Ready for the reading? Just crank up some music

Whether you’re a Fresher or a fourth year, you’ve probably spent much of the past week sleeping through the day and dancing through the night, drinking pint after pint in […]


Whether you’re a Fresher or a fourth year, you’ve probably spent much of the past week sleeping through the day and dancing through the night, drinking pint after pint in Rascals, doing shots in The VIC and partying withTinchy and co. in the Union. But, just like that, classes have started. It’s back to (being hungover) at 9am lectures and (being hungover) exploring the newly refurbished library. And, after four months of backpacking Europe or gallivanting around South America, we’re not surprised if you can’t quite remember how to sit down and actually do some work (even if that doesn’t happen until Week 9)

So, that’s where The Stand comes in! We’ve put together a list of just of few of the many ‘study music’ playlists and websites out there to get you ready for all that reading, writing and note-making. Just sit in your swivel chair, turn on that spotlight, grab your pens and multi-coloured highlighters, click play and get working!

 8Tracks 

8Tracks is the go-to site to find playlists for everything, whether it’s ‘tunes to sing to in the shower’, ‘music for scrubbing your bathtub’ or ‘songs of seduction’. Just type ‘study’ in the search bar and you’ll be given hundreds of playlists. It’s particularly good for folky acoustic playlists (see here and here) so you can read whilst listening to Ben Howard or get around to writing that essay to the sound of Bon Iver. Just make sure to listen to some motivational speeches beforehand (or if you really want to put off that work, it’s great for pre-Lizard party playlists too…

Spotify

Despite now being a restricted service unless you’re a paying member, Spotify is a great program for making, sharing and playing playlists. Various studies have suggested that it’s best to listen to classical music whilst working, so that you’re not distracted by the words. So put on some Frederic Chopin, Debussy, or even Sigur Ros and get inspired. Even if you prefer motivational indie-rock or pump-up pop, with Spotify you can choose whatever you want to listen to, and even discover similar sounding bands with the handy ‘Radio’ and ‘Similar Artists’ features.                                                                                      

Last.fm

This is a lesser known website but it’s worth signing up. If you set up an account, the website is able to import all of your listening history from programs such as iTunes and Spotify and create a personalised Radio based on what you like. The site also has a ‘Similar Artists Radio’, like the Spotify feature and the Pandora radio service (which is great – but only if you’re in the US, Australia or New Zealand). Just type in a genre or the name of an artist you enjoy listening to, and the website will play you songs from (often little-known) bands and musicians which sound similar. This is especially useful when studying, as if you don’t know many of the songs, you shouldn’t be tempted to sing along!

STAR Radio

And last but not least, it’s our very own St Andrews Radio station! Run by students at the university, there are dozens of different shows to listen to, although you’ll have to wait until October for the big launch. Whether you’re tuning in to your friend’s talk show or cranking up the speakers during a music show, it’s well worth a listen.