Your Music Place

I am often asked about the effect of playing music while speed reading. The answer provided in this article may surprise you.

Ever try to study while listening to very loud music? What often happens? Your brain gets confused, and nothing is learned. Naturally, many people expect the same results if they listen to music while speed reading. However, the type of music you use can make all the difference in the world. Let me tell you how students in my prep school often use music to learn while speed reading.

Some of my best students have Attention Deficit Disorder. Contrary to popular belief, many students with this disorder are exceptionally intelligent. In fact, they are so intelligent that their brain is bored while reading at a slow speed. We actually encourage these students to play music while studying. The results are often astounding.

Since these students need more stimulation, listening to music helps provide some of the extra stimulation necessary to keep them focused. More important, speed reading provides even more stimulation to their brains. Unlike ordinary reading, speed readers use their hands to keep their eyes engaged while reading. This moves their eyes at a much more rapid pace than a snail pace reader would use. This combining of music with hand motions, and more rapid input of information stimulates their brains sufficiently to keep them attentive and learning.

I often recommend to adults who want to play music while speed reading to consider using music that has a single beat per second. Your brain has precisely this one second per minute beat. Playing music with this beat can help keep your brain engaged while speed reading. However, I do not recommend playing rock or rap music while studying. Studies show that this type of music can actually interfere with learning. Save this music for the party you will attend because you finished getting your reading done early by using speed reading.