Picture yourself viciously scribbling to finish your essay on time during English; your fingers start cramping, your pencil lead constantly breaking, and you’re using every last drop of brain power to get the words out.
But you just can’t.
A bass drum thumps in your ear and you can’t help but silently mouth the lyrics to your favorite song. After all, it’s hard to think deeply about Victorian literature when your favorite artist is serenading you at the same time.
Taking a look at the student body at Cherry Hill East, it is clearly shown that a hefty number of them will have airpods fused to their ears at all times, including during teacher instruction or examinations. While some claim that music helps them destress and focus during class, the human brain is not designed to multitask. Scientific studies conducted over the last few decades reveal that the human mind lacks the cognitive capacity to perform multiple tasks simultaneously, and we can only focus on a single objective at one time. So when we “multitask”, we’re just switching between several different endeavors, thus hindering our ability to complete any of them to our fullest potential. Plus, song lyrics are meant to speak to the listener and draw their attention; listening to tunes while the teacher’s lecturing is akin to trying to read a novel while your friend tells you their hot new gossip, or attempting the classic rubbing-your-tummy-while-patting-your-head trick. While some could probably retain aspects of the book, the majority of their attention would be focused on the friend’s story in the same way that it’s difficult to pat and rub simultaneously.
Also, listening to music can inhibit class participation and social interaction.
“Sometimes when [students] do group work, other people will have their airpods in and just won’t talk or cooperate. It’s like they’re in their world and [everyone else] just takes so much longer to finish,” said Gina Park (‘26).
Class participation is positively correlated with academic performance, and has been shown to boost information retention and foster critical thinking. Thus, a lack of engagement in the classroom as a result of music listening could put a toll not only on one’s academics but also on their ability to work well with others. Hence, it’s clear that tuning into songs during class time can not only show a lack of respect for teachers and peers but also impede one’s learning.
So when your favorite artists come up on your playlist the next time you’re writing an essay, do yourself a favor and don’t answer.