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The Ultimate Study Music Playlist

This is a playlist of my favorite study music. It’s great for homework, studying for exams, reading, and generally getting crap crossed off my many checklists.

I’ve been working on this playlist for several years, and it contains music (all non-lyrical) from a wide variety of genres and sources, including video game/anime/movie soundtracks. At the moment, it’s got about 240 songs for you to choose from.

Listening on another app? I’ve worked to mirror this study playlist to other services. Check them out below:

• Spotify Study Music Playlist
• Apple Music Study Playlist

If you’d like, you can study with me in another tab while this plays. You can also listen to the playlist on YouTube instead of on this page.

By the way – I create my own study music as well! If you’d like to give it a listen, here’s a playlist:

You can also follow me on Spotify or on YouTube if you want to be notified when new tracks are released.

Need even more study music?

Here are a few options.

Brain.fm – Music designed specifically to help you focus more effectively. It works really well for me, and I use it for around 50% of my research, writing, and reading sessions – the other half are mostly done with the playlist above.

Piano Study Playlist – If you’re in the mood for a more consistent playlist, check out this one full of solo piano tracks.

Coffitivity – Sometimes I’m in the mood for ambient noise instead of music, and the sounds of a bustling coffee shop are my personal favorite type.

Noisli – An ambient noise generator that lets you create your own mix using sounds like rain, thunder, fan, and white/brown/pink noise.

More Playlists

Work Vibes – My personal playlist of “getting-stuff-done” music. Most of the tracks here have vocals, so I wouldn’t read or study intently with them. But they’re great for crushing emails, working on design projects, or doing other work where I simply need to execute quickly.

Tom’s Workout Playlist – A collection of the tracks that usually accompany me to the gym.

4 best music for homework that’ll dramatically improve your productivity

Choosing the right music for homework can help you focus better and learn faster.

Around 60% of students tend to listen to music while studying. Researchers also found that listening to music was the most popular side activity for teens who juggled studying with another task.

While we may prefer different genres of focus music, we can all agree that the right playlist has the magical ability to boost concentration.

This is because music activates the most diverse networks of the human brain. It’s been proven that people with ADHD focus better with the right music.

This is on top of  existing research  that has found listening to music reduces anxiety, blood pressure, and improves sleep quality, mood, and memory.

Johns Hopkins University researchers have done work on jazz performers improvising inside an fMRI machine to see which areas of the brain light up as well.

They found that jazz musicians make unique improvisations by turning off inhibition and turning up creativity.

In short, if you find the right music for homework, you can elevate both brain power and creativity.

While there isn’t a one-size-fit-all approach to this, let us help you narrow down some of the best genres for you to try:

Here are the five best music for homework to help you increase your productivity:

Having the right music matters, even for top athletes. Source: Tiziana Fabi/AFP

1. Classical music

When picking music for homework, you’ve probably heard how classical music can increase your focus when studying.

There’s a theory dubbed “The Mozart Effect” that suggests this genre of music can enhance brain activity and arouse your brain to focus.

There are also several studies done where students listening to classical music did better on quizzes than students with no music.

Suggestions:

• ClassicFM  (a free radio streaming platform that plays famous classical pieces)
• “Study Playlist: Classical Music” on Spotify
• “Classical Music for When You’re on a Deadline” on YouTube

2. Video game music 

This might surprise you but video game music is actually one of the best music for homework. According to Orion Academy , video game music is designed to keep you absorbed and focused — which is also great for memorising. 

When your brain is focused on just melody, it’s taking a break from trying to break down the lyrics of a song and thus increases your performance .

Video game music tends to stay at a relatively low, constant volume too, preventing you from becoming distracted by sudden increases in volume.

Since video game music is generally fast-paced, your brain will be constantly engaged in the task at hand.

• “Video game soundtracks” on Spotify
• “Video game music for studying” on YouTube
• Choose favourites from this list and create your own playlist!

3. RnB 

If you’re someone who easily gets distracted, RnB may not be the best music for homework for you. There’s a high chance that you might spend too much time jamming to the lyrics of the song instead of focusing.

Though music under his genre generally has lyrics, many RnB fans reported feeling more relaxed, focused, and less stressed, which may have a positive impact on their ability to focus and learn.

• “Study R&B Smooth Songs ” on Spotify
• “Chill R&B Beats Mix – Beats to Relax and Study (Vol.1)” on YouTube

4. Nature sounds 

It’s been shown that nature sounds relax our nervous system. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute  have also discovered that natural sounds boost moods and focus.

The study found employees were more productive and had more positive feelings when nature sounds were playing in the background while they worked.

Nature sounds include the soothing sounds of the rain, ocean waves on the beach or even the jungle. Some prefer listening to bird calls and animal noises, so feel free to explore if nature sounds aren’t the right music for homework for you. 

