10th Jul 2022 7 minutes read

Music Can Help You Learn Python

Boost your Python study with music.

I practically live with my headphones on. Music helps me: it helps me work, it helps me work out, and it helps me learn. And today, I'm going to explain how it helps you learn Python.

Music has accompanied man since the dawn of time. All around the world, different cultures have been built around music. If you're like me, chances are you were a part of a music subculture at some time. From my early teen years to the end of my student life, music was an essential part of my DNA. To be honest, it still is; it just doesn't influence my fashion sense anymore.

My Spotify profile says I listened to over 34,000 minutes of music in 2021. That's approximately 567 hours or 23.6 days. And that's just Spotify! I don't know how much time I've spent listening to music on YouTube.

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If you've already taken the first step and started a course on Python (I hope it's our awesome Python Basics), then this article may be the little trick to help you go the extra mile. Coding for beginners can be a scary thing. Use every tool you can to help you learn Python!

If you find the right motivation and stay focused, you achieve your career goals in no time! Don't take it from me, see what Karolina has to say on how to keep focused on your learning goals.

If you haven't, then let me tell you a few things to make the right choice. By the way, be sure to read until the end of this article for a little bonus to get you in the learning mood!

Why Should You Learn Python?

It's a good idea. Period.

Ok. let me elaborate. First, Python is one of the most popular programming languages out there. It's not just for the programmers. From the perspective of the job market, it's one of the most desirable skills.

Second, Python is easy to learn. It has simple syntax, great documentation, and a vast ecosystem of open-source libraries and packages. And the best part is the community that creates a ton of materials to learn from. Python is perfect to start coding for beginners.

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Third, you don't have to be a programmer to learn Python. It comes in handy in many industries. The possibilities are endless. Automate your tasks, organize files, or even write your own shaders for 3D graphics (this one is my favorite).

Look at this article for a bigger list of reasons to start learning Python.

If you weren't convinced before to learn Python, I hope you are now. Because we are about to learn how to do it better!

Does Music Help You Learn Python?

It's no joke. Music is an amazing gift. It has profound effects on our brain. Putting on just the right track may result in mood-altering effects. But does it make you a Python-learning machine?

We need to look at science. First, let's talk about a few "music myths." We start with the one you may have heard of, perhaps without knowing its name.

The Mozart Effect

You may have heard that around 80 percent of Americans think (learning) music improves a child's performance in school and enhances their intelligence.

It all started in the early '90s with an article on the "Mozart Effect." It stated that people increased their performance on specific tasks after listening to Mozart. For 10 to 15 minutes. Like an INT buff in World of Warcraft.

This organically evolved into people playing music for babies.

Oh, boy.

Sure, picking up any extracurricular activity benefits you in the long run. But is it that simple?

Unfortunately, the Mozart Effect is not real. A study conducted by Samuel Mehr in 2013 showed no evidence supporting it. Long story short, his research on some students did not prove Mozart would work as an RPG buff for your brain.

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Listening to Mozart does not improve a child's intelligence.

Listening to Mozart does not improve academic achievements.

Listening to Mozart does not improve long-term spatial skills.

What About Other Research?

There are a few relevant theories regarding the effect of music on learning. This may be used to define how music puts you "in the zone." The following four are the most popular:

Arousal Hypothesis. Music leads to the brain reaching the optimal level of arousal. This improves performance on a cognitive task.
Mood Hypothesis. The music you like is capable of putting you in a good mood, thus improving arousal states. This enhances your performance on spatial tasks.
Preference Hypothesis. Listening to music you like increases arousal, which improves cognitive performance.
Rhythm Theory. The rhythm of music activates the cerebellum, which helps in spatial reasoning tasks.

However, there's one issue. These theories lack major scientific evidence backing them up.

So, is this article over? Do you have to learn Python while listening to the background noise at home? Of course not! This brings us to the core of this article.

How Music Improves Learning Python

Taking into consideration the previously stated theories (or debunking them), let's try to understand music as a tool for improving our learning experience. For this, we consider two factors: the personality type and the type of music.

1. Personality Type

We are all different. This requires us to look at ourselves and choose the right solutions individually. Some of us learn by reading, some of us by listening, and some of us by reading and then rewriting everything. But the so-called "learning modalities" are not the only factors determining our performance:

Our attention span and memory capacity play a key role. In 2017, Eddie A. Christopher concluded from research that people with higher memory capacity were less likely to be influenced by music. The study was on reading comprehension.
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Eysenck's Theory of Arousal says extroverts are understimulated and seek more stimulation, while introverts are overstimulated and avoid more stimulation sources.
Do YOU like listening to music? In 2010, Anderson and Fuller conducted a study on two groups of students. One group listened to music (Billboard Magazine's 2006 top hit singles), while the other worked in "silence." The results yielded an overall decrease in performance for the group listening to music. However, students who declared a preference for music while working improved on their reading comprehension assessment.

2. Type of Music

In my search, I did not find any articles with convincing evidence that a specific type of music would be superior for learning. The key takeaway was that vocals distracted people and decreased their performance. So, choose instrumentals, that is, music with no lyrics, if we want to improve our learning with music.

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This may be classical, ambient, jazz, electronic, or some other type of music. Just keep in mind it's all about your preference. Some people work better with high-tempo beats in the background; others excel while listening to a lazy lo-fi beat on their headphones.

So, what's the conclusion?

Should You Listen to Music While Learning Python?

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It depends. Studies are inconclusive, so self-experiment. My advice is:

Choose music without vocals.
Choose the music YOU like.
Choose the music that helps you achieve the right mood for the type of studying.

Bonus: My Music Choices for Learning Python

I have several playlists for different types of activities: going to the Gym, doing focused work, and commuting, to name a few.

But when it comes to studying, whether it's reading or practicing a skill, my choice is one. Synthwave.

Synthwave is a music genre with core influence soundtracks from action, sci-fi, and horror movies from the 1980s. Other influences are from video games. This music genre encapsulates the nostalgia, atmosphere, and spirit of that age.

Here are some artists I like to put on when learning: