Tips & Tricks: Composing with Music

Posted by Stephanie M. Robert

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.”  
 –Victor Hugo

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Most of us, when considering a productive environment for writing, would think of a quite location, free of noise and distraction. However, over the many years I have been writing and studying, when an important deadline looms, I head straight to the closest coffee shop, full of music, conversation, and movement. Although it seems counterintuitive, this is the type of environment in which I do my best work. Any many others feel the same, as evidenced by the many people sitting around me at the coffee shop currently typing away on their laptops.

The realization that I work best in a loud coffee shop rather than a silent library made me wonder - is quite REALLY ideal when it comes to writing?

The world we live in is an amazingly vibrant place. Our senses are constantly being inundated with information. To avoid a system overload of sorts, our brains have developed the ability to focus attention on certain things in the environment, while blocking out, or ignoring others. This ability to focus our attention on one thing, while ignoring competing stimuli is called selective attention. Without this ability, we would detect even the smallest changes in our environment and as a consequence, would never be able to focus on anything. However, when we sit in a quiet room and try to work, it is almost as if our brains are primed, waiting for something to ignore. And when something unexpected happens – a loud noise or sudden movement, concentration is broken.

It seems then, that we must occupy just enough of our brain to focus on the task at hand. This is where music can help. Music allows one part of our brain to work on ignoring the noise, while allowing higher cognitive functions – those that are needed during writing – to work effectively. Of course, there are many other benefits to music like improving mood, providing inspiration, and blocking unwanted background noise. Many research studies have looked at the effect of music on performance, and many have shown a positive effect. One in particular found an improvement in mood and cognitive performance scores of people who listened to their preferred music during high-cognitive demand work (Lesiuk). So it seems there may be some benefit to popping in those earbuds when you need to focus.

It is important to choose a style of music that allows you to be most productive. I prefer classical music and find lyrics overly distracting while working. My go-to source is a website called focus@will (https://www.focusatwill.com). The founders of focus@will designed a system that incorporates the current published literature in neuroscience and psychology, to provide music that maximizes focus and productivity.  If you want to check them out, there is a free membership if you sign up. They also have a Science section that further explains the research behind how music can enhance focus and concentration.

What about you? When you sit down to write, do you prefer quiet, or a little noise?

References

Lesiuk, T. (2005). The effect of music listening on work performance. Psychology of Music. 33(2): 173-191.
https://www.focusatwill.com/wp/science/science-primer/

https://www.focusatwill.com/wp/science/literature/