Relaxing Nature Sounds for Sleeping – Natural Calm Forest Waterfall Music Meditation Sound for Study on YouTube

“Nature Sounds For Concentration” on Spotify

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The Mac Weekly

Songs to stream while studying for finals: homework music recommendations.

Anna Devine , Contributing Writer April 14, 2022

I always thought I was one of those people who can’t do homework and listen to music at the same time. Something about hearing lyrics while writing an essay or reading a textbook just doesn’t work, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way. However, I recently discovered a loophole: music without lyrics. Or music that has lyrics in a language I don’t understand. This way, my brain doesn’t fixate on processing lyrics or interpreting the song’s meaning, and I can focus on the task at hand.

The most important quality of homework/study music is its relaxation factor. Homework is stressful, and especially as we get ready for finals it’s important to make your study space as tranquil as possible. 

I personally think that I have one of the best playlists for homework music out there, and dear reader, today’s your lucky day. I’m going to be sharing a few homework music highlights with you, as we’re all going to need them as finals are approaching. Note that these are not ranked in any order of preference.

• “Enchanted Mirror” by Luiz Bonfá

If you’re a bossa nova fan, you may already be familiar with Luiz Bonfá’s magic. He was an extremely talented Brazilian guitarist, singer and composer with an enormous discography. He started making music in the 1940s and continued until 2001, the year in which he passed away. Bonfá has had a tremendous influence on the bossa nova scene as well as other music genres from other cultures. His song “Seville” was sampled in Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” which is an absolute banger and topped the charts in 27 countries in 2011.

“Enchanted Mirror” from Bonfá’s album “Introspection” is a dazzling tune played on a 12-string guitar with dynamic tempo changes. The richness of the sound of the 12-string combined with the ebb and flow of the tempo makes for a beautiful and emotional composition. I think the title “Enchanted Mirror” really fits the song’s enchanting qualities. If you like this song, I recommend “Yesterdays” and “Manhã de Carnaval,” also by Luiz Bonfá.

• “Five Hundred Miles” by Mamman Sani

Mamman Sani builds airy, dreamlike arpeggios in “Five Hundred Miles.” Mamman Sani is from Niger and considered a pioneer in West African avant garde and experimental music. Throughout most of his discography, his instrument of choice is an electric organ (specifically an Italian model called the ‘Orla’) that he discovered on a trip to Europe as a UNESCO delegate. He uses the electric organ to create experimental renditions of classic Niger folk songs.

The delicate sounds of the electric organ are beautiful, but I think my favorite part of this song is the soft crashing waves in the background. There’s also a very faint whistling toward the end, if you listen closely. These additions bring a really sweet and bright mood to the track, and it certainly makes me feel comforted when I’m working on a painstaking assignment.

• “If You’re Sure You Want To” by Alabaster DePlume

“If You’re Sure You Want To” by Alabaster DePlume is a beautifully crafted song with a sweet and simple melody. The wide arrange of instruments used to carry out this melody really adds to the texture of the song. The song starts out with a gentle saxophone, simple piano notes and violin plucking. As it builds, we hear more legato violin arco — when the strings are played using a bow — and we get some fun percussion sounds. The cherry on top of this tune, though, is the sweet little forest noises and bird chirps. They are faint, but they remind me of spring and enhance the song’s ambiance, making it a perfect tune for finals time.

• “Tobiume” by Susumu Yokota

This song is a bit more synth-y/electronic. It uses cool synth loops that make me feel like I’m in outer space. The complex layering of these loops is mesmerizing, but in a strange way, I also find it motivating.

Susumu Yokota was a Japanese musician who made and released over 30 albums from 1992 to 2012, specializing in genres like ambient, acid techno, downtempo electronic music and more. He is celebrated for his creative use of organic samples and the spellbinding way in which he arranges them. His early work in the early 1990s was more dancey electronic, then he turned more toward ambient and experimental styles in the 2000s. If you like “Tobiume,” definitely check out more of his massive discography. I really like his album “Cloud Hidden,” which is very experimental and makes me feel artsy.

• “Discreet Music” by Brian Eno

My all-time favorite relaxing study tune is Brian Eno’s 1975 masterpiece “Discreet Music.” This track is 31 minutes and 34 seconds full of blissful reassurance. No matter how stressed you are, Eno’s silky synthwork will put you in a trance. 

I also like the fact that it’s 31 minutes long because it acts as a measure of time and productivity. If I finish an assignment within the time window of “Discreet Music” as a full track, I know that I’ve been productive during that half hour.

When creating “Discreet Music,” Brian Eno took conceptual inspiration from French classical music composer Erik Satie’s term “furniture music” which describes ambient music with a tendency to melt into the environment and to become a part of the room, like furniture. In his book Silence , American composer and music theorist John Cage writes that “furniture music” softens “the noises of the knives and forks at dinner, not dominating them, not imposing itself. It would fill up those heavy silences that sometimes fall between friends dining together.”

