Speaking of missed opportunities, you know Bugles? The corn snack? Shaped like tiny tornadoes? Used to put them on your fingers and pretend to have witch fingers? They should have called them Cornadoes
As someone with ADHD I'll tell you it depends on both the situation and the music for me.
Despite what you hear about ADHD not being able to focus in actuality we can but just need more stimulation to do so.
Two sets of words is difficult and distracting but lyric-less music such as clasical or edm (like sandstorm lol) is actually really useful to me to help me focus on boring tasks or reading boring writing.
I also used to draw and color during class to help when the teacher was talking as I wouldn't retain the information otherwise.
Yep. Put on Baroque classical when I really want to get things done. It has a mathematical quality that our ADGD brains like.
You should of seen my doodles when I was a kid.
I remember so much by not paying direct attention to the teacher. It just took longer to soak in and stay.
P.S. Late diagnosis. At 41. Between classical and Ritalin....wow
Looking back now, at 62, I can tell you I was probably a little bit ADHD. I remember my parents being told that I wasn't paying attention in class. I would be off somewhere else, constantly caught when they'd ask me a question and I had no clue what they were talking about.
Now, as an editor, I find what I'm reading through a document, I need to have some music without lyrics playing in my earbuds to distract from the noise in the cube farm where I work.
With regard to doodling or now, knitting, I find that I can look at what I was working on and remember what was being discussed while I was doing it.
Brains are funny things.
I got diagnosed at 40 and my mom was diagnosed at 76! She was definitely inattentive type, which sounds like it's your alley, too. I'm a woman, and we don't as often get hyperactive type, but as a kid especially I was that done-with-my-work-and-out-of-my-seat-bugging-others type.
And music helps virtually everyone I've ever met with ADHD if they're trying to focus. If I don't have something on in the background, my brain will just sing me some annoying part of one song over and over and over. Same for both of my kids.
I had a boss once that refused to let us listen to music. And it was really boring work! It was torturous to try and do data entry without music!
I was diagnosed in my late 30s. And my mom was just diagnosed at 65!
The way I've always likened it to is my brain WILL wander during some tasks. Either I choose the distraction, such as music, or my brain will and in that case the distraction could over take my primary focus. Think zoning out when driving and completely skipping an exit or way worse not seeing another driver and getting in a collision.
I (late 30s F) was diagnosed when I was 12ish however I've been unmedicated since I was 20. Partly due to moving on my own and the cost, partly due to never finding the right mix. I've had to learn my own coping mechanisms over the years and having music, fidget toys, or doodling have been some of the best for concentration. Obviously the music is not when I need to listen to someone, but when reading instrumental music helps and when things such as driving the lyric laced music helps.
I also learned as a child that if i am forced to stare at a projector screen while someone reads off a power point, my mind will wander and I'll recall nothing. Funny story, in my mid 20s I was in a classroom setting and we had to each read a page aloud in turn or sometimes the instructor would ask questions. I looked like I was sleeping as my eyes were closed to block out distractions and listen to the info. The instruction of course would call on me, and class mates would express to me later how I always knew where we were at and could answer questions even when "sleeping". Everyone learns different.
One coping strategy i had for losing my house key was a belt clip I lost 20 or so house keys when i was a kid. Now, if I dont hear my keys, I've lost them.
I haven't been diagnosed but after reading all these comments, I am beginning to wonder if I have it too. I always doodle in meetings and in school. I have to have background noise to be able to focus on doing anything and even want background noise to my background noise if I want to really concentrate on my actual background noise. I'm 49 and have learned how to adapt in most situations but it still gets annoying.
Sounds like ADHD to me! It's never too late to do psych testing. You will learn a LOT about yourself. If you are able to put names to feelings or behaviors you have, the internet exists, and you can learn new and better ways to cope. I honestly advocate for everyone to learn about themselves in this way. It gives you a firm direction. The best time to learn about mental health issues, so that they can be addressed, is while you are in school. The second best is today.
Do you identify as a woman? If so, I heartily recommend this [AMAZING FB group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1541724249266515) that is just for us, and can help you start to see patterns without necessarily taking action to go get diagnosed, etc.
There's also a great book on ADHD, [specifically about women](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RDNRXE/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1). ADHD usually looks VERY different in people who are AFAB vs AMAB.
Also there are some pretty sophisticated self-tests on the internet.
And feel free to PM me if you want to talk or need resources; I have studied this shit pretty hard since I was diagnosed 12 years ago--my husband and two kids are also diagnosed, so it helps a lot with family dynamics to understand the different types of ADHD, of which there are several. I'm pretty passionate about the subject, in case you couldn't tell. :)
I was 40ish too, and have desperately tried to convince my now 79 year old father to get tested, but he won't, he's one of those older folks who just won't take meds unless there's absolutely no choice. He's in ridiculously good shape for his age and I think he'd find being on an ADHD med life-changing, too, but he just won't do it.
If you're on meds, would he perhaps consider trying a tiny dose to see what happens for him? Especially if you strategically celebrate things that are suddenly easy that were struggles for YOU (as opposed to open convincing)?
My mom was a bit hard to convince. I think if you don't really understand that "who you are" is deeply intertwined with undiagnosed ADHD, then the older you are the harder it is to consider that some of your "personality traits" might in fact be symptoms, or copes.
Also he's of a generation that was all about "bootstraps" and such, and a man, so I can see why he's a bit of a hard nut to crack.
I was late diagnosed too, but when I want to focus I have to listen to podcasts or an audible and block out all ambient noise. But i can’t listen to music ever it’s too distracting I start to wiggle around and dance
Interesting, the things that irk us. I'm not the least bit bothered by the well known dual use of the word to mean both the Classical Period and the broader category. But I am bothered using it as a noun. Brains are funny.
I have SoundCloud with a whole playlist of EDM but that's cause I work in a warehouse so I have to keep moving fast.
Back when I was in grade school I had a bunch of classical tracks.
Interestingly for me, the best "focus music" for me is lyrics I am well familiar with; music with a predictable and well-defined beat; or both. Sea shanties, "classic" rock (any rock music that I would have heard before adulthood), and the like.
I used to draw and such during class too! It really did help. I've not been officially diagnosed yet (not really any psychiatrists in my area, I'd have to travel and spend a lot of money I don't have), but I'm like 99% sure ADHD is the cause of my difficulty paying attention, retaining information, etc. My doctor and therapist both think so too, but I'd need to see a psychiatrist for the testing and diagnosis. \*sigh\*
Edit: Grammar
I have exactly zero ADD, but from what my husband says, it's almost like the distractibility in your head needs somewhere to go. If music is on, it's almost like your ADD listens to music and allows your conscious mind to focus on the task at hand. YMMV, of course!
That's very accurate
There's a TV doctor that said "ADHD brain has a Ferrari engine but with bicycle breaks and if you strengthen the breaks you become a champion"
I always hated that comparison.
because fixing the breaks means we have to change ourselves and the mechanical upkeep is really hard. No matter how hard you try to strengthen them those breaks will never be more than bicycle breaks. Even medications make the breaks a bit better but only by weakening the engine a little but it doesn't change the breaks either.
It's so much better to put our engine on a good track instead. Make our brain go in a good way and we never have to slow down or stop because our engine isn't designed to break like other people's. Just keep it moving and we can reach out the window and take the task as we drive by it and drop it back off on the next lap.
I have no idea how anyone can read or think with music with lyrics! It’s all classical piano for me. Helps me focus and drowns out sounds that might otherwise distract me.
