Music For Busy Brains
One of the joys of working from home is to be able to listen to music when concentrating hard. Heather of OPCoach loves music and she uses it to help her click into focus. This page is dedicated to providing suggestions to help others to make the most of this WFH luxury!
Some neurodiverse brains appreciate distraction in order to focus
While those of us with neurodiverse brains aren’t all the same, it’s fair to say we usually need one of two things to reach hyperfocus: silence or noise.
I’m in the noisy camp. If I want to get stuck in and don’t have two hours to faff about before I start meaningful work, I put YouTube on. Apple Music and similar apps are fine, but the sheer variety on YouTube dwarfs them.
And it’s convenient — you’re already on your laptop, so one click and it’s playing.
All the music here is from the classical genre.
That’s not pretension — it’s just where my ear naturally goes after 44 years of playing in orchestras (I started very young 😉). But you don’t need to know anything about classical music to enjoy it. The only things that matter are “I like this” or “I don’t like that.” Unlike visual art, where knowledge of the artist or period can deepen appreciation, music just is. It speaks directly.
Anyway, if I’m honest, the older I get the less theory I remember from my teenage years. I’m very much an “I like this, I really don’t like that” type myself.
Indeed, I’m quite the musical peasant.
All the nitty-gritty technical stuff from the Classical era (capital C) leaves me cold. Mozart? Haydn? Beethoven? With almost no exceptions, I’d happily never play or hear them ever again. But more recent pieces — the ones I share here — feel alive, engaging, and I've often listened to them dozens of times.
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Each month I publish a collection of four pieces to try.
Some reward a couple of listens (I’ll flag those), but otherwise you’ll know quickly: either you like it or you don’t. More importantly, either it helps you focus, or it doesn’t.
If anything resonates, I’d love to hear about it. Otherwise, please dive into this month’s Music for Busy Brains. You can find the details of why I've chosen them in the blog posts (link below), or you can just give them a try and see what you like.
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Classical in moderation
You will find only a little Bach, Mozart or Beethoven on this page. That is tidy music for tidy minds. Most choices found here are to aid creativity and inspiration, which more likely comes from the late 19th century onwards.
Available on YouTube
YouTube is a fantastic source of even the most obscure composers. Sadly, obscure has never meant poor in the world of classical music, as it is so subject to fads and fashions. This is a a fad and fashion-free selection!
Some well known
While many great composers have been overlooked, most greats are truly great. However, we tend to know only a fraction of the output of many composers, so there will be less well-known works included here.
Recordings are agnostic
Many works have been recorded over and again. Connoisseurs will favour one recording over another, and know why. This selection is driven rather by availability. If you discover something you love, you can find your favourite.