As you listen to “Discreet Music” by Brian Eno, you may notice the “furniture music” cushioning the noise of your moving pencil or clacking of your keyboard.

I hope you found a song or two that tickles your fancy and keeps you motivated during this finals season. These tracks aren’t only for studying; they’re also great for making art, journaling, cleaning your room or perhaps interpretive dancing.

If you liked these songs and want to hear more awesome and motivating homework music, check out the whole playlist I have here!

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With Pomodoro Timer Online, you will achieve your goals by staying focused and painless in the process. With Background Music , Custom Timer , To Do List , and Desktop Notifications

How does it work?

It works like a 20 minute timer on steroids! designed to study or work without procrastinating. Based on Pomodoro Technique, you can keep focused listening to soft music, checking your to do list, customizing the timer, and taking challenges to stay motivated, all with a clean and aesthetic design.

Who uses the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro Technique is used by people who need to focus on their activities to achieve certain goals. Many of your favorite YouTubers , influencers and entrepreneurs are likely to use this technique to be more productive.

The science behind the Pomodoro Technique

The attention span is the ability to concentrate on a single task, the greater our concentration, the easier it will be for us to do it. Studies have estimated that this interval lasts approximately 20 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

How to use the pomodoro technique.

In essence these are the steps but consider that times can change and the app helps you in the adoption process. 😉

• Make a to-do list and get a timer.
• Set the timer for 20 or 25 minutes and focus on one task until the alarm goes off.
• Upon completion of the session, check off a pomodoro and record what you completed.
• Take a 5 minute break to refresh your concentration.
• After 4 pomodoros, take a long 15-minute break.

What to do during pomodoro breaks?

Make sure they are activities that do not exhaust you mentally. Here are 7 ideas for your breaks :

• Do a little stretching routine.
• Get out and sunbathe.
• Listen to one of your favorite songs.
• Make yourself a drink.
• Eat a fruit.
• Do breathing exercises.
• Organize your desk.

Can it be installed on Windows, Mac, Android or PC?

Yes! It can be downloaded and used as a native app with Chrome, Firefox and Safari browsers by adding it to the home screen on smartphones and from the search bar on PC or Desktop (using the install icon ).

Can I get more features?

Yes! For the sake of simplicity, we've tried to keep the basics in addition to these cool features:

• Background music with volume control.
• Default and custom times.
• Challenges and prizes.
• Control of automatic starts.

If you need more features such as control of tasks and their times, teams, projects, etc.

* This web app was inspired by the technique developed by Francesco Cirillo .

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World Cafe Words and Music Podcast

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Lindsay Lou taps into the divine feminine on 'Queen of Time'

Stephen Kallao

Miguel Perez

Lindsay Lou on World Cafe

Lindsay Lou Dana Kalachnik/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Lindsay Lou

• "On Your Side (Starman)"
• "Queen of Time"
• "This Too Shall Pass"
• "Love Calls"
• "Nothing's Working"

A psychedelic trip helped open the creative door for Lindsay Lou to craft her latest album. Inspired by visions of what she calls the divine feminine, Queen of Time was Lou's way to tap into that energy.

"I'd just been told this story my whole life — that we were created from pieces of God," Lou tells World Cafe over a video call. "God created us with parts of himself, we were created in the image of God, and it was all really delivered in masculine terms. So to have this epic reclaiming of the narrative, and to be wanting to embody whatever the divine means, and to want to embody a feminine version of that, it really sort of blew me out of the water. It sent me on a yearslong trip."

The Nashville singer-songwriter's album features appearances from Jerry Douglas and Billy Strings . It also features voice recordings with Lou's late grandmother, who she calls the "unattainable woman."

"She had 12 kids and she said she had a mother's heart, and many mothers will tell you this, that when you become a mother, you start to look at all babies as your baby," she says. "In her words, she felt like she was a mother to all of God's children. And so she took it upon herself to take in the homeless, and there was always someone hanging about."

Lou also talks about striking out on her own and working with her former neighbor, Billy Strings.

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Trump Posts Bizarre Solar Eclipse Campaign Ad, With His Head Blocking Out the Sun

I n a new and bizarre campaign ad, Donald Trump’s head takes the place of the moon and blocks out the sun in a nod to Monday’s solar eclipse .

The campaign video was shared on Truth Social on Sunday, and begins with the words, “the most important moment in human history is taking place in 2024.” It shows an image of the glowing sun as astonished crowds gather to watch the solar eclipse with protective eyewear on.

As a huge shadow is cast on Earth, Trump’s head comes to the fore. “We will save America. And make it great again,” the video concludes, a nod to his 2024 presidential campaign.

The video invokes visuals and the opening score from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey .

The eclipse is set to sweep across Mexico, the United States, and Canada on Monday afternoon. As the moon passes between the sun and Earth, a moment of almost total darkness will be cast for a number of minutes. 