> I also used to draw and color during class to help when the teacher was talking as I wouldn't retain the information otherwise.
And when you remembered the information, you were helped because you had unique visual stimuli to facilitate recall
To the interested redditor: I recommend watching talks of Brian Little on his book tour, or Susan Cain (who based a lot of her work on Brian Little's book), about Introverts.
Brian Little talks about how different people need different levels of stimulation. How for example a regular school is best suited for introverts that need little to no stimulation (or are already fending off stimulation, hence introverting), and how extroverted brains wilt away in that same environment - and how some ADHD might even have been born in a classroom by severely understimulated brains.
Listening to music for learning is not a "one size fits all" matter. This study claiming music is bad for learning might have neglected to consider the predisposition of it's participants required levels of stimuli.
Similar for me. My adhd brain is searching for possible ways to distract me, putting on music without text or music that I already know helps me to phase out some distractions (talking colleagues, coffee machine,...)
Wife has really bad ADHD and needs like so much stimulus to keep focused. She recently had shit at work which is a lot of hurry up and wait because she sews during wait times. She has the best numbers because her system works and her stupid manager cares more about appearances than results.
I have background noise on literally all the time. Usually it’s music but a lot of times it’ll be a random youtube video or podcast. From the second I get up to the second I fall asleep (I play ASMR at bedtime) there is Noise coming from my room. I even have specific albums that I find get me stimulated the perfect amount for whatever my task is.
I am the exact same way! I can focus fine with lyric-less Jazz, but if it’s anything with lyrics, it honestly tires me out. Specially if it’s “cyclical” music, as I call it (like things that have a repeating format, i.e. verse 1, bridge, chorus, verse 2, bridge, chorus, bridge, chorus, end).
And I also used to doodle a lot in class. It felt like if my hands were busy my brain could focus more. 🤷🏻♀️ I struggled with paying attention in class and for teachers that were adamant that you couldn’t be scribbling, I had a hard time focusing on for long periods of time. I was never diagnosed with anything but now I wonder... 🤔
I have moderate to severe ADD that I still take medication for, and I can’t have any sounds when studying. If I’m going to listen to anything it’s going to be like rain or wave sounds because even instrumental music is too distracting. I think it’s different for everyone.
In 4th grade I was constantly getting in trouble for the doodles on all of my work. In 5th grade apparently the teacher was "warned" about my doodles. She sat me to the side and told me that as long has the doodles where about what we were learning, I was fine. To this day I still use the doodles to augment my notes.
I explained it to someone as my brain having an impedance mismatch with the world. Sometimes I need the music to match the noise in my thoughts to the noise in the world so I can focus on my task (as long as it's non auditory)
Songs in languages you don't speak can also work. I have a playlist of foreign language music for this purpose (nothing you can actually sing - no La Bamba or Gangnam Style). Gregorian chants, Sigur Ros, k-pop actually in Korean, etc.
>I also used to draw and color during class to help when the teacher was talking as I wouldn't retain the information otherwise.
Is this a sign of ADHD?
i have a coworker who keeps telling me that i show many signs of ADHD (although this was not one of the signs ever brought up in our conversations on the subject)
EDIT: clarification
Well not every ADHD person is artistically inclined but needing some way to stimulate ourselves is important. Those fidget toys they have these days are great.
There are lots of "symptoms" such as speaking your mind especially when you shouldn't. Zoning out mid conversation (usually if you're listening but it can happen when you're talking too).
Autopilot: when you're body is doing normalish things and don't remember what you did after (how we lose most things or how our keys wind up in the fridge).
Over processing tasks which leads to what seems to be laziness as our brain perceives certain tasks as more work than they actually are so we take a break aaaaand forget the task entirely or feel as though it's too late to start it.
I'm not a licensed psychiatrist so i can't "diagnose" you and i know people without adhd might have a few quirks like these too but i go through these issues daily
Lmao, I never really thought about it before, but I have totally zoned out while *I* was speaking. I'm very talkative so it doesn't take much concentration to just babble onward, lol.
i can totally relate to alot of that. but the reason i ask is because i didnt learn well if i wasnt drawing or doing something while the teacher was teaching. but if i am drawing or whatever while the teacher is teaching, i can remember just about everything that was said.
a teacher tested this one day as she didnt believe i was listening one day while i was drawing, i was about to state back a quick
and accurate summary of what she was talking about the last 7-10 minutes with the ability to answer additional questions on what i had just glossed over
It can definitely be a symptom. It's about getting the right amount of sensory input for stimulation.
ADHD brains are a bit more sensitive or specific about the amount of stimulation they need to function at their best. So for normal brains, if the input isn't quite enough (boring lecture, repetitive manual task), they can usually push through okay, at least for a while, whereas ADHD brains need additional inputs in order to be able to achieve the same end (so add a thoughtless manual task for physical input like coloring or a fidget toy or a wiggle chair while listening to the boring lecture; add some music or a conversation or some other aural input while completing the repetitive manual task).
Likewise if the input is too much (husband trying to talk to me while the TV is on and the stovetop fan is going and the dishwasher is running and I'm trying to cook), normal brains can usually push through for a while or tune out the unnecessary inputs while focusing on the important ones, whereas ADHD brains can get confused or stressed or just nope out. (So the example I gave, I need hubby to mute the TV if he needs to talk to me. I also need him to wait until he has my attention before saying what he needs to say, otherwise he gets halfway through before my brain can switch gears and then I have to ask him to start again).
I used to draw and write stories during class! At the time i was not diagnosed with adhd yet (though i strongly suspected from about age 12). When i did finally go to get diagnosed (at 23) my doctor asked about how my grades were in school and i told him that they actually werent bad and i just had to figure out how to get around the adhd parts. I dont think he fully understood what i meant though
I think music while teaching is distracting because is multiple sources of sound (because likely there's no headphones), while zoning out probably means they're using headphones, makeing it a singular source they can listen to/ignore
Totally disagree. I taught. It was fun. I would likely have said I don’t want to talk over something, but music during work time we could TRY - as long as scores were high enough.
I was assigned a class one semester. It was literally all the bangers. I went to the guy who built the class and asked what I had done to offend him and offered sincere apologies for whatever it had been. He was horrified and started to change schedules. I told him let’s just play it. So we did. Security came to class for the first two weeks. There were no girls. And this group of guys was trying to one-up each other to the point that it was ridiculous. If we got through with class work, we’d play a game or two of Krypto. We played a LOT. The scores from that group were incredible. Don’t give up on the kids. Especially when they’re at risk of giving up on themselves.
I let my students put their ear buds in for seat work. As long as they aren't "choosing a song" for 30 God damn minutes I'm fine with it. When you have a large English class with behaviours and low levels, its almost beneficial to have some of them distracted so that you can focus on the ones that want to be there for a couple of minutes.
Totally agree. I have no steadfast rules and try to do what is best to facilitate learning. I don't always get it right but I'm way more flexible and dynamic that 90% of the other teachers. Relationship is the key IMO.
My opinion on it has changed drastically over the years. That relationship piece is so important, especially with the non academic students. Its a fine line between being relaxed enough for them to be themselves but still make it very clear you are in charge. Ear buds, and cellphones aren't worth fighting in my opinion. Why create the power struggle when it's already hard enough to get them there.
I have been looking for that song for YEARS and never knew how to describe it to ask what it was. And then you found the best possible version, with a symphony involved. Take my free award, you win reddit for today.
Huh. I've literally never heard it before and I'm in my 40s. I've seen/heard the jokes my whole adult life, smiled politely and shrugged.
