As students reach for their AirPods during class, opinions at Mid-Pacific remain divided: does listening to music enhance focus and productivity, or does it interfere with learning? With strong arguments on both sides, students’ freedom to listen to music while learning remains a debated topic.
Mid-Pacific students have their own opinions on whether music is beneficial to their learning, with some arguing that listening to music increases their focus.
According to students, music can help them stay focused by, ironically, keeping them distracted. Music blocks out other minor distractions in the classroom for occupied teens.
“If [students] can’t listen to their music, they’ll just start talking to their friends, and then they’ll cause a disruption,” freshman Aatiyah Jefferson said.
Another benefit of listening to music in class is its ability to help students stay awake during early mornings or exhausting class periods.
“If I don’t have my music on, I get really bored, so I pretty much just fall asleep [in class],” sophomore Leon Bui said.
Ultimately, teachers are the ones in control of whether or not students can have access to music while working in class, and they have varied opinions about how listening to music can affect students’ learning.
“I think music can help you get into a better mood so you’re more productive. I think music has the potential to motivate people. We’ve just got to be a little thoughtful on how to use it,” English teacher Maya Garcia said.

While music can help to energize and motivate, there are concerns about how certain types of music can be distracting when students’ attention is required for a lesson.

“It’s the specific type of music [that affects students’ focus]. It’s the music where you don’t have to follow the beat and sometimes the ones without words. How do you hear anything? How do you contribute?” science teacher Michael Valentine said.
While the opinions of both students and teachers understandably vary, a study published in WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation supports the idea that music without lyrics can actually be helpful.
The authors state that “if background music is played in work environments, music with lyrics should be avoided because it is likely to reduce worker efficiency. Instead, music without lyrics should be selected.”
In the end, it is ultimately up to teachers if they think students should be able to listen to music during class. This decision mainly depends on the work and the trust between students and teachers.
“I tell all parents what I call ‘trust and verify,’” Valentine said. “I trust you’re listening to music. I’m still gonna verify because people play Twitch and watch shows on YouTube.”