Midterm week can be very stressful for many students. Some find themselves with a limited number of midterms, while others end up drowning in study guides and exams. While Spotify, 8Tracks, and Youtube can be great apps to find pre-made study playlists, they can often become a repetitive list of the same few songs. Here is a list of songs one can listen to during endless study sessions, broken into a variety of categories.

Classical music:

Classical music has been praised for it’s ability to help people concentrate. I chose these songs based on their more soft nature, and limited “big moments” in the composition.

“Piano Sonata in B Flat Major”, composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

“Four Lute Suites”, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.

“Allemande Cello Suite No. 1”, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.

“Clair De Lune”, composed by Claude Debussy.

“Arabesque No. 1 and No. 2”, composed by Claude Debussy.

“Lacrimosa”, composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

“Nocturne Op. 9 No.2”, composed by Frederic Chopin.

“Moonlight Sonata”, composed by Ludwig van Beethoven.

“Melancholie”, composed by Francis Poulenc.

“Ode to Joy”, Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven

Modern Instrumental Music

Classical music is not a hit with everyone, that doesn’t mean that they still can’t enjoy some instrumental tunes. This is a list of more modern instrumental pieces, for those who need a break from classical music yet can’t concentrate if the song has lyrics. These pieces were chosen because they are all instrumental, and are both slow and calming.

“The Hours”, composed by Philip Glass.

“River Flows in You”, composed by Yiruma.

“Southern”, composed by Sleeping at Last.

“Beethoven’s 5 Secrets,” composed by The Piano Guys.

“A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics,” composed by James Horner.

Calming Music:

Some people do not have the ability to focus while listening to music with lyrics, hence why most study playlists contain all instrumental songs. However that doesn’t mean that no one can enjoy some music with lyrics while cracking open the books. If you are the kind of person who can read while listening to music with lyrics, then here are some songs for you. These songs were chosen due to their calming nature and ability to provide a nice background track.

“Winter”, by Noah Gundersen.

“Roslyn”, by Bon Iver.

“North”, by Sleeping at Last.

“Heirloom”, by Sleeping at Last.

“If I Go, I’m Goin”, by Alan Isakov.

“Someone Like You”, by Adele.

Music to Help De-Stress:

This is mostly a list of motivational songs to jam to during study breaks. If you would prefer to listen to these while cracking open the books, then go right ahead. These songs were chosen for their upbeat, and for some songs, inspirational nature.

“Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself”, by Jess Glynne.

“Emotions and Math”, by Margaret Glaspy.

“Closer”, by The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey.

“September”, by Earth, Wind & Fire.

“All Star”, by Smash Mouth.

So whether you’re cruising through mid-term week or drowning in work, there’s a song and a playlist for you. Just remember to turn up the radio, study hard and take some deep breathes, and you’ll be fine.