Growing up comes with many responsibilities, but it also comes with more freedom. High school students are constantly stressed and listening to music helps calm them down. Yet, it doesn’t help when the district does not allow students to listen to music with headphones, unmotivating lots of students to complete work. With a workload increase in high school, extracurricular activities, and social life outside of school, students should be allowed to listen to music with headphones in class without getting in trouble.

According to Crystal Raypole from Healthline, music helps many students think while they work, and it also helps with memorization. Music can evoke emotions, and studies have shown that emotions boost memory processes. Stress can cause difficulties when students try to remember information, but music significantly minimizes stress levels, allowing students to think clearly.

When students grow bored of lectures and everyday routines, it is sometimes difficult for them to finish work. If students are able to listen to music without distracting anyone else, it may motivate them to get their work done. In 2013, Eric Harvey from Psychology in Action, an organization formed by UCLA psychology doctoral students, said that music can also cause the brain to release dopamine, which regulates motivation. This allows students to achieve maximum academic progress and completion.

Since music directly influences one’s mood, it only makes sense for students to listen to music in class. Happy music is bound to lift one up, and when a student feels down or stressed out, singing along to songs in their head can improve brain function.

Although listening to music in class has many benefits, it is obvious some students may become distracted. Listening to lyrics while typing or writing can cause students to accidentally write the lyrics instead of working on the assignment. When they think about the words, they can forget about what they intended to write.

Oftentimes when students become accustomed to listening to music in class, their brains get used to the music playing while working and studying, and tests may become harder to take because they are taken silently. When students follow a pattern of listening to music in class, they forget how to work when there is no music.

Despite music distracting some, instrumental music designed for listening to during school may help. To boost mood, improve memory, and increase motivation, students should not be scolded by teachers for listening to music during class. By allowing students time in class to use music as an aid, District 202 is guaranteed to see scores skyrocket.