The event will not occur again in North America until 2044, but it last occurred seven years ago, during the first year of Trump’s presidential term. Trump made headlines and meme pages after he ignored the advice of experts by looking directly at the eclipse without protective eyewear. His wife, then First-Lady Melania Trump and their son Barron were also present, and both wore glasses to observe the eclipse.

Experts say that looking at the eclipse with a naked eye can cause blurred vision, floaters, blind spots, or low vision. In some extreme cases, where exposure is extended, retinal burns can lead to blindness.

Read More: How to Safely Watch the Total Eclipse

“Solar retinopathy is a photochemical injury to your retina,” Dr. Nicole Bajic, a surgical ophthalmologist at the Cleveland Clinic, previously told TIME .

Sunday’s video campaign is the latest in a string of unusual statements the former President has made recently. During a Saturday night fundraiser in Palm Beach, FL, Trump claimed that the incumbent President Joe Biden “literally” soiled himself in the Oval Office at the White House.

Trump’s speech at the fundraiser lasted 45 minutes, during which he mocked Biden’s policies, before referencing the widely recognizable Resolute desk, a gift from Queen Victoria in 1880.

“Ronald Reagan used it, others used it. And he’s using it,” he said of Biden. “It’s been soiled. And I mean that literally, which is sad,” he commented.

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Rhode Island’s robust old-time music scene comes alive at local jams

“there’s something about it that captures people,” one musician said. “part of it is the music itself, and part of it is the community, and that is helped by the way much of the music is played.”.

PROVIDENCE — Lenard Lemieux gently rocked his head from side to side, his bow flying across his fiddle as he played the first few bars of an old-time tune. Within a few beats, three banjos, two guitars, a mandolin, an upright bass and four more fiddles joined in, creating a buzzing hum of strings accompanied by tapping feet.

Old-time music is a type of North American folk music that merges elements of Scottish, Irish, English immigrant, Cajun, and African slave tunes. It is played by string bands made up of fiddles, banjos, and other stringed instruments, and developed alongside folk dances like square dancing, contra dancing, and clog dancing. It was especially popular in the early 20th century, though its roots stretch back to the late 16th century.

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The musicians figure out the music as they go, learning by ear, with some joining in midway through the tune. Lemieux describes it as a “fast-paced jam,” and notes he might not even know some of the songs before they start playing.

“As soon as you hear a few notes, you kind of have it in the back of your head,” he explained.

Old-time string musicians regularly gather for these jams at venues across Rhode Island. Lemieux said he attends two to five old-time jams each week, and each session has something different to offer.

A recent gathering at the Crook Point Brewing Company in East Providence was a fast-paced jam, but on the first Thursday of every month there is a slow jam at the Guild in Pawtucket with a focus on learning. Every third Saturday, Nick-a-Nees in Providence hosts a jam in which “all of the ringers come out of the wood-working.” Professionals show up for the higher-level jams, Lemieux said, and by “professionals” he means they play at farmers markets, usually “getting paid in fruits and vegetables.”

Robert Smith, a former director of the Division of Endocrinology at Brown University who has played banjo for 17 years, has seen his fair share of farmers markets. Those who play old-time music are not in it for the money, Smith laughed.

“There’s something about it that captures people, and part of it is the music itself and part of it is the community and that is helped by the way much of the music is played,” Smith said.

The music is “not without its raw edges,” Smith said, noting: “Parts of this culture are inseparable from racism.” Many old-time tunes have lyrics that are racist toward Black people, he explained, and many minstrel shows — performances where white actors used blackface to perpetuate negative stereotypes — featured old-time music. He believes that it is critical to consider this history when playing this music.

Brown University professor emeritus Jeff Todd Titon, the author of “Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes,” agrees. “Every musician who plays old-time music has to confront this heritage and figure out what to do to face it,” he said. At most jams, the small talk between tunes is interspersed with discussions of the origin of the song.

Sam Duling has been going to old-time jams in Rhode Island for three years. He’s lived in Ohio, New York, and Charleston, S.C., but said Rhode Island has “probably the best scene I’ve been a part of.”

“When you get locked into a circle and everybody’s buzzing and everybody’s playing really fast and there’s a lot of energy, it’s something primal and something that’s ingrained in the human soul, to connect with people in that way,” Duling said.

He used to host a jam of his own at his Southern-inspired restaurant, Hunky Dory, in Warren. When the restaurant closed in early 2024, the jam relocated to the Crook Point Brewing Company, but the faces remained familiar.

The first step to make your way into an established old-time scene is to go to your first jam, he explained. It may be intimidating to just show up, but, “It’s the friendliest music scene you could ever get into,” he said.

Mareva Lindo, a musician who plays the fiddle and the guitar, agreed there is something special about this type of music. She grew up surrounded by music, but she said that with old-time, it felt like she had been seeking it her whole life without even realizing it.

“The feeling you get after a jam, you just feel full in your soul,” she added.

