Pump up the ambience of your classroom

It’s no surprise that sound can have a massive effect on the way we interact with the world. Some sounds can be beneficial like ambient sounds of rain, a forest, waves crashing and even white noise. Some sounds however can have a negative effect especially when you’re learning. For example, there’s nothing worse than the crashing, banging, drilling sound of a construction site but listening to the sounds of the ocean can be calming and relaxing. We want to encourage you to try playing different sounds in your classroom to benefit your students.

Using websites like deepfocus.io lets you play ambient music and sound effects which increase concentration. Nature sounds, such as falling rain, rustling leaves or a rushing water stream, are natural white noises and are very powerful in drowning out distractions from the outside environment. This actually leads to a better concentration and enhanced focus, and are very useful while working or studying.

The lack of musical melody and vocals within ambient noise will not distract you from your work but will mask out other noises from your surroundings, giving you a cocoon of concentration in which to flex your creativity. With that in mind, the right audio can help you focus and become more productive; but you have to pick the right music or sounds for the task. Classical music is often cited as an aid to study focus as well, the technique is known as The Mozart Effect. Several studies have shown music to affect focus. They showed that classical music performed better than punk music or no music conditions.

If you find Baroque classical music too odd then consider something more modern. There are plenty ambient albums out there so go and explore! Find something that you can really work with and something that your students respond well to. It turns out that pure noise can be used as a tool to aid creativity, according to this Study by the Journal of Consumer Research. “Moderate background noise induces distraction which encourages individuals to think at a higher, abstract level, and consequently exhibit higher creativity.” The study demonstrated that people would come up with new ideas for problem solving, or list uncommon uses for a common object, and that even shoppers were more creative when the background noise was moderate. Notice that we’re talking about noise here, not necessarily music. The key is to get a low hum of background audio to fill the empty space, without filling the space with its own creative prowess.

Here’s some more sites you can try:

SounDrown

deepfocus.io

Noisli

The Quiet Place Project

Faux Fire

Raining.FM

Mood Turn

Let us know what you find works well for your students and aiding their concentration levels and if you find something you love, share it with us! Happy listening, Teachers!