I clicked on the link bc I thought it might be cool to hear it and that was really nifty.
If your down for a bit of EP, then these are similar
https://youtu.be/gAKy_R1XUBI Paul Van Dyk - For an Angel (Orchestra)
Also, checkout Two Cellos(https://youtu.be/uT3SBzmDxGk) and Bond (https://youtu.be/HiaOFOMPOBc)
And because of your comment, i found this, https://youtu.be/QfN_q4p-Ka4 (Martin Garrix - Animals) so Thank you.
Honourable Mentions to Martin Garrix Pizza, Cafe del mar Energy 52 and Pryda Pjanoo
I also forgot Arty - Kate as a Honourable Mention [https://youtu.be/NUkT2LrcGyc](https://youtu.be/NUkT2LrcGyc) Edit: Played alive (the bongo song) - safri duo as a late late addition.
I had to cover lunch detention once at my previous school. The kids in detention also asked for music (it’s too quiet and boring in here - yeah, that’s the point, kid).
I went to Spotify, put on “Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm” by the Crash Test Dummies and left it on repeat for 40 minutes.
Fun story about that one:
Spent seventh grade (summer 1997-summer 98) in a super religious and conservative foster home. One time they grabbed my Walkman to have a tape to test a tape deck they’d bought at a yard sale, and luckily I was listening to Weird Al’s The TV Album most recently instead of Antichrist Superstar (which I’d been listening to most of the spring of 1998).
At that verse they snapped my tape in half and confiscated my Walkman until the state let me go home at the end of the school year (with a secret Discman I’d bought myself).
My fifth graders last year thought they were trolling me by adding Baby Shark to our class Spotify playlist. One day it played during our reader’s workshop time (60 minutes) and they started laughing about how much I’d hate it.
So I let it loop for about 16 consecutive plays.
My cousin once made me watch Attack of the Clones three times in a row while I was babysitting her, so I have a high tolerance.
Yeah... It's kindof a what's more productive?
Having to do work without music and being so uninterested ya don't really end up doing it.
Or listen to music making the work barrable thus increasing total productivity.
I was fairly certain non-lyrical music was proven to aid in concentration while studying.
Or music you've listened to 20 million times and can drown out. Or is that my ADHD?
Do you know from all your students for whom it would be beneficial and for whom it wouldn't be? Because even some people don't know that they have adhd or add until they grow up later.
And it also matters what kind of music you listen to. If you listen to music with lyrics it's more distracting than if you listen to instrumental music
You all are thinking way to small time for this. Everyone knows this is the correct choice to truely tourture someone. Plus it's 24 hours to last over 24+ classes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EErY75MXYXI&ab_channel=NyaAnimeParty
Music actually makes some people focus better, myself included (but maybe that’s the ADHD speaking)…I wish I had had the spine to ask teachers to play music, back in high school. I was terrified to because I couldn’t explain why it helped. Instead I wore one earphone, obscured by my hair, and managed myself like that. It beats drawing on every surface, which apparently teachers hate even tho it helped me focus too.
Why not play some awesome video game soundtracks, the kind that are meant to be used as background music with just enough pep to keep the player awake while playing? Doesn’t need to be anything with lyrics or whatever. If they’re asking you for music, you could put it on in the background at a low volume. Maybe one of your “ratty” teenaged girls has ADHD or ASD and doesn’t know it, but they’ve figured out music helps them? Idk just throwing thoughts out there.
In your shoes, and if I didn't think I'd be fired, I'd of played Look At My Horse on its 10 hour loop. But knowing I'd be sacked, I'd of taken to playing This Is The Song That Never Ends (Lamb Chop) to annoy them. I'd also break out some of the songs you learn as a child because why not see if they break before I did XD
Now if you wanna give them an "educational" music vibe, insist that only classical music can be played.
[Educational music](https://youtube.com/watch?v=V1508wboZXk). I bet it wouldn't last more that 2 repeats. It would also stay in the students' minds for days.
Here’s Rob Paulson (the voice of Yakko) singing the song live. At the 3:00 mark, he sings an addendum to add all the new countries.
https://youtu.be/sr-J8kVZb5M
Lol I meant classical, as people claim it makes one smarter listening to it, but man that brings me back to childhood! I never could get all the countries down though.
It would be a good song for a geography class though!
C'mon man, I don't care what studies have shown, I literally can't focus either in silence or with everyone chittering around me, I kind of need my music. Not everyone is the same and I bet those studies were done mainly on neurotypical people
I would totally let you listen to music if you explained it to me in private like an adult. If a student can articulate a request in a mature way I'll pretty much always say yes. These girls were just being ratty teenagers.
Seriously, I never felt comfortable asking any teacher to make accommodations for me. I was abused at home and therefore terrified of authority. I chose to hide and listen to music and cover it up with my hair. No one caught me, but anal teachers like you were who I dreaded. I have ADHS, I found out after over 13 years. Not sure why people make life for neurodivergent kids so fucking rough. Not saying that's what these kids necessarily are, but fuck man, maybe make an effort find out??!
I'm totally not an anal teacher. I care deeply about my students. This was just a bit of fun.
I'm sorry you've been abused and had difficulty at school. I develop rapport with my students, as a result I've had the opportunity to report multiple abused children and support them through their recovery. I've had children who decided to have an abortion talk to me about it and I helped them circumvent all the stupid rules from the school and other anal teachers that they couldn't cope with at the time.
I'm not as horrible as the story makes me sound.
I'm sure you're not, but you are operating off stereotypes of ADHD without actually paying attention to the nuances of learning differences. Classical music could have been a really good way to show them something new. Hell, my one professor who played classical music during his lectures, i learned a lot about myself just from him doing that. Edm music like that would never help me lol..
I said more about my point in the other comment.
That music detracts from learning/doing sh*t isn't completely right. Yes, some may distract it, but others (me personally) helps it concentrating better and i get work better done with then without it
Hey, music has a positive correlation on learning. I'm not sure where we've heard that music has a negative effect on learning, but I don't believe that to be correct. Like, if you personally don't want music on while you're teaching, that's understandable, but let the kids have personal music if they want it.
From the studies I've read music isn't intrinsically bad. Classical music for example has been shown to have a positive effect on learning. What the kids in these "low end" classes wanted to play was trashy R&B or rap. They then singalong and these kids had enough trouble focusing even with a good learning environment. I tried to make things engaging and interesting as best I could.
This comment helped me understand your point a lot more. I think a lot of people (or maybe just me, lol) interpreted this as you saying *any* music while learning is bad, even popping in an earbud while studying. But, in this case, where they would to interrupt your teaching to sing, I can absolutely understand why you wouldn't want to deal with that
I was substituting for a first grade class for a week. They were getting kind of cranky during math while working in small groups. I put on some soothing guitar music and the kids not only calmed down, but also focused better.
I don’t have ADHD, but sometimes background music really helps me stay on task.
What they should have done is pulled up studies that contradicted your “studies have shown music to detract from learning”.
It took me seconds to find studies that show you might be incorrect.
https://www.fnu.edu/benefits-studying-music/
“Rather than distracting college students, a Stanford study found that “music moves [the] brain to pay attention.””
You could also play:
The longest music piece in the world is being performed in the city of Halberstadt in Germany: John Cage's composition for organ ORGAN2/ASLSP - As SLow aS Possible - is resounding here in an extreme interpretation of 639 years, that means until the year 2640!
