Hebron Middle School Music Case Study

278 State Road 8

Hebron, IN 46322

March 4, 2016

Ms. Kristy Stephens

307 South Main Street

Hebron, IN 46322

Dear Ms. Stephens:

Eighty-seven percent of students ages 12 to 17 use music while they do school work. At Hebron Middle School, the current rule states that students are allowed to use one earbud when the teacher gives permission. If a student needs music to focus, they should be allowed that freedom. People that need silence to concentrate have it, so kids who need noise should be allowed to have it too. Students should be able to listen to music whenever they want, because background noise helps some people concentrate and focus on tasks.

Everyone is different, therefore, some people prefer sound over silence. The Hebron Middle

According to Johns Hopkins University, they state, “Plus, using music for learning makes the process [of learning] much more fun and interesting! Music, one of the joys of life, can be one of the joys of learning as well.” The current rule, “Use only one earbud, only when given permission,” interferes with making the students’ learning experiences as enjoyable as it can be. For some students, school work is hard and stressful, although music may calm the students down while doing homework or taking a test. Johns Hopkins University states, “Use music: to relax...” Students want their learning environment to be stress-free and fun to learn in. If a student prefers noise, he or she should be allowed to have that to be in a more focused learning environment. This proves that students consider school work to be an inconvenience and/or a stressful task. Although, if their homework and tests were linked with their favorite music, they may not think of school work in a negative

Teachers think the students will ignore them while they are talking to the class. With this amendment, it includes that if a teacher, or any adult, is speaking to you or the entire class, headphones will be out and you will pay attention to whomever is talking at the time. The headphones will also not be in use during group projects and presentations. Teachers also think that it would use up too much of the student 's battery, and the chromebooks would die by eighth hour. Although, if the student’s chromebook is one hundred percent charged when they get to school, they would not be dead by the end of school. If a student were to come to school without his or her chromebook completely charged, they would not be able to listen to music that day, and there would be no acceptions. According to a few students at Hebron Middle School, their chromebooks are about half charged after school without using music. Although teachers have concerns about letting the students listen to music during class, rules would go along with being able to listen to music during homework and