Should music be Allowed in School?

Have you ever been sitting in class completely zoned out because you could not focus on what you were doing during work time? What if you could listen to your favorite songs while working on some homework? This way you would be able to stay focused.

According to Healthline, “…music can engage your brain in such a way that it trains it to pay better attention to events and make predictions about what might happen. How does this help you study? Well, if you struggle to make sense of new material, listening to music could make this process easier.” Unfortunately, with the current rule, this is not possible. Right now the Mineral Point High School handbook states, “Music by cell phones, i-pods, and other music devices are not to be played during regular school hours.” Is there a way to update this rule so that students have access to music during work time? Sometimes it can be hard to focus during school because you did not get enough sleep or you are just not in the right head space to learn that day. With something a little bit extra to draw you in, like music, those examples would not be an issue when it comes to focusing on what you are working on.

We surveyed 114 people in the high school (99 students and 15 teachers) about their thoughts on the topic. 95.6% of those surveyed responded that they think AirPods should be allowed in school, while only 4.4% said they should not be allowed. We also asked when AirPods should not be used. Examples include when the teacher is teaching, during tests/quizzes, during lessons or notes, important events, fire drills, passing periods, and lunch. Examples of when they said the use of music should be allowed are during study halls, work time, when allowed by a staff member, while running for PE or weightlifting, lunch, passing periods, watching videos for class, when traditional headphones would be allowed, reading, homework, studying, and tests. Allowing teachers to make the call on music is a more reasonable expectation.

The side for allowing music is shown in the article from Texas A&M University College of Letters and Sciences website, “Does Music Really Help With Studying?” That says, “If you have music going on in the background when you study, it’s going to be easier to recall that information if you also have music on in the background when you take the exam.” Music can be beneficial to students learning.

The point of view against listening to music is displayed in the article from The Torch, “AirPods are useful in some ways by keeping students focused while listening to music while they work in class. On the other hand, AirPods can be distracting to students who need to focus on school assignments, and listen to the teachers for instructions in a class.” It also states, “…the only time music should be allowed in class is at teachers discretion.”

Now that you know more, what do you think, should music and listening to music be allowed in school?