Coffee shops are renowned for providing the potent drink
that lures students and workers who seek to increase their productivity levels.
However, today, they also contribute the atmosphere. Almost all coffee shops
have music playing, a background to the quiet chatter and typing of keyboards.
Coffee shops are only one example of how people identify music with a relaxing
atmosphere. Music is an essential for productivity levels. It is a key player
in reducing levels of stress and anxious thoughts that might intrude over the
course of an individual’s studies. However, not all music allows the listener
to be calm and focused. Past experiences with or knowledge of a music piece may
contribute as a distraction rather than a clutch for productivity levels. Well
then, it must be asked if there is a
genre of music that could fit for all audience types independent of their past
experiences with music. In this paper, I will argue that the music to listen to
is ambient music. An example of this musical genre is the sounds that one might
hear as one walks through a park on a rainy day. I will demonstrate that
ambient music is more efficient in achieving higher productivity levels as
opposed to other genres, and that ambient music is much better than having no
music at all, or silence.
The environment in which an individual studies or is being
taught is an important factor when obtaining new information. Dr. Masaru Emoto,
a distinguished researcher, has proven that different genres of music affect
the structure of water. The water when subjected to different tones and words
by the researcher also reacted differently. For example, for each container Dr.
Emoto spoke to the water softly and to another harshly, played sweet melodies
to one while for another strong beats and erratic notes, and spoke positive
words of encouragement to one while saying reprimanding words to the other. The
water was frozen to observe the formation of crystals. The water which
experienced the soft words, sweet melodies, and words of encouragement saw
beautiful crystal structures resembling that of the ideal snowflakes found in
films. The water which experienced harsh words, hard beats and notes, and
reprimanding words all saw disfigured crystals with no clear pattern or
structure. If water reacts this way, then the environment for a human being,
composed mainly of water, is also very important. Positive stimulus must be
present when learning. Music is one such positive stimulus.
Music is a stimulant to one of the body’s five senses,
hearing. Hearing different noises can affect the body in many ways. One of the
main areas music acts to stimulate is the reduction of stress levels. In an article, Amy Clements-Cortes, a music
therapist, explains that music reduces stress through lowering the heart rate
and by lowering blood pressure. To learn new information, a person must be rid
of distractions (Clements-Cortes 2011). Too many distractions are a source of
stress. Excess stress then can lead to metabolic disorders. As an auditory
stimulant, music signals the perceptual system in the body. The perceptual
system is always alert of an individual’s surroundings. Auditory stimuli that
is perceived as dangerous leads to an increased activation of the central
nervous system. According to a review on the emotional responses to music,
Juslin and Vastfjall lists the way music is perceived psychologically. First there is a brain stem
reflex which stimulates body reaction such as a faster heart beat. Evaluative
conditioning is another response to music. When there is negative or positive
stimuli introduced each time a specific sound is played, that sound produces an
emotion in the listener.The third is emotional contagion. The tempo of the
music, the pitch, and sound level could replicate in the listener a similar feeling.
Images appear as one listens to music and this is referred to as visual
imagery. When someone feels nostalgic during a song and recalls a memory as
they listen to music this can be referred to as episodic memory. Finally,
musical expectancy is the predictability of the music. If the music follows
with a note that is unexpected, or out-of-the blue, the listener will be
surprised (Justin &Vastfjall 2008).
According to the AudioReputation
article on ambient music, the genre was first conceived with the introduction
of the synthesizer. The first known ambient music was heard in the United
Kingdom in the 1970s. In the article “Appreciating ambient”, the genre is
described as that “without any vocals, lyrics, beats, grooves, song structure,
or linear movement” (Moyer 2014) . As discussed in the paragraph above, the
perceptual system would not regard ambient music as a threat. While the
audience would still appreciate the timbral tones and the unique harmony of the
ambient genre, the music remains in the background without stimulating the
central nervous system. Along with the sound of the synthesizer, natural sounds
are also incorporated into the music. These sounds include the chirping of
birds, the movement of water or wind, rain or thunder with variance in the
strength of the rain falling, as well as others.
