Ten Musicians To Listen To While Studying For Online Universities
October 31, 2010 by michaelm
Filed under Online College, Online Education
One of the best things about earning your degree online is the freedom that online classes offer you. You can do your class work on your own schedule and in a comfortable environment instead of sitting in a cold lecture hall. Learning in comfort can help you to relax and therefore absorb information more readily than if you are surrounded by a lot of distractions like those found in traditional classrooms. To help yourself relax and get into the mood for studying, you can even listen to music, something that you would never be able to do in the traditional classroom setting. Music has even been shown to help you retain information and to boost your test performance, a phenomenon called “The Mozart Effect.” In fact, there are several companies that market music like this to students wishing to improve their grades. Below are ten composers to listen to while studying for online classes.

1. Mozart
The best place to start to take advantage of the so called Mozart Effect is with its namesake, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, perhaps the greatest composer of all time. Mozart excelled in many genres of music, but perhaps the best place to start for the online college student would be the piano concertos. Since they are instrumental pieces, there are not any vocal elements like in opera, which can be distracting.
2. Bach
Like Mozart, J.S. Bach is considered one of the top three composers of all time. Writing in a highly ornamented Baroque style, his music is full of vitality and complexity, both of which can help an online student to focus. Bach’s works for keyboard, like the Partitas, French, and English Suites would set the perfect mood for studying.
3. Beethoven
Perhaps the most famous composer of all, Beethoven also makes for excellent study music for students of online universities. Some Beethoven works like his symphonies may be too loud or bombastic for study, so it’s better to listen to the more introspective string quartets.
4. Haydn
Like Mozart, the music of Franz Joseph Haydn epitomizes the Classical era. His music is full of catchy tunes and motifs, which can blend easily into the background while you are studying. Try listening to his symphonies during a study session. Since there are over one hundred of them, you are sure to have a wide variety to choose from for a while.
5. Chopin
Chopin was the master of the piano and its preeminent composer. His lush and romantic piano works make for the perfect study music. It can induce a sense of tranquility and peace that will help you study. Chopin’s nocturnes are an excellent place to start.
6. Brahms
Brahms’ music is like an extension of Beethoven. Brahms used Romantic musical vocabulary and combined it with Classical forms. His music is lush and rich. If you plan to listen to Brahms while studying for an online university, begin your journey with his chamber works.
7. Schumann
Robert Schumann’s music is in a way bipolar, a condition which afflicted him. On the one hand, some pieces are loud and boisterous, while others are somber and introspective. His smaller piano works are a good place to start when choosing music for studying.
8. Debussy
Like in Impressionist art movement, Impressionism in music was also an important movement. Claude Debussy is perhaps the most important representative from this school of music. His music is quite atmospheric and lush sounding, which can create a tranquil environment for your study.
9. Ravel
Ravel was another important French Impressionist. Much like Debussy, Ravel’s music is lush and full of interesting harmonies and melodies. Some people find his music more accessible than that of Debussy, although the two are often confused for one another by novices.
10. Gershwin
Sometimes when studying, you just need to let your hair down and relax. The music of George Gershwin is jazzy and has catchy tunes, which can help to set the mood and relieve some stress.