While there are often new faces, Lindo said that many of the jams in Rhode Island have a core group of dedicated and friendly musicians.

“From the beginning, I found it to be a really welcoming community, which isn’t the case everywhere,” she added.

Sandol Astrausky and Rory MacLeod, directors of an old-time string band and teaching associates in music at Brown University , have been playing old-time music together since they met 30 years ago. Together, they host ValleyTop, a music festival modeled after West Virginia’s CliffTop, the largest old-time festival in the country. Each August, about 50 musicians flock to their 10-acre property in Hope Valley, a village in Hopkinton, R.I., to jam and camp.

“For me, playing this fiddle made my life,” said Austrasky, who learned guitar and banjo in order to play with his wife. “I don’t know what I would be doing without it. It’s my religion… I just want to give it back to the community.”

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I’ve Been to Coachella 13 Times, and This Is Everything You Need to Pack for a Music Festival

By Andrea Navarro

After hitting up Coachella 13 times, I have my music-festival packing list down to a science. Trust me, when you're out there in the desert, or at any festival, you'll thank yourself for being prepared to dance from dawn till dusk. Whether you're a music-festival newbie or a seasoned pro, I have some tips that'll make your experience a breeze.

Packing for a musicfest is so much more than just tossing some cute outfits and a toothbrush into your bag. There's a ton of not-so-sexy stuff that needs to come along for the ride too. For starters, the bathroom situations are usually a hot mess, so having feminine wipes on deck is a must. You're also talking and engaging with a ton of random people, so breath spray, deodorant, and hand sanitizer are also essential.

Since festivals are outdoors, bringing along the best SPF for your face and body is key, even if there's no sun in sight. To ensure that you can bring everything you need inside the festival gates, most places are requiring clear bags for security reasons (unfortunately, you can't pack everything in your favorite tote bag ). And to be able to rely on having a full battery on your phone, a portable charger is nonnegotiable. Of course, I'm also discussing every beauty product I use to keep everything from my skin to my hair extensions safe. Below is my music-festival packing list for staying hydrated, keeping warm at night, avoiding feet pain, and everything in between. Happy festival SZN!

All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Levi’s Original Trucker Jacket

I never hit a festival without a light jacket. Even though it's a dessert the temperature drops at night so when the desert chill hits, you can tuck yourself in this denim option. It has enough pockets to stash my essentials like my phone and lip balm. Plus, it adds a cool, laid-back vibe to any outfit.

Jisulife Handheld Fan

This handheld fan is a godsend when the heat gets unbearable. It's small enough to carry around, and it gives me a quick breeze that keeps me cool and refreshed, even if I'm in the most crowded space.

Sonix Maglink Mini Charger

I don't like most of the clunky power banks on the market, so of course I had to find a cuter one. This one is super lightweight and compact, so it doesn't feel like it turns my phone into a heavy brick. I can just snap it onto my phone for a quick charge between sets, so I never miss a photo op and can stay in touch with my friends.

Lackycc Clear Cross-Body Bag Shoulder Handbag

This clear bag makes getting through security a breeze. It's stylish and functional, allowing me to see exactly where everything is without having to dig through my bag. And it keeps my hands-free for dancing and holding drinks.

By Stephanie McNeal

By Whitney Perry

Lu Goldie Claudia Sunglasses

Sunglasses are a must for any outdoor festival, and these Lu Goldies are my go-to. Sure, they protect my eyes from the harsh sun, but I really like how cat-eye frames complement my face.

Slip Pure Silk Face Covering

When the dust kicks up at night, this silk face covering is a lifesaver. It's so soft on my skin, and it helps keep the sand and dust out of my nose and mouth.

Wekin Large Hair Claw Clips

These claw clips are perfect for keeping my hair out of my face or picking it up once it gets a little messy, whether at a festival or not. They're really sturdy, so they hold up even in my thick hair and long extensions. I also love the color palette they come in.

Nefeeko Collapsible Water Bottle

Staying hydrated is key, and this collapsible water bottle is so easy to pack and bring along to any festival. It's perfect for refilling throughout the day, and it takes up minimal space in my bag when it's empty. I just clip it into my purse or jeans loop and go about my day.

Dr. Scholl’s Blister Cushion

Blisters can ruin a festival experience, so I always have these cushions on hand. They guard my feet from rubbing too hard against my shoes, and they give me instant relief if I sadly already caught a blister. They're a must-have for breaking in new shoes or for long days on my feet.

Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier

I swear by these hydration packets. I'm someone who drinks a lot of water naturally, but when I'm at a festival, it often doesn't feel like water is enough. These quickly replenish my electrolytes and keep me feeling energized throughout the day. Just one electrolyte packet mixed with water works wonders for preventing dehydration headaches.

Listerine Pocketmist Breath Spray

After all the singing and chatting, this breath spray is a must to keep my breath fresh. It's small and discreet, so I can easily carry it in my pocket or bag. A quick spritz, and I'm ready to get up close and personal again.

