Music to study with: How lo-fi music is helping students to learn better

If you’re a regular internet user, you might have seen mentions of Lo-Fi music while browsing. It’s not exactly the hottest new music genre playing on the radio these days, but it’s nevertheless gaining popularity amongst students and working adults alike, solely because of its unique ability to help improve concentration for anyone who listens to it.

If your child is having difficulties concentrating on their studies, Lo-Fi music just might be the antidote to their problems. Read on!

What is Lo-Fi music?

A shortened term for ‘Low Fidelity’, Lo-Fi is a category of music that features soothing jazz melodies played in a slow tempo. One unique quirk of Lo-Fi is that most tracks also feature audio ‘imperfections’, such as slight crackling noises or fuzzy sound quality. Purposely introduced to imitate old cassette tapes or vinyl discs, these sound effects help to create a calm, dreamy atmosphere to the music.

Lo-Fi music first made its appearance back in the 1990s by musicians exploring the use of electronic equipment as musical instruments. Now however, it’s enjoying a second wave of popularity, mainly due to numerous music channels on video and music streaming platforms like YouTube and Spotify.

In the mood to study: Lo-Fi as a concentration booster

So, is studying with Lo-Fi music good? As a matter of fact, yes! While many listeners of Lo-Fi music use it as a means to relax and create a calming atmosphere, many more are tuning in as part of their study and working routines, as it helps them to concentrate better and become more productive.

But how does it help someone to focus on a task at hand? Several reasons abound, but one common understanding is that the music itself engages the frontal lobe of the brain and stimulates it, boosting memory, concentration and thought.

This is mainly attributed to the deliberately slowed-down quality of lo-fi music, which helps to ease the listener into a meditative mood that reduces their anxiety. At the same time, the steady tempo with simplistic, repetitive melodies also helps the music to fade into the background as a sort of white noise while listeners focus their energies in their work or studies.

Contrast this with noisy TV shows or conversations happening within earshot, which can be huge distractions - humans are naturally predisposed to pay attention to voices, which is also why songs with lyrics aren’t the best listening choices while studying.

Lastly, prolonged usage of Lo-Fi music does help make the switch to a productive mode easier, simply because it trains your mind to start focusing as soon as it starts hearing familiar tunes.

Try out Lo-Fi music today with our custom playlist

Sometimes, we welcome our students to the start of a GenieClass by playing a selection of Lo-Fi music tracks (specially curated by us) to help them settle into a productive learning session. It’s one of the little touches we’ve made that help make the whole Geniebook experience better for them.

Since its debut, our ‘In My Mind’ playlist has been particularly well-received by our own Geniebook staff, so much so that we have recently uploaded it on Spotify for all to enjoy. With that said, we know that not everyone has access to the music streaming platform. That’s why we’re also making it available on our YouTube channel for your listening pleasure, starting today.

Share it with your child before they settle down to study, or give it a listen yourself when you’re ready to tackle a big task. You’ll be surprised just how productive you can be with Lo-Fi music!