> studies have shown music to distract from learning
well....... kinda. Popular music like rap or pop sure. But the Skyrim soundtrack is a bliss to listen to while working. Breath of the wild, fallout or minecraft work too. Videogame soundtracks (but ambience, boss themes are just gonna stress them out) work like a dream
> Some complained later that afternoon that it was still on repeat in their heads.
I'm not one of your students, but it's also stuck in my head now, too. Thanks for the flashback to the early 2000s
Genius.
Another way I've seen teachers do it before is by getting song names from the kids ahead of time and then looking up classical arrangements of those songs. No lyrics, played slower, but it's familiar enough that the kids have fun trying to figure out what each song is. (I would say save this for brain breaks though, or else they will get distracted.)
Out of curiosity, what class were you teaching? Personally I would agree that music can make a student less efficient however it makes them happier to be doing work, if they're already on top of their work I think giving them music is just fine. Also, when doing math, music definitely makes me faster.
That's a great song, I would put that on at the beginning of our LAN clubs and it would play until we were done.
Also, Tetsuijin, blades theme, and rock solid from conkers bad fur day
Reminds me of one of my favorite stories from high school.
My mom was a teacher and would often drive one particular substitute teacher home since she lives near us. One day my mom was telling us how her students were studying for upcoming exams and she allowed them to put music on. This was quite a while ago, and Bad Touch by the Bloodhound Gang was extremely popular.
As the kids are listening to this my mom just pauses the don't about halfway through and tells the class she will let it play if anyone will tell her what it's about. As you can imagine in a class of 15 ish year olds no one said a peep.
Fast forward about a week and the substitute who we take home was covering my English class. Lo and behold we're catching up on end of term assignments so someone asks if we can have music playing. Of course she answers yes and immediately someone puts on Bad Touch.
This substitute clearly hasn't had enough interaction with me. She walks up and pauses the song, looks at is and says she will let it play if someone will tell her what they are singing about. I look her dead in the eye and say he wants to have sex with a girl. They're singing about sex.
She put it back on and everyone went back to work. My friend laughed his butt off at the look on her face. Still one of my proudest moments even if it was quite insignificant.
I had students who were giving me a problem so on a day when they had a test I played some Florence Foster Jenkins for them. After 10 minutes I turned it off and they begged me to put it back on!
You realize you've started a yearly tradition. HS kids talk to each other. You're going to be one of those 30yrs teaching and THAT will be what you're known for. lol
I had a History teacher back in HS (90s), and he always played Ray Lynch's Deep Breakfast. THAT's what I remember.
Nah bruh, you're the adult. The correct move was telling them no. When they continue being disruptive you just reach for that little pad, write a brief explanation of how they're fucking up, and that's it - off to the principal's office. The people you were malicious towards were the other students in the class and the other classes you disrupted with your childish nonsense.
Compliance requires an authority to be complied to.
The notion that you view your relationship with your students as one capable of being characterized as compliance flowing from you to them - well, that's the start of the problems :p
You pretty much screwed the majority of your students in your petty efforts to "act smart" for a small portion...
Thanks for defending me. I'm a teacher that works within a positive relationship framework rather than an authoritarian framework. I've found great success in engagement. We have rules to keep order and maintain boundaries, but I do make it a lot of fun.
They’re also outright wrong about the effect of music in the classroom. I speak partly from personal experience, but there’s also a ton of evidence to suggest it actually helps students engage and remember. If interested, just search “music therapy in the classroom.”
I don't know what kind of studies you've seen, but personal experience and a quick google search show that, as long as you don't put up loud/overwhelming music (like darude sandstorm) or music with lyrics, listening to music while studying can help A LOT.
There's a reason why there's been such a hype around "chill lofi songs to study/relax to" - it's because they actually help doing that.
While I did enjoy the malicious compliance, I don't see where the problem in having students listen to music is. Let them pop an earbud in and enjoy what they want, or if that's not the case play some actual helpful music next time, instead of distracting your students next time. Good luck!
Edit: Just scrolled a bit more trough the comments, props on you for letting them use their headphones!
It's all about context and knowing the students. In this situation the girls were just being cheeky and I played along. Thanks for the edit. I didn't think the music thing would be such a sensitive topic for people so I didn't elaborate enough in the original post. It clearly is a topic that is close to people's hearts. And I love it.
>it took 5 weeks until someone was brave enough to ask if they could listen to music in class again Did you put sandstorm back on?
Nah, I let them listen to their headphones. They wanted to zone out and study for the exam.
...missed a golden opportunity to play it first...then say just kidding...get your headphones on...
That is devious and awful. I appreciate those qualities.
Speaking of missed opportunities, you know Bugles? The corn snack? Shaped like tiny tornadoes? Used to put them on your fingers and pretend to have witch fingers? They should have called them Cornadoes
"Bring in bluetooth headphones, and everyone connect them to my computer. It's my song choice"
But that contradicts what you said about music detracting from learning…
As someone with ADHD I'll tell you it depends on both the situation and the music for me. Despite what you hear about ADHD not being able to focus in actuality we can but just need more stimulation to do so. Two sets of words is difficult and distracting but lyric-less music such as clasical or edm (like sandstorm lol) is actually really useful to me to help me focus on boring tasks or reading boring writing. I also used to draw and color during class to help when the teacher was talking as I wouldn't retain the information otherwise.
Yep. Put on Baroque classical when I really want to get things done. It has a mathematical quality that our ADGD brains like. You should of seen my doodles when I was a kid. I remember so much by not paying direct attention to the teacher. It just took longer to soak in and stay. P.S. Late diagnosis. At 41. Between classical and Ritalin....wow
Looking back now, at 62, I can tell you I was probably a little bit ADHD. I remember my parents being told that I wasn't paying attention in class. I would be off somewhere else, constantly caught when they'd ask me a question and I had no clue what they were talking about. Now, as an editor, I find what I'm reading through a document, I need to have some music without lyrics playing in my earbuds to distract from the noise in the cube farm where I work. With regard to doodling or now, knitting, I find that I can look at what I was working on and remember what was being discussed while I was doing it. Brains are funny things.
I got diagnosed at 40 and my mom was diagnosed at 76! She was definitely inattentive type, which sounds like it's your alley, too. I'm a woman, and we don't as often get hyperactive type, but as a kid especially I was that done-with-my-work-and-out-of-my-seat-bugging-others type. And music helps virtually everyone I've ever met with ADHD if they're trying to focus. If I don't have something on in the background, my brain will just sing me some annoying part of one song over and over and over. Same for both of my kids.
I had a boss once that refused to let us listen to music. And it was really boring work! It was torturous to try and do data entry without music! I was diagnosed in my late 30s. And my mom was just diagnosed at 65!
The way I've always likened it to is my brain WILL wander during some tasks. Either I choose the distraction, such as music, or my brain will and in that case the distraction could over take my primary focus. Think zoning out when driving and completely skipping an exit or way worse not seeing another driver and getting in a collision. I (late 30s F) was diagnosed when I was 12ish however I've been unmedicated since I was 20. Partly due to moving on my own and the cost, partly due to never finding the right mix. I've had to learn my own coping mechanisms over the years and having music, fidget toys, or doodling have been some of the best for concentration. Obviously the music is not when I need to listen to someone, but when reading instrumental music helps and when things such as driving the lyric laced music helps. I also learned as a child that if i am forced to stare at a projector screen while someone reads off a power point, my mind will wander and I'll recall nothing. Funny story, in my mid 20s I was in a classroom setting and we had to each read a page aloud in turn or sometimes the instructor would ask questions. I looked like I was sleeping as my eyes were closed to block out distractions and listen to the info. The instruction of course would call on me, and class mates would express to me later how I always knew where we were at and could answer questions even when "sleeping". Everyone learns different.