Touchland Gentle Mist + Glow Mist + White Mist Case

Hand sanitizer is a festival essential, and this Touchland mist not only sanitizes but also leaves my hands feeling soft and smells amazing. The glow mist adds a nice shimmer, perfect for festival vibes. I like that there's a case, so I can swap between which scent I want to bring along.

Vacation Super Spritz Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen Face Mist

This SPF mist makes quick reapplications so easy, without messing up my makeup. It's lightweight on my skin and has SPF 50. Plus, it smells like a tropical vacation, which adds to the festival mood.

Megababe Thigh Rescue Anti-Chafe Stick

Chafing is a no-go for me, especially at a festival. This anti-chafe stick glides on smoothly and keeps my thighs comfortable all day long. If you're ever wearing shorts or dresses in the heat, this is exactly what you need.

Kosas Sport Chemistry AHA Serum Deodorant

This deodorant is my absolute favorite for wearing every day and staying fresh at a festival. It not only keeps odor at bay but helped brighten my underarm skin with its AHA formula over time. Plus, it's aluminum-free, which is a big plus for me.

Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen

I love this sunscreen because it's totally invisible and doesn't leave any white residue. It's great for sensitive skin and provides excellent sun protection. I also like to use it as a primer for my festival makeup looks.

Kopari Sunglaze Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen SPF 42

This body mist sunscreen is what I spritz all over before heading out the door. It has some shine to it, so I literally look like I'm glowing in any photos I snap. But radiance aside, it's not greasy or sticky, and feels like I've got nothing on at all.

Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm

My lips can get so dry at festivals, but this lip balm keeps them soft and hydrated. It's super nourishing, and the vanilla scent is divine. While it gives a nice, subtle shine to my lips, it has this comfortable texture that I love to feel on my skin.

K18 Biomimetic Hairscience AirWash Dry Shampoo

Thankfully, my hair manages to not get greasy and gross in the heat, but I like having a dry shampoo nearby just in case. When there's no time for a wash, this new formula absorbs oil and refreshes my hair in seconds. And get this—there's no white residue.

Nexxus Slick Stick Strong Hold Hair Wax

By the last day of a festival weekend, I usually decide to pick my hair up in a ponytail or bun. To get everything as sleek as possible, I use this wax stick to hold everything together. I've used so many different ones in the past, and this one by far feels the best on my hair.

Oribe Superfine Hair Spray

This hairspray is another staple for keeping my festival hairstyles in place. It provides a strong hold without feeling sticky or heavy. Like all Oribe products, it smells amazing while getting the job done.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Balm Serum Boosted Skin Tint

I tried this new skin tint a few weeks ago and immediately knew I'd be bringing it with me to Coachella. It matches my skin perfectly, and is a great swap for heavier foundations in the desert. It's like if a serum and tinted moisturizer had a baby, and the coverage is buildable.

Ilia Chromatic Liquid Powder Eye Tint

I'm not big on extravagant festival makeup, but I do like a little shine here and there. This metallic eye shadow is so easy to apply, and I just blend it out with my fingers to complete my look. It's also super long-lasting, so you'll still be shining by the end of the day.

Nippies Nipple Covers

My festival looks usually don't allow for a real bra, so I bring my favorite nipple covers along. I hate when nipple covers create a visible circle underneath my clothes, and I find these Nippies to be practically invisible. You can use them up to 30 times, but I always bring an extra pack just in case.

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Poland’s Kids Rejoice Over New Rules Against Homework, Teachers, Parents Aren’t So Sure

Arkadiusz Korporowicz teaches history to 5th grade children at Primary School number 223 in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. Poland's government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Ola Kozak is celebrating. The 11-year-old, who loves music and drawing, expects to have more free time for her hobbies after Poland’s government ordered strict limits on the amount of homework in the lower grades.

“I am happy,” said the fifth grader, who lives in a Warsaw suburb with her parents and younger siblings. The lilac-colored walls in her bedroom are covered in her art, and on her desk she keeps a framed picture she drew of Kurt Cobain.

“Most people in my class in the morning would copy the work off someone who had done the homework or would copy it from the internet. So it didn’t make sense,” she said.

The government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk enacted the ban against required homework this month amid a broad discussion about the need to modernize Poland’s education system, which critics say puts too much emphasis on rote learning and homework, and not enough on critical thinking and creativity.

Under the decree, teachers are no longer to give required homework to kids in the first to third grades. In grades four to eight, homework is now optional and doesn’t count towards a grade.

Not everyone likes the change – and even Ola’s parents are divided.

“If there is something that will make students enjoy school more, then it will probably be good both for the students and for the school,” said her father, Pawel Kozak.

His wife, Magda Kozak, was skeptical. “I am not pleased, because (homework) is a way to consolidate what was learned,” she said. “It helps stay on top of what the child has really learned and what’s going on at school.”