The sounds are easily
recognizable and no thinking needs to be utilized by the listener to determine
the next measure or next note of the music. Most of the ambient music posted on
YouTube as well as other social media sites follow one theme, thus requiring
little variance. In conjunction with Juslin’s and Vastfjall’s emotional
responses to music, ambient music allows for pleasant listening. In the brain stem
reflex it signals no danger. Because of the positive stimuli associated with
most of nature, such as a vacation spot or a
hot drink when it is raining, the genre leads to a feeling of peace and
comfort. The drawn out sounds of nature, the low pitch, low sounds allow also
for a thoughtful and somnolent emotion. These emotions allow for the music to
stay in the background. When listening to ambient music one is reminded of many
scenes of nature. These are memorable because they build a calm atmosphere in the
mind.There is a predictability in the music because in ambient music there is
no element of surprise. Thus, ambient music is low in sound, easily predictable
due to its repetitive nature, and soft timbral music allows for the relaxation
of the individual from other dangerous stimuli.
To determine whether ambient music is better than complete
silence, one must determine why silence is not a reasonable atmosphere to have
when studying. One common sound that most studiers seek is complete silence.
During finals week, there are hordes of students, their anxieties and fear taut
like a wrung towel, seen around the library in the hopes of finding complete
silence. However, even in the library one finds oneself listening to the sound
of coughing or sneezing, the turning of pages, and maybe even the occasional
snore. Even though these noises exist, they do not persuade anyone to leave the
library. In fact, there are no completely silent zones in a library unless an
individual wears excellent sound cancelling headphones, or if someone is
isolated in a soundproofed room. However, the silence that many seek is not
entirely welcoming to the brain. Silence, according to a documentary done by
Veritasium and published on YouTube, has the possibility of driving people crazy.
The anechoic chamber at Birmingham University was used as the testing room to
determine if , the documenter, could withstand silence for over an hour. While
the documenter did successfully complete the challenge, within minutes he was
talking to himself (and the camera). Through his monologue one can see the
progression of his thoughts become more self-conscious and more aware. A better
documentary can be conducted as to whether the documenter could actually work
in the room. Another example of silence causing unnecessary thoughts and evils
is within the book The Name of the Roseby Umberto Eco. The entire premise of the book can be argued to be that noises
are better than complete silence. The book begins in a monastery whose silence
broods with hatred among the monks leading to murders and ends with a big
sound, the sound of the monastery falling in a big heap of fire as everyone
learns of the secrets behind the murders. While the monks are extremely
studious, working as illuminators and scribes within the silent walls of the
monastery, laughter and chatter were forbidden. Naturally, the silence
increases the tense feeling among the monks, and each monk exhibits increasing
anxiety throughout the book. Thus, the example illustrates that complete silence
only increases tensions and does not seek to remedy anxious thoughts. In
summary, the average brain is always hungry for sound. Unless an individual is
accustomed to silence from the day they were born there is little chance that
the brain can adapt to silence.
As opposed to other music, ambient music is predictable. The
natural sounds of pouring rain, crackling fire, wind rattling through old
shutters are commonplace sounds that humans have heard. As in King Lear, nature
unites everyone, both fool and intelligent, and king and commoner. The
universality of ambient sounds allows ambient music to be relatable. According
to Juslin et al., one of the reasons people listen to music is to match their
emotions with the music. Because many understand nature to be free, expansive,
and all-knowing, individuals may move toward ambient music when they study.
When a person wishes to learn new information for a class or for a job
assignment, their wish for pleasant emotions will help the brain to recall
nature and, thus, ambient music.
While ambient music may be an answer to the genre of music a
student should listen to when they work, there remains a few challenges.
Ambient music has only been recently produced compared to other genres of music
such as classical, pop, or folk to name a few. While the internet has
propagated the usage of ambient music, there was never a large following. The
music of the genre is seen as boring and commonplace. Ambient music is not a
source of entertainment. The reasons stated above force the music into the
background, literally. Much effort would be needed to devote one’s full
attention to the music. However,more importance should be seen among audiences
on the universality of ambient music and its possibility as an effective tool
for studying.
In addition to music there are many environmental factors to
consider when learning. Even if an individual is playing ambient music, there
are four other senses that are receiving stimuli as well. Positive
reinforcement from teachers and fellow colleagues will enhance the amount of
information retained. Study techniques are perhaps even more important than a
relaxing atmosphere. Efficiency is key in learning new information and to
retain information for the long term. There are some illnesses which may
inhibit the effect of music on decreasing stress and preventing external
stimuli. One example is Attention Deficiency and Hypersensitivity Disorder.
Further studies need to be conducted to determine if ambient music is effective
for these individuals.
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