Music in the Writing Center

Alumni Boardroom

With many studies being produced about the effects of classical music on studying, we felt that a similar study should be completed over the effects of music in the writing center. We ran a study at the Michigan State University Writing Center, which ran October - November. We solicited the satellite locations, as well as a section of the central location, to participate in a controlled experiment. Over the span of four weeks, we played predetermined playlists in the center covering various genres/eras of music (i.e. instrumental, choral, and popular/easy listening/rock). Data concerning the music was collected through a survey, which the clients completed after their consultations. The survey gathered information on the specific week/genre of music. After the completion of the of the project we collected the data from the surveys to see if there was a specific type of music the clients enjoyed. Our hypothesis was that specific genres of music will enhance their experience, while others may distract the clients during their consultations. However, after collecting the data, we were surprised to see the type of music was not really a deciding factor. The end goal of this project is to bring new information regarding music in the writing center and encourage the addition of music in various locations. During our presentation, we will outline the project, show the data collected, and present findings on what can be learned from the experiment.