(Ola’s brother Julian, a third grader, says he sees both sides.)

Debates over the proper amount of homework are common around the globe. While some studies have shown little benefit to homework for young learners, other experts say it can help them learn how to develop study habits and academic concepts.

Poland’s educational system has undergone a number of controversial overhauls. Almost every new government has tried to make changes — something many teachers and parents say has left them confused and discouraged. For example, after communism was thrown off, middle schools were introduced. Then under the last government, the previous system was brought back. More controversy came in recent years when ultra-conservative views were pushed in new textbooks.

For years, teachers have been fleeing the system due to low wages and political pressure. The current government is trying to increase teacher salaries and has promised other changes that teachers approve of.

But Sławomir Broniarz, the head of the Polish Teachers’ Union, said that while he recognized the need to ease burdens on students, the new homework rules are another case of change imposed from above without adequate consultation with educators.

“In general, the teachers think that this happened too quickly, too hastily,” he said.

He argued that removing homework could widen the educational gaps between kids who have strong support at home and those from poorer families with less support and lower expectations. Instead, he urged wider changes to the entire curriculum.

The homework rules gained impetus in the runup to parliamentary elections last year, when a 14-year-old boy, Maciek Matuszewski, stood up at a campaign rally and told Tusk before a national audience that children “had no time to rest.” The boy said their rights were being violated with so much homework on weekends and so many tests on Mondays.

Tusk has since featured Matuszewski in social media videos and made him the face of the sudden change.

Education Minister Barbara Nowacka said she was prompted by research on children’s mental health. Of the various stresses children face, she said, “the one that could be removed fastest was the burden of homework.”

Pasi Sahlberg, a prominent Finnish educator and author, said the value of homework depends on what it is and how it is linked to overall learning. The need for homework can be “very individual and contextual.”

“We need to trust our teachers to decide what is good for each child,” Sahlberg said.

In South Korea, homework limits were set for elementary schools in 2017 amid concerns that kids were under too much pressure. However, teenagers in the education-obsessed country often cram long into the night and get tutoring to meet the requirements of demanding school and university admission tests.

In the U.S., teachers and parents decide for themselves how much homework to assign. Some elementary schools have done away with homework entirely to give children more time to play, participate in activities and spend time with families.

A guideline circulated by teachers unions in the U.S. recommends about 10 minutes of homework per grade. So, 10 minutes in first grade, 20 minutes in second grade and so on.

The COVID-19 pandemic and a crisis around youth mental health have complicated debates around homework. In the U.S., extended school closures in some places were accompanied by steep losses in learning, which were often addressed with tutoring and other interventions paid for with federal pandemic relief money. At the same time, increased attention to student wellbeing led some teachers to consider alternate approaches including reduced or optional homework.

It’s important for children to learn that mastering something “usually requires practice, a lot of practice,” said Sahlberg, in Finland. If reducing homework leads kids and parents to think school expectations for excellence will be lowered, “things will go wrong.”

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Critic’s Notebook

The Era of Klaus Mäkelä, Conducting Phenom, Begins in Chicago

On Thursday, the richly talented 28-year-old maestro led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the first time since being named its next music director.

By Zachary Woolfe

Reporting from Chicago

On Thursday evening, when Klaus Mäkelä came onstage to lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the first time since being named its next music director , he seemed at pains not to bask in the roar that greeted his entrance.

He smiled, bowed and quickly turned to give the downbeat. The orchestra had already released a video of the moment on Tuesday when the players were told he got the job. Many maestros would take the opportunity to wax a little eloquent before getting down to business; Mäkelä spoke for less than 20 seconds before raising his baton to start the rehearsal.

Mäkelä, just 28, clearly wants to avoid seeming like a vain, spotlight-craving young man. He is already the topic of much discussion for being what some consider far too early in his career for such an august position — the Chicago Symphony has been among America’s finest for well over a century — especially when he has already taken on daunting responsibilities with European orchestras.

His rise has been one of the most meteoric in modern music history. After completing his education in his native Finland, Mäkelä began his international career in earnest a mere six years ago; the pandemic was for him a period of unnatural acceleration.

He is not, however, the first 20-something conductor to burst onto the classical scene. Gustavo Dudamel was Mäkelä’s age when he became the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Leonard Bernstein was 25 when his surprise New York Philharmonic debut, broadcast nationwide, made headlines.

And Willem Mengelberg was just 24 when he took on the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, the eminent ensemble at which Mäkelä is currently artistic partner. He will become chief conductor there in 2027, the same year he will officially become music director in Chicago. (And the same year that his current podium contracts, in Paris and Oslo, will lapse.)

Mäkelä has outpaced even those precursors, though. For Bernstein, it was another 15 years after that fame-making debut before he became the Philharmonic’s music director. And it is certainly unusual, if not unprecedented, for someone so young to be given the keys to two of the world’s most storied orchestras.

