You should listen to music to deal with exam stress

Emma Finamore
07 Jun 2018

85% of GCSE and A-level students say listening to music helps them deal with stress, new research reveals.

Placeholder — 74% of 11-18-year-olds use music as a remedy to the stress and anxiety of everyday life.

Music can play a vital role in relieving exam stress and improve the mental health of young people, new research has revealed.

The results from a study by the Royal Albert Hall showed that 85% of GCSE and A-level students say listening to music helps them deal with stress, 74% of use music as “a remedy to the stress and anxiety of life”, while 62% say listening to music improves their confidence.

As 16-18-year-olds embark on GCSEs and A-level exams this month, Senior Education and Outreach Manager at the Royal Albert Hall, Flo Schroeder, has urged students to play or listen to music during their downtime to help with the stress.

Schroeder said: “There have been multiple studies showing the benefit of listening to music while you study and how it can help with concentration, but what this research really shows is that music can be highly effective when it comes to decompression from stress.

“For many 16-18-year-olds, the next couple of weeks are probably the most stressful they will face. It’s imperative that during those particularly tough moments, they do all they can to help alleviate that pressure.”

“There have been multiple studies showing the benefit of listening to music while you study and how it can help with concentration, but what this research really shows is that music can be highly effective when it comes to decompression from stress."

The research also found that 74% of 11-18-year-olds use music as a remedy to the stress and anxiety of everyday life. The study further highlighted how music can help with social skills, with 62% of 16-18-year-olds stating that playing or listening to music helped with confidence.

Schroeder said: “We know, categorically, the social and mental health benefits playing and listening to music can have on an individual’s psyche. This is why, as part of charitable remit, here at the Royal Albert Hall we run music therapy sessions for people with intellectual disabilities and even dementia-friendly ‘Relaxed’ performances.

“Sitting GCSEs and A-Levels exams is tough, but our strong advice is, take a break, and wherever you can, put on some tunes – it will help!”

Through its Education and Outreach programme, the Royal Albert Hall aims to introduce children, at the earliest stage possible to music, in every form; whether it be the Storytelling and Music sessions for babies and toddlers through to offering careers workshops with some of the biggest names in music.

The programme which last year reached more than 185,000 young people, works with schools and community groups, as well as other charities such as Music for Youth, as part of its extensive public benefit remit.

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