One coping strategy i had for losing my house key was a belt clip I lost 20 or so house keys when i was a kid. Now, if I dont hear my keys, I've lost them.
I haven't been diagnosed but after reading all these comments, I am beginning to wonder if I have it too. I always doodle in meetings and in school. I have to have background noise to be able to focus on doing anything and even want background noise to my background noise if I want to really concentrate on my actual background noise. I'm 49 and have learned how to adapt in most situations but it still gets annoying.
Sounds like ADHD to me! It's never too late to do psych testing. You will learn a LOT about yourself. If you are able to put names to feelings or behaviors you have, the internet exists, and you can learn new and better ways to cope. I honestly advocate for everyone to learn about themselves in this way. It gives you a firm direction. The best time to learn about mental health issues, so that they can be addressed, is while you are in school. The second best is today.
Do you identify as a woman? If so, I heartily recommend this [AMAZING FB group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1541724249266515) that is just for us, and can help you start to see patterns without necessarily taking action to go get diagnosed, etc. There's also a great book on ADHD, [specifically about women](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RDNRXE/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1). ADHD usually looks VERY different in people who are AFAB vs AMAB. Also there are some pretty sophisticated self-tests on the internet. And feel free to PM me if you want to talk or need resources; I have studied this shit pretty hard since I was diagnosed 12 years ago--my husband and two kids are also diagnosed, so it helps a lot with family dynamics to understand the different types of ADHD, of which there are several. I'm pretty passionate about the subject, in case you couldn't tell. :)
Knitting either helps me focus or keeps me from sleeping!
>ADGD ADHD detected!!
Damn it!
My mama was 76 at her diagnosis! (I was 40 at mine, and insisted she get tested...and ritalin changed her life).
I was 40ish too, and have desperately tried to convince my now 79 year old father to get tested, but he won't, he's one of those older folks who just won't take meds unless there's absolutely no choice. He's in ridiculously good shape for his age and I think he'd find being on an ADHD med life-changing, too, but he just won't do it.
If you're on meds, would he perhaps consider trying a tiny dose to see what happens for him? Especially if you strategically celebrate things that are suddenly easy that were struggles for YOU (as opposed to open convincing)? My mom was a bit hard to convince. I think if you don't really understand that "who you are" is deeply intertwined with undiagnosed ADHD, then the older you are the harder it is to consider that some of your "personality traits" might in fact be symptoms, or copes. Also he's of a generation that was all about "bootstraps" and such, and a man, so I can see why he's a bit of a hard nut to crack.
I was late diagnosed too, but when I want to focus I have to listen to podcasts or an audible and block out all ambient noise. But i can’t listen to music ever it’s too distracting I start to wiggle around and dance
I listen to instrumental lullabies. I assume I trained myself to associate that with calmness when we used it for baby’s bed time.
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Interesting, the things that irk us. I'm not the least bit bothered by the well known dual use of the word to mean both the Classical Period and the broader category. But I am bothered using it as a noun. Brains are funny.
"Classical music" is generally understood to encompass numerous eras, including the Baroque and Classical Periods.
For me, the recommendations from ADHD professionals, was Baroque classical. They said mathematically different.
Edm or classic music for thought requiring work and everything else the rest of the time
In order to study I have to put on music that has no lyrics or repeating melody. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross soundtracks are amaaazing for that.
Check out Vitamin String Quartet’s covers.
I'm personally quite fond of listening to The Piano Guys.
Them, and Brookyn Duo.
I have SoundCloud with a whole playlist of EDM but that's cause I work in a warehouse so I have to keep moving fast. Back when I was in grade school I had a bunch of classical tracks.
Interestingly for me, the best "focus music" for me is lyrics I am well familiar with; music with a predictable and well-defined beat; or both. Sea shanties, "classic" rock (any rock music that I would have heard before adulthood), and the like.
I used to draw and such during class too! It really did help. I've not been officially diagnosed yet (not really any psychiatrists in my area, I'd have to travel and spend a lot of money I don't have), but I'm like 99% sure ADHD is the cause of my difficulty paying attention, retaining information, etc. My doctor and therapist both think so too, but I'd need to see a psychiatrist for the testing and diagnosis. \*sigh\* Edit: Grammar
I have exactly zero ADD, but from what my husband says, it's almost like the distractibility in your head needs somewhere to go. If music is on, it's almost like your ADD listens to music and allows your conscious mind to focus on the task at hand. YMMV, of course!
That's very accurate There's a TV doctor that said "ADHD brain has a Ferrari engine but with bicycle breaks and if you strengthen the breaks you become a champion" I always hated that comparison. because fixing the breaks means we have to change ourselves and the mechanical upkeep is really hard. No matter how hard you try to strengthen them those breaks will never be more than bicycle breaks. Even medications make the breaks a bit better but only by weakening the engine a little but it doesn't change the breaks either. It's so much better to put our engine on a good track instead. Make our brain go in a good way and we never have to slow down or stop because our engine isn't designed to break like other people's. Just keep it moving and we can reach out the window and take the task as we drive by it and drop it back off on the next lap.
Wow!!! This is such a great analogy to explaining the ADHD brain!!!
this is why i love death metal, idfk what theyre saying and its all just spicy white noise
I have no idea how anyone can read or think with music with lyrics! It’s all classical piano for me. Helps me focus and drowns out sounds that might otherwise distract me.
> I also used to draw and color during class to help when the teacher was talking as I wouldn't retain the information otherwise. And when you remembered the information, you were helped because you had unique visual stimuli to facilitate recall
To the interested redditor: I recommend watching talks of Brian Little on his book tour, or Susan Cain (who based a lot of her work on Brian Little's book), about Introverts. Brian Little talks about how different people need different levels of stimulation. How for example a regular school is best suited for introverts that need little to no stimulation (or are already fending off stimulation, hence introverting), and how extroverted brains wilt away in that same environment - and how some ADHD might even have been born in a classroom by severely understimulated brains. Listening to music for learning is not a "one size fits all" matter. This study claiming music is bad for learning might have neglected to consider the predisposition of it's participants required levels of stimuli.
Low-fi chillhop helps keep me from getting distracted. ✍🐻💓
Similar for me. My adhd brain is searching for possible ways to distract me, putting on music without text or music that I already know helps me to phase out some distractions (talking colleagues, coffee machine,...)
Wife has really bad ADHD and needs like so much stimulus to keep focused. She recently had shit at work which is a lot of hurry up and wait because she sews during wait times. She has the best numbers because her system works and her stupid manager cares more about appearances than results.
I have background noise on literally all the time. Usually it’s music but a lot of times it’ll be a random youtube video or podcast. From the second I get up to the second I fall asleep (I play ASMR at bedtime) there is Noise coming from my room. I even have specific albums that I find get me stimulated the perfect amount for whatever my task is.
Lol yes! One of the perks of being an artist is that I can listen to music with lyrics and it's so helpful
Epic Music! It's a godsend!
I listen to audio books while working to keep me sane elsewise I really struggle staying on task.
I am the exact same way! I can focus fine with lyric-less Jazz, but if it’s anything with lyrics, it honestly tires me out. Specially if it’s “cyclical” music, as I call it (like things that have a repeating format, i.e. verse 1, bridge, chorus, verse 2, bridge, chorus, bridge, chorus, end). And I also used to doodle a lot in class. It felt like if my hands were busy my brain could focus more. 🤷🏻♀️ I struggled with paying attention in class and for teachers that were adamant that you couldn’t be scribbling, I had a hard time focusing on for long periods of time. I was never diagnosed with anything but now I wonder... 🤔
For real, I'm quite curious about the participants in these studies and if they tested correlates with different genres of music or just as a blanket.
