist.

Instead of using music as a distraction, I choose to use it in a way that it benefits me and my education.