Symphonic Study
Different styles of classical music can help you retain information and enhance your learning process.
From the Mozart Effect to music therapy, the benefits of classical music to cognitive function have been widely studied. Using music to assist in speeding up the learning process by improving memory and retaining information is no secret, but what doesn’t get as widely discussed is that different tempos, rhythms and melodies all impact different stages of learning.
What does this mean? Well, researchers have discovered that different styles of music stimulate various regions of the brain responsible for memory, movement, creativity and language. Hence, music triggers emotional responses, which in different forms can impact on the various stages of learning.
One of these researchers at McGill University in Montreal, neuroscientist Anne Blood said, “You can activate different parts of the brain, depending on what music you listen to. So music can stimulate parts of the brain that are under-active in neurological diseases or a variety of emotional disorders. Over time, we could retrain the brain in these disorders.”
“Music should be the basis of an education, not just something you do once a week.” - Joshua Bell, violinist and conductor
Bulgarian psychiatrist Dr. Georgi Lozanov, spent over 30 years studying the effect of music on memory and learning and was one of the first researchers to discover that music has a measurable effect on the brain at an emotional level. He determined that different styles of music correspond with the three different stages of learning: relaxation, active learning and reflection.
Relaxation and creative mode
This is the first stage of learning, which occurs before any work or study.
In this stage, Lozanov estimated that around five minutes of this low tempo, calm music helps your brain enter the optimal learning state. This is due to this type of music targeting the part of your brain that is most receptive to absorbing new information.
This style of music is useful to play as background for activities such as writing, problem-solving, goal-setting and brainstorming.
- Debussy: Suite Bergamasque L 75
- Liszt: Consolations S 172
- Albéniz: Suite española No. 1 for Guitar op. 47
- Satie: Gymnopédie No. 1 in D major
- Chopin: Préludes op. 28
Active mode
The next step in the learning process is when you begin to study and start to retain new information. During this stage a bold, expressive piece of classical music are said to help you quickly absorb and retain this information.
This style of music is useful to increase productivity, heighten energy levels and increase attention span.
- Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op. 61
- Tchaikovsky: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in B flat minor op. 23 TH 55
- Mozart: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 4 in D major KV 218
- Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor
Reflection mode
The final stage is when you are reviewing, reflecting and subsequently retaining all of this new information that you have just learned. During this stage, you want to listen to more melodic classical music which helps fuse this information into your long-term memory.