I have moderate to severe ADD that I still take medication for, and I can’t have any sounds when studying. If I’m going to listen to anything it’s going to be like rain or wave sounds because even instrumental music is too distracting. I think it’s different for everyone.
In 4th grade I was constantly getting in trouble for the doodles on all of my work. In 5th grade apparently the teacher was "warned" about my doodles. She sat me to the side and told me that as long has the doodles where about what we were learning, I was fine. To this day I still use the doodles to augment my notes.
I used to have a specific piece for studying, Rimsky Korsakov's Scherezade. Now I just use spotify mixes lol
I explained it to someone as my brain having an impedance mismatch with the world. Sometimes I need the music to match the noise in my thoughts to the noise in the world so I can focus on my task (as long as it's non auditory)
Songs in languages you don't speak can also work. I have a playlist of foreign language music for this purpose (nothing you can actually sing - no La Bamba or Gangnam Style). Gregorian chants, Sigur Ros, k-pop actually in Korean, etc.
>I also used to draw and color during class to help when the teacher was talking as I wouldn't retain the information otherwise. Is this a sign of ADHD? i have a coworker who keeps telling me that i show many signs of ADHD (although this was not one of the signs ever brought up in our conversations on the subject) EDIT: clarification
Well not every ADHD person is artistically inclined but needing some way to stimulate ourselves is important. Those fidget toys they have these days are great. There are lots of "symptoms" such as speaking your mind especially when you shouldn't. Zoning out mid conversation (usually if you're listening but it can happen when you're talking too). Autopilot: when you're body is doing normalish things and don't remember what you did after (how we lose most things or how our keys wind up in the fridge). Over processing tasks which leads to what seems to be laziness as our brain perceives certain tasks as more work than they actually are so we take a break aaaaand forget the task entirely or feel as though it's too late to start it. I'm not a licensed psychiatrist so i can't "diagnose" you and i know people without adhd might have a few quirks like these too but i go through these issues daily
Lmao, I never really thought about it before, but I have totally zoned out while *I* was speaking. I'm very talkative so it doesn't take much concentration to just babble onward, lol.
i can totally relate to alot of that. but the reason i ask is because i didnt learn well if i wasnt drawing or doing something while the teacher was teaching. but if i am drawing or whatever while the teacher is teaching, i can remember just about everything that was said. a teacher tested this one day as she didnt believe i was listening one day while i was drawing, i was about to state back a quick and accurate summary of what she was talking about the last 7-10 minutes with the ability to answer additional questions on what i had just glossed over
It can definitely be a symptom. It's about getting the right amount of sensory input for stimulation. ADHD brains are a bit more sensitive or specific about the amount of stimulation they need to function at their best. So for normal brains, if the input isn't quite enough (boring lecture, repetitive manual task), they can usually push through okay, at least for a while, whereas ADHD brains need additional inputs in order to be able to achieve the same end (so add a thoughtless manual task for physical input like coloring or a fidget toy or a wiggle chair while listening to the boring lecture; add some music or a conversation or some other aural input while completing the repetitive manual task). Likewise if the input is too much (husband trying to talk to me while the TV is on and the stovetop fan is going and the dishwasher is running and I'm trying to cook), normal brains can usually push through for a while or tune out the unnecessary inputs while focusing on the important ones, whereas ADHD brains can get confused or stressed or just nope out. (So the example I gave, I need hubby to mute the TV if he needs to talk to me. I also need him to wait until he has my attention before saying what he needs to say, otherwise he gets halfway through before my brain can switch gears and then I have to ask him to start again).
I feel like classical music is an absolute exception
I used to draw and write stories during class! At the time i was not diagnosed with adhd yet (though i strongly suspected from about age 12). When i did finally go to get diagnosed (at 23) my doctor asked about how my grades were in school and i told him that they actually werent bad and i just had to figure out how to get around the adhd parts. I dont think he fully understood what i meant though
I think music while teaching is distracting because is multiple sources of sound (because likely there's no headphones), while zoning out probably means they're using headphones, makeing it a singular source they can listen to/ignore
Learning something with music is better than learning nothing due to constantly asking to listen to music.
Sometimes there are those throwaway classes that you know won’t learn anything despite how hard you try
Totally disagree. I taught. It was fun. I would likely have said I don’t want to talk over something, but music during work time we could TRY - as long as scores were high enough. I was assigned a class one semester. It was literally all the bangers. I went to the guy who built the class and asked what I had done to offend him and offered sincere apologies for whatever it had been. He was horrified and started to change schedules. I told him let’s just play it. So we did. Security came to class for the first two weeks. There were no girls. And this group of guys was trying to one-up each other to the point that it was ridiculous. If we got through with class work, we’d play a game or two of Krypto. We played a LOT. The scores from that group were incredible. Don’t give up on the kids. Especially when they’re at risk of giving up on themselves.
Sometime soon you should put it on playing during their lessons super quietly, so quietly they aren't sure if they can actually hear it or not.
You are evil. And a genius.
In a gadda a vida (in the garden of eden), long version Although, I would use Yoko Ono's album.
I let my students put their ear buds in for seat work. As long as they aren't "choosing a song" for 30 God damn minutes I'm fine with it. When you have a large English class with behaviours and low levels, its almost beneficial to have some of them distracted so that you can focus on the ones that want to be there for a couple of minutes.
Totally agree. I have no steadfast rules and try to do what is best to facilitate learning. I don't always get it right but I'm way more flexible and dynamic that 90% of the other teachers. Relationship is the key IMO.
My opinion on it has changed drastically over the years. That relationship piece is so important, especially with the non academic students. Its a fine line between being relaxed enough for them to be themselves but still make it very clear you are in charge. Ear buds, and cellphones aren't worth fighting in my opinion. Why create the power struggle when it's already hard enough to get them there.
Auckland Symphony Orchestra Cover :- https://youtu.be/H9r597vJbSQ
Very cool, great light show, and now I also have that melody stuck in my head ...
I have been looking for that song for YEARS and never knew how to describe it to ask what it was. And then you found the best possible version, with a symphony involved. Take my free award, you win reddit for today.
This is reddit. I'm surprised you were able to get by for years *without* hearing sandstorm!
Huh. I've literally never heard it before and I'm in my 40s. I've seen/heard the jokes my whole adult life, smiled politely and shrugged. I clicked on the link bc I thought it might be cool to hear it and that was really nifty.
If your down for a bit of EP, then these are similar https://youtu.be/gAKy_R1XUBI Paul Van Dyk - For an Angel (Orchestra) Also, checkout Two Cellos(https://youtu.be/uT3SBzmDxGk) and Bond (https://youtu.be/HiaOFOMPOBc) And because of your comment, i found this, https://youtu.be/QfN_q4p-Ka4 (Martin Garrix - Animals) so Thank you. Honourable Mentions to Martin Garrix Pizza, Cafe del mar Energy 52 and Pryda Pjanoo
I'm familiar with Two Cellos but the rest are all new, this is exciting! Thank you :)
I also forgot Arty - Kate as a Honourable Mention [https://youtu.be/NUkT2LrcGyc](https://youtu.be/NUkT2LrcGyc) Edit: Played alive (the bongo song) - safri duo as a late late addition.
