Music, nature or silence: Inside the headphones of NC students
When looking down hallways or in classrooms, NC students wear headphones or a similar alternative in their ears such as AirPods. Students wear headphones to block out the noises of school or as a tool to stay focused. The Chant recently conducted a survey that revealed the type of sounds NC students listen to, the reasons the students listen to them and when they listen to certain sounds. The results concluded that students typically focus on the lyrics instead of the people and noises around them. Others embrace themselves in nature to stay focused since they cannot focus on words in the background but still need noise to drown out the noises around them. Certain students wear headphones as a way to block out all noise. Even though students may listen to one type of sound, 81.8% of students said that they vary the type of sounds in their headphones with the context of their activities
The majority of students surveyed expressed that they normally played music in their headphones at school for background music or to help them stay engaged while learning. The lyrics of the music they listen to help distract them from the people talking around them. All students who took the survey chose music as the best option for at least one of the surveyed categories: testing, studying, working on classwork, doing homework and overall productivity. These conclusions prove logical as researchers have proved music improves concentration, eliminates boredom and lowers stress.
“Music keeps my cool and it makes me feel composed; jazz music specifically. I like to find stories within a song if that makes sense which in turn keeps me engaged and not from falling asleep. During school that is all I need to do for real. I use music to block out my surroundings since the majority of my classes, so it is like a little bubble for me,” sophomore Avery Bunn said.
Silence remains the second preferred response, according to NC students. At NC, a surplus of students’ headphones include a noise-canceling feature. Given that background sounds can disengage them from their tests, the majority of the surveyed population believe silence serves as the optimal option for testing. Furthermore, people who use noise-canceling headphones do so to block out the background noise or peer conversations. On the other hand, silence can prove detrimental to students because it leaves them alone with their thoughts and provides no outside distractions. This represents the main disadvantage of silence for students. While a handful of students enjoy the peace of silence, others do not.
“I get too distracted if I listen to music. I can play it and it works fine. It just doesn’t maximize my time the best. Silence makes me work most efficiently since my brain can’t focus on many things at once,” magnet sophomore Keazandra Clyne Verdeflor said.
Nature noises became the least-picked surveyed choice of what NC students listen to in their headphones. Students listen to natural noises to help them stay focused and engaged in class. Since students cannot work outside in nature, the essence of nature helps emulate a similar environment and peaceful atmosphere. Also, the sound of calm forests or relaxing ocean waves helps students destress from schoolwork due to the tranquil connotation these familiar noises hold. In the categories of studying, classwork and overall productivity, silence and nature are tied. A handful of students seem to think that the negative aspect of the three choices involves the sounds of nature; they do not think nature sounds soothing.
The results of this survey concluded that the majority of students use music to stay focused at school. Despite varying opinions on what students prefer to listen to during school hours, the majority of students prefer to wear headphones and listen to the sounds that they think will improve their focus. Since every student possesses varying preferences, headphones remain essential to fit their different needs.
