Before a big game, athletes get into the zone by listening to music with positive or emotion-evoking lyrics to get their blood pumping. However, to get into my homework zone, nothing gets me going better than to crank that Beethoven, Bach and Mozart.

If you ask random students what they think about Classical music, I’m sure the majority of them are holding back a gag reflex. What irritates me most is that people never even give Classical a try. If it’s not mainstream, or hardcore or something popular, it’s the kiss of death because younger people assume that it’s uncool.

When I’m busting out those late nights working on research papers, I tap my toes to the crescendo of the piano and violins. It keeps me alert without distracting me with lyrics. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I hear a good Ke$ha song, I must sing along.

No, I’m definitely not an infant listening to classical, trying to up my IQ, but I feel more sophisticated and intelligent than your average high school student by choosing to listen to classical music rather than Dub-step. It helps me do better on my homework because I’m focused and I’m all about doing work.

When I was pulling my late night Lit session trying to finish the last couple of pages of a huge assignment, I needed something upbeat and mentally stimulating. I turned to Canon by Johann Pachelbel. The moving string sound put me into better mood and made the whole process go a whole lot faster. I barely noticed as the hours ticking away. Trust me when I say I still noticed, but the calm and relaxing nature of classical took the edge of the glare of all those bright white pages.

Don’t get me wrong, I love me some hip-hop, some country, some techno. But those are best for getting pumped for a performance or for dancing around my room all alone. Classical is my go-to for concentration and getting the creative juices flowing. Any huge assignment’s accomplishment is due to a beautiful symphonic movement playing in the background in my room.

by Sam Dulaney