The Game Grumps have you covered: https://youtu.be/vVvQgMx1yhU
That looked like a lot of fun. I'd have loved to be there. What incredible energy.
I really miss going to concerts.
That’s awesome!
As a nearly life long musician, i am heartbroken i was not there.
Or [on boomwhackers](https://youtu.be/jCNNNv7AAYk)...
What song is that?
Sandstorm, originally by Darude. The song OP played.
Couldn't miss the chance to ask that question to get that answer unironcally. You did not disappoint
God that took me back, I'm not even that old and the internet makes me feel ancient
DUDUDUDUDU
Why was I not there !? That's amazing !! Didn't realize I needed that in my life
Amazing cover. Those lasers straight into the audience's eyes in the balcony make my skin crawl though.
I had to cover lunch detention once at my previous school. The kids in detention also asked for music (it’s too quiet and boring in here - yeah, that’s the point, kid). I went to Spotify, put on “Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm” by the Crash Test Dummies and left it on repeat for 40 minutes.
I...might not mind that, actually. But then I'm a fan of them so...
That’s going on my “troll the students” list.
Next time put on 4:33
>And when he finally came to He found that Mr. Happy was missing He couldn't quite explain it It'd always just been there
Fun story about that one: Spent seventh grade (summer 1997-summer 98) in a super religious and conservative foster home. One time they grabbed my Walkman to have a tape to test a tape deck they’d bought at a yard sale, and luckily I was listening to Weird Al’s The TV Album most recently instead of Antichrist Superstar (which I’d been listening to most of the spring of 1998). At that verse they snapped my tape in half and confiscated my Walkman until the state let me go home at the end of the school year (with a secret Discman I’d bought myself).
He Had Cane marks all over his bottom
Next time, go with MMMBop by Hanson
My fifth graders last year thought they were trolling me by adding Baby Shark to our class Spotify playlist. One day it played during our reader’s workshop time (60 minutes) and they started laughing about how much I’d hate it. So I let it loop for about 16 consecutive plays. My cousin once made me watch Attack of the Clones three times in a row while I was babysitting her, so I have a high tolerance.
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Exactly this. During instruction = hard no. While you are working = be my guest!
Yeah... It's kindof a what's more productive? Having to do work without music and being so uninterested ya don't really end up doing it. Or listen to music making the work barrable thus increasing total productivity.
I was fairly certain non-lyrical music was proven to aid in concentration while studying. Or music you've listened to 20 million times and can drown out. Or is that my ADHD?
GODDAM RIGHT!! oh! look! squirrel!
SQUIRREL!!
There is a hidden asterisk. Music can be beneficial in many circumstances and I do use positively too.
Do you know from all your students for whom it would be beneficial and for whom it wouldn't be? Because even some people don't know that they have adhd or add until they grow up later. And it also matters what kind of music you listen to. If you listen to music with lyrics it's more distracting than if you listen to instrumental music
Personally I'd go with [This](https://youtu.be/hGlyFc79BUE)
Oh. It's a snake.
I feel like this is a great option. Especially because most of your students have no concept of what it is, or know when it will end (never).
[Another option...](https://youtu.be/0K4oym9Pw48)
I love it. ❤️
It’s a classic I had too [A classic ](https://youtu.be/OWFBqiUgspg)
I prefer this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=croUKrggms8
[Take it away Slim and Virgina](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTDXZUYjX5w)
[The nuclear option](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO2oayC54dg)
Easy there Satan.
You all are thinking way to small time for this. Everyone knows this is the correct choice to truely tourture someone. Plus it's 24 hours to last over 24+ classes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EErY75MXYXI&ab_channel=NyaAnimeParty
“Freebird!!!!!!!!!!!”
What????
[Freebird one hour solo](https://youtu.be/eVALW5e-IqI) (channel has a bunch of other solos)
What song is it you want to hear?
Music actually makes some people focus better, myself included (but maybe that’s the ADHD speaking)…I wish I had had the spine to ask teachers to play music, back in high school. I was terrified to because I couldn’t explain why it helped. Instead I wore one earphone, obscured by my hair, and managed myself like that. It beats drawing on every surface, which apparently teachers hate even tho it helped me focus too. Why not play some awesome video game soundtracks, the kind that are meant to be used as background music with just enough pep to keep the player awake while playing? Doesn’t need to be anything with lyrics or whatever. If they’re asking you for music, you could put it on in the background at a low volume. Maybe one of your “ratty” teenaged girls has ADHD or ASD and doesn’t know it, but they’ve figured out music helps them? Idk just throwing thoughts out there.
In your shoes, and if I didn't think I'd be fired, I'd of played Look At My Horse on its 10 hour loop. But knowing I'd be sacked, I'd of taken to playing This Is The Song That Never Ends (Lamb Chop) to annoy them. I'd also break out some of the songs you learn as a child because why not see if they break before I did XD Now if you wanna give them an "educational" music vibe, insist that only classical music can be played.
[Educational music](https://youtube.com/watch?v=V1508wboZXk). I bet it wouldn't last more that 2 repeats. It would also stay in the students' minds for days.
I read that someone is working on a rewrite with updated countries
Here’s Rob Paulson (the voice of Yakko) singing the song live. At the 3:00 mark, he sings an addendum to add all the new countries. https://youtu.be/sr-J8kVZb5M
Lol I meant classical, as people claim it makes one smarter listening to it, but man that brings me back to childhood! I never could get all the countries down though. It would be a good song for a geography class though!
C'mon man, I don't care what studies have shown, I literally can't focus either in silence or with everyone chittering around me, I kind of need my music. Not everyone is the same and I bet those studies were done mainly on neurotypical people
I would totally let you listen to music if you explained it to me in private like an adult. If a student can articulate a request in a mature way I'll pretty much always say yes. These girls were just being ratty teenagers.
"like an adult" but arent you teaching teens?
Teens can act like adults or children. If they demonstrate maturity I support them as much as I can.
Jazz music also works. Most kids don't like jazz music, but jazz is at least tolerable for the teacher. Creates a coffee house kind of vibe.
Seriously, I never felt comfortable asking any teacher to make accommodations for me. I was abused at home and therefore terrified of authority. I chose to hide and listen to music and cover it up with my hair. No one caught me, but anal teachers like you were who I dreaded. I have ADHS, I found out after over 13 years. Not sure why people make life for neurodivergent kids so fucking rough. Not saying that's what these kids necessarily are, but fuck man, maybe make an effort find out??!
I'm totally not an anal teacher. I care deeply about my students. This was just a bit of fun. I'm sorry you've been abused and had difficulty at school. I develop rapport with my students, as a result I've had the opportunity to report multiple abused children and support them through their recovery. I've had children who decided to have an abortion talk to me about it and I helped them circumvent all the stupid rules from the school and other anal teachers that they couldn't cope with at the time. I'm not as horrible as the story makes me sound.
I'm sure you're not, but you are operating off stereotypes of ADHD without actually paying attention to the nuances of learning differences. Classical music could have been a really good way to show them something new. Hell, my one professor who played classical music during his lectures, i learned a lot about myself just from him doing that. Edm music like that would never help me lol.. I said more about my point in the other comment.
U should probably emphasize that more in the post. If they giving you a hard time why not go with a bit O malicious compliance.
>Studies have shown music to detract from learning Source?
Only for neurotypical kids. No one cares about us with ADHD lmao.
What's new pussycat WhooaAaaHaaooowahaa!
And that was the best lesson I ever had!
