If you think about your average teen, what do you imagine? Most of today’s teens are listening to music all the time. Many say it eases stress and anxiety and helps them focus on tasks. Does music really have an effect? Or is it just an excuse?

When I asked Lodi High School choir teacher, Kate MacRae, about her thoughts on listening to music while studying, she said, “I will speak specifically to music with words… For me personally, it is very hard to focus as I’m reading while that’s happening in the background.” 

Later, she said that that is because she is a vocalist and is naturally drawn into the words within the song. 

MacRae also said, “When I’m doing that kind of work [studying and reading], the options are instrumental music only.” 

Similarly, I asked Connor Anderson, a Lodi High School teacher, if the type of music he listens to changes based on what he is doing. 

He said, “Yes, for sure, like in the mornings I’m listening to classical or jazz, just when I’m working on stuff. When I’m riding in the car or doing things I don’t need to think very hard about, that’s when country, pop, rock, and classic rock come in.”

Anderson and MacRae both had similar responses: they like listening to music that is calmer and won’t be a distraction when doing a task that they need to focus on, but they will listen to lyrical or more interesting and attention-grabbing songs when focus is less important. 

I asked Caleb Rotzoll, a junior, if he liked to listen to music when he studied. 

“I do tend to listen to music when I study, mostly classical Romantic-era pieces. However, sometimes I’ll listen to 70’s rock like the Eagles or Steve Miller Band.” He said.

According to the New York Post, “89% of respondents say they feel more productive at work when listening to tunes, and 84% say music helps them look forward to working more.” 

Not only does music make people feel more productive, but it also makes them look forward to doing work. 

Music clearly has an effect when it comes to school and being able to pay attention to important tasks, but how does it affect people’s daily lives?

I asked MacRae, Anderson, and Rotzoll the same question. How has music impacted your life? 

MacRae said, “It’s just something that’s always been there for me. Always.” She later said, “Then you start doing it [playing an instrument or getting involved with music] as an individual and find the love of it. And you find what a comfort it is to you. When life gets hard and you see how much joy it brings.”

Anderson said, “I think it set a good foundation for who I am. It kind of enabled me to make connections in different parts of my life.”

Rotzoll said, “Music is written to make us feel something; it stimulates our senses in a way nothing else can.” 

As we can see, despite everything in life, everybody is affected by music somehow. Whether that be as simple as a distraction from school or background music while studying, or as deep as it forming your career or changing you as a person, everybody is affected by music.

“It’s the one thing that everyone has in common: we all love music,” Rotzoll said.