That Mäkelä has been entrusted with so much is a testament to how enthusiastically musicians have embraced him. When I watched him rehearsing with the New York Philharmonic before his debut with the orchestra in December 2022, it was obvious why players like him.

Orchestral rehearsals can be draining, largely because of all the stop-and-start pauses to go back and work a spot, the conductor’s “uhs” and “hmms,” and the deflating time it takes to flap the pages in the score and find the moment in question.

Mäkelä’s rehearsing felt uncannily free of all that. He managed to give his comments — succinct, specific, smiling — as he turned the pages; he seemed to know what he wanted and how to cordially, clearly get it. The soufflé never sank, and, without seeming rushed or harried, the energy never ebbed.

He creates a happy workplace for players, which is not necessarily the same thing as creating good music for audiences. That sense of cordial clarity in his music-making can turn some of his performances square and bland, like a Brahms Fourth Symphony with the Oslo Philharmonic. Filmed without an audience — his term in Norway began amid the lockdown restrictions of the 2020-21 season — it is forceful but slack, maintaining crispness while gradually losing propulsion.

And while that orchestra is polished in a 2022 recording of Sibelius’s seven symphonies , there is a feeling of clean, flavorless trudge in Mäkelä’s two subsequent albums with the Orchestre de Paris featuring Stravinsky’s early ballets .

There was quite a difference when he brought that Paris ensemble to Carnegie Hall last month to reprise some of the Stravinsky. “The Firebird” still valued pure sound over drama, with extremes of texture that didn’t quite spark, but “The Rite of Spring” was more of a revelation, a shivery and poised combination of perfumed silkiness and brutality, as if an Hermès scarf was being ritualistically stabbed with a machete.

A Dvorak Ninth Symphony filmed with the Concertgebouw is fabulously played and excitingly taut, the Largo tender. It may be that Mäkelä’s performances get better as his collaborators do: Thursday’s concert in Chicago, too, demonstrated intensity as well as lucidity.

Some offstage drama spiced up the event. The star pianist Yuja Wang, with whom Mäkelä was recently in a romantic relationship, was supposed to join for a Bartok concerto, but waited until last week to cancel. She was replaced by the cellist Sol Gabetta, her tone rich yet delicate in Shostakovich’s Concerto No. 1.

The orchestra played with a transparency that let the harmonies really sound in the uneasy stillness of the second movement’s start, and later there was such unity in the violas that it truly gave the sensation of a single person playing. Mäkelä guided with exquisite care a moment that I hadn’t ever taken much notice of, a passing, poignant bit of pastoral happiness for bassoon, clarinet and flute.

Here and in Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony, the quality of the wind soloists — particularly sensitive and eloquent in this generally superb and powerful orchestra — stood as one of the major legacies of the 13-year tenure of Riccardo Muti , Mäkelä’s predecessor (and 54 years his senior).

Mäkelä’s interpretive neutrality — that clarity and sometimes bloodless judiciousness — can be an advantage in Shostakovich, letting the composer’s extremity and ambiguity speak for themselves. (Even the concert’s non-Shostakovich opener, the Finnish composer Sauli Zinovjev’s “Batteria,” conveyed a Shostakovichian mood of alternately furious and stunned emotional burden.)

In the symphony, the players exuded a sense of freedom while being shaped with patient deliberation. That deliberate quality in Mäkelä, which has elsewhere ended up dull, here ratcheted the tension, which built within movements and over the work as a whole. This was never harsh or overstated Shostakovich, but it accumulated real impact.

Tall and lanky, Mäkelä is a rivetingly — some have said distractingly — energetic presence during concerts, bobbing up and down, sometimes crouching, sometimes leaning back a little, as if surfing. His elbows tend to be relaxed except for huge downbeats, brought crashing from well above his head, and thwacks of the baton across his body.

For those who fear a cookie-cutter prodigy, he has some welcome quirks. He has shown a taste for cross-chronological juxtapositions , and in Oslo led a bit of Lully while striking the beat on the podium with the kind of large staff conductors used during the Baroque period.

Some critics have attacked the broad portfolio he has precociously accumulated. But he is hardly the first conductor to maintain more than one directorship at a time. As Hannah Edgar of The Chicago Tribune pointed out on Facebook, the mid-20th-century maestro Fritz Reiner was savaged by critics for not spending enough time in Chicago — and his tenure there is now considered one of the high points of American orchestral history. The Mäkelä era may not deliver on its promise, but not because there are any set rules about what kind of relationship between a city, an ensemble and a conductor brings the best results.

At the end of Thursday’s concert, there was a roar, as there had been at the start. The applause would have gone on considerably longer, but Mäkelä — like Muti, who would eventually wave goodbye to the crowd to tell them it was time to go — cut it off. There were donors to greet, and repeats of the program on Friday and Saturday. He was just getting started.

Zachary Woolfe is the classical music critic of The Times. More about Zachary Woolfe

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