Thursday, February 27, 2014

Music in the Studio: Inspiration or Distraction?

Ask any group of artists what they think of playing music while they work and you'll get an earful of lively opinions. Some will say they need complete silence in order to concentrate. Others will say they can't work without music. Some will say they like to play only certain kinds of music -- country western, or classical, or jazz, for example. Others will say they play all different kinds of music, everything from New Age to Rap and everything else in between.

When I rented studio space I used to long to play music at full blast in my studio (clearly I'm not one of the "silence is golden" crowd) but it wouldn't have been neighborly. In both of those studio spaces sound carried, so I was reluctant to disturb everyone around me.

Now that I have a studio all to myself, with the closest neighbor acres away, I don't hesitate to crank up the volume. My favorite CD at present is the soundtrack to the movie "Oblivion." The musical score is by M83 and I love, love, love it. It covers a whole range of expression, from achingly poignant to darkly dramatic. (Another reason Oblivion is near and dear: our niece, who works in production design, had a hand in making this film.) Other favorites are Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban, Secret Garden, Alan Jackson, Simon and Garfunkel and Celtic Woman. I think of all these artists as creative partners of sorts. They play an important role in my daily routine.

Rather than being a hindrance, music gets me into the "zone" very quickly and helps keep me focused. I'm not sure why, all I know is that when I work to music I get so much more accomplished than when I work in silence. Why this is so is a mystery. I'd love to know if anyone has done some research on this subject of working (or not) to music. How do you see it? Do you play music while you work, or do you need silence to get things done? Do you prefer a certain kind of music over others? Does it have an effect on your productivity? I invite you to click on "Comments" and share your thoughts.

©2014 Lynn Edwards

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