7 Spotify Stations for Focused Studying

Attention, Spotify listeners and study enthusiasts! According to Nick Perham, a researcher published in Applied Cognitive Psychology, the best music for studying is no music at all. He says you should absolutely not listen to music because it competes for your brain's space (to put it succinctly). Perham recommends that instead, you study in complete silence or ambient noise like the muted traffic of a highway or soft conversation. However, some people disagree with this researcher. They believe that music makes the study experience better since it can lift a mood or bump up positive feelings, both of which are kind of important for a successful study session. 

Music researchers do agree on one thing: music for studying should be free from lyrics so the songs aren't competing for your brain's memory space. With that in mind, here are the top lyric-free Spotify stations for studying. 

Creator: Spotify

Length: 13 hours, 51 minutes

Number of Songs: 127

The Review: This station is perfect for keeping that brain sharp and focused. I mean, it's called "Intense Studying" for crying out loud. It's a mix of sonatas, concertos and more from classical superstars like Bach, Mozart and Dvorak. It's anything but sleepytime music, though. Some classical stations will send your directly into slumberland, but the upbeat tempos will keep you on track!

Creator: Taylor Diem

Length: 17 hours, 17 minutes

Number of Songs: 242

The Review: In case you want to listen to more modern instrumentals, this Spotify station for studying focuses on soundtracks like those from the movie Amelie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and The Hours along with instrumental beats from artists like Explosions in the Sky, Max Richter, and Levon Mikaelian. 

Creator: Spotify

Length: 7 hours, 59 minutes

Number of Songs: 92

The Review: I know, I know. Not everyone likes lounge music. But this stuff isn't elevator music, I can tell you that for sure. And the mellow beats of artists like ST*RMAN and Azul Grande may be just calming enough for someone with a crazy life to relax enough to pop open the books. 

Creator: Spotify

Length: 1 hour, 34 minutes

Number of Songs: 24

The Review: Acoustic guitar enthusiasts, listen up! Your study session for your midterm has just gotten a whole lot better. Plug in and open up this lyric-free Spotify station to enjoy music from Michael Hedges, Antoine Dufour, Tommy Emmanuel, Phil Keagy and a dozen more guitarists who mesmerize with quick arpeggios and harmonizing chords. 

Creator: perryhan

Length: 2 hours, 41 minutes

Number of Songs: 88

The Review: Want modern songs reworked by instrumental artists? Perfect. Hear songs like Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" on violin by David Garrett or Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" on piano and violin by The Piano Guys. Just make sure you're not singing along with the lyrics when you're studying for the vocab quiz! 

Creator: mogirl97

Length: 4 hours, 2 minutes

Number of Songs: 64

The Review: This is also a Spotify station relying heavily on remixes of modern songs. The Vitamin String Quartet, Lindsay Stirling, 2 Cellos, and The Piano Guys play their versions of songs like "Royals", "Pompeii", "Back to Black", "Chandelier", "Let It Go", "She Will Be Loved" and more!

Creator: coffierf

Length: 3 hours, 4 minutes

Number of Songs: 38

The Review: Electronic dance music isn't what some people think of when they want to sit down to study, but for you kinesthetic learners out there - the kind who need to keep moving to concentrate - this station for studying may be just your jam. Bounce along to tracks by Crystal Castles, Netsky, and Moguai while you review your ACT Science strategies.