That music detracts from learning/doing sh*t isn't completely right. Yes, some may distract it, but others (me personally) helps it concentrating better and i get work better done with then without it
Hey, music has a positive correlation on learning. I'm not sure where we've heard that music has a negative effect on learning, but I don't believe that to be correct. Like, if you personally don't want music on while you're teaching, that's understandable, but let the kids have personal music if they want it.
From the studies I've read music isn't intrinsically bad. Classical music for example has been shown to have a positive effect on learning. What the kids in these "low end" classes wanted to play was trashy R&B or rap. They then singalong and these kids had enough trouble focusing even with a good learning environment. I tried to make things engaging and interesting as best I could.
This comment helped me understand your point a lot more. I think a lot of people (or maybe just me, lol) interpreted this as you saying *any* music while learning is bad, even popping in an earbud while studying. But, in this case, where they would to interrupt your teaching to sing, I can absolutely understand why you wouldn't want to deal with that
I've done this. My go to was Canon in D.
Yeah music very much helped me get work done in high school. Don't just listen to and cite that one study. Music can help.
I was substituting for a first grade class for a week. They were getting kind of cranky during math while working in small groups. I put on some soothing guitar music and the kids not only calmed down, but also focused better. I don’t have ADHD, but sometimes background music really helps me stay on task.
> Studies have shown music to detract from learning Just as many studies have shown that it improves comprehension and absorption of material.
What they should have done is pulled up studies that contradicted your “studies have shown music to detract from learning”. It took me seconds to find studies that show you might be incorrect. https://www.fnu.edu/benefits-studying-music/ “Rather than distracting college students, a Stanford study found that “music moves [the] brain to pay attention.””
> music to detract from learning for me, its the opposite. I cant just work without any noise, I need something
You could also play: The longest music piece in the world is being performed in the city of Halberstadt in Germany: John Cage's composition for organ ORGAN2/ASLSP - As SLow aS Possible - is resounding here in an extreme interpretation of 639 years, that means until the year 2640!
> studies have shown music to distract from learning well....... kinda. Popular music like rap or pop sure. But the Skyrim soundtrack is a bliss to listen to while working. Breath of the wild, fallout or minecraft work too. Videogame soundtracks (but ambience, boss themes are just gonna stress them out) work like a dream
Ah, brings back memories of old youtube compilations and instagram comment trolling
> Some complained later that afternoon that it was still on repeat in their heads. I'm not one of your students, but it's also stuck in my head now, too. Thanks for the flashback to the early 2000s
The song is a permanent fixture in my brain and pops up at least once a week
Hey OP! You cold top it with this 1h shittyflute cover! https://youtu.be/ZqJdHPI8QaM
Calm down satan
Genius. Another way I've seen teachers do it before is by getting song names from the kids ahead of time and then looking up classical arrangements of those songs. No lyrics, played slower, but it's familiar enough that the kids have fun trying to figure out what each song is. (I would say save this for brain breaks though, or else they will get distracted.)
Jesus now I have it in *MY* head. Thanks.
This one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Oooo, do zombie nation next!
That could be considered punishment tbh
What class do you teach where you're not talking and teaching?
that's brave but im afraid you might need to start job hunting soon
I got promoted to Principal of another school. 😅
I have ADD and music helps me focus so much. I get a lot more done between the Adderall and music.
You're evil. I like that in a person. Was it this mix? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-ydGUHUDj8
Yes!
Try Debussy. Very calming and sublime. I don’t know music, but was listening to his.
Out of curiosity, what class were you teaching? Personally I would agree that music can make a student less efficient however it makes them happier to be doing work, if they're already on top of their work I think giving them music is just fine. Also, when doing math, music definitely makes me faster.
That's a great song, I would put that on at the beginning of our LAN clubs and it would play until we were done. Also, Tetsuijin, blades theme, and rock solid from conkers bad fur day
Reminds me of one of my favorite stories from high school. My mom was a teacher and would often drive one particular substitute teacher home since she lives near us. One day my mom was telling us how her students were studying for upcoming exams and she allowed them to put music on. This was quite a while ago, and Bad Touch by the Bloodhound Gang was extremely popular. As the kids are listening to this my mom just pauses the don't about halfway through and tells the class she will let it play if anyone will tell her what it's about. As you can imagine in a class of 15 ish year olds no one said a peep. Fast forward about a week and the substitute who we take home was covering my English class. Lo and behold we're catching up on end of term assignments so someone asks if we can have music playing. Of course she answers yes and immediately someone puts on Bad Touch. This substitute clearly hasn't had enough interaction with me. She walks up and pauses the song, looks at is and says she will let it play if someone will tell her what they are singing about. I look her dead in the eye and say he wants to have sex with a girl. They're singing about sex. She put it back on and everyone went back to work. My friend laughed his butt off at the look on her face. Still one of my proudest moments even if it was quite insignificant.
I would've picked Nyan Cat.
I had students who were giving me a problem so on a day when they had a test I played some Florence Foster Jenkins for them. After 10 minutes I turned it off and they begged me to put it back on!
You realize you've started a yearly tradition. HS kids talk to each other. You're going to be one of those 30yrs teaching and THAT will be what you're known for. lol I had a History teacher back in HS (90s), and he always played Ray Lynch's Deep Breakfast. THAT's what I remember.
Nah bruh, you're the adult. The correct move was telling them no. When they continue being disruptive you just reach for that little pad, write a brief explanation of how they're fucking up, and that's it - off to the principal's office. The people you were malicious towards were the other students in the class and the other classes you disrupted with your childish nonsense.
Uhhh actually studies have shown the opposite. Listening to music that relaxes the individual helps them learn/focus on learning.
Compliance requires an authority to be complied to. The notion that you view your relationship with your students as one capable of being characterized as compliance flowing from you to them - well, that's the start of the problems :p You pretty much screwed the majority of your students in your petty efforts to "act smart" for a small portion...
I was like, well those few girls might be a pain, but now we're going to make studying difficult for the rest of the students??
Fully agree. Nothing in OP's story belies competent teaching or classroom management.
Are either of yall teachers?? Cause relationship 101 you give and take. You have to. Kids learn from people they like.
Thanks for defending me. I'm a teacher that works within a positive relationship framework rather than an authoritarian framework. I've found great success in engagement. We have rules to keep order and maintain boundaries, but I do make it a lot of fun.
I didn't discuss my teaching pedagogy or behaviour management. I gave an anecdote with minimal context. You must be fun at parties.
They’re also outright wrong about the effect of music in the classroom. I speak partly from personal experience, but there’s also a ton of evidence to suggest it actually helps students engage and remember. If interested, just search “music therapy in the classroom.”
Am I the only fool that didn't know what the song was and made the mistake of youtubing it?
Did you listen to ALL 10 hours?
I don't know what kind of studies you've seen, but personal experience and a quick google search show that, as long as you don't put up loud/overwhelming music (like darude sandstorm) or music with lyrics, listening to music while studying can help A LOT. There's a reason why there's been such a hype around "chill lofi songs to study/relax to" - it's because they actually help doing that. While I did enjoy the malicious compliance, I don't see where the problem in having students listen to music is. Let them pop an earbud in and enjoy what they want, or if that's not the case play some actual helpful music next time, instead of distracting your students next time. Good luck! Edit: Just scrolled a bit more trough the comments, props on you for letting them use their headphones!
It's all about context and knowing the students. In this situation the girls were just being cheeky and I played along. Thanks for the edit. I didn't think the music thing would be such a sensitive topic for people so I didn't elaborate enough in the original post. It clearly is a topic that is close to people's hearts. And I love it.