Movie Scores for the Win

It's deep in the history of my Spotify playlists. It might be the first one I ever created, in fact. I'm thankful that Spotify records the dates that a user added a song to a playlist, as this has preserved a small piece of my personal history. January 31, 2016. On January 31, 2016, I created a playlist named, simply, "Score."

In January of 2016, I was at the beginning of my final semester of high school. It was a fitting time to make a study playlist, as I was about to enter the biggest study session of my life, college. Not only that, but I chose to study film in college. So this playlist, made up of my favorite movie scores became a staple of my college study experience.

Movie scores come with two major benefits. First, they don't have lyrics. For me, that's essential when it comes to studying so that I'm not focusing on the words of the song but the words on the pages of notes in front of me. But the biggest benefit is in the motivation this music brings me. I personally needed some pretty powerful motivation to study for my one low level math class I was required to take. Feeling like I'm in the middle of the climax of a story can motivate me to do just about anything.

Here are a few of my favorite movie scores that have helped me focus and power though work for the past five years, and will continue to do so.

1. Concerning Hobbits from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Sometimes I need the epic moods, but it also doesn't hurt to have an upbeat and cheery song on the playlist to ease into focus mode. Concerning Hobbits is one of my all time favorite songs from a film soundtrack. Listening to it pulls me into the beginning of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, when the audience is introduced to the Shire, and the main characters like Bilbo, Frodo, and Gandalf. It's a few scened before Frodo must embark on his quest, so, fittingly, it claims the first spot on the Playlist. It puts me in the mindset of the protagonist who will soon embark on a difficult journey, so it's perfect for the beginning of a study session.

2. Father Kolbe's Preaching from The Truman Show

This is a beautifully composed piece that I think is slightly underrated. The Truman Show has an excellent soundtrack overall, but this song from the end of the movie somehow encompasses the sound of heartbreak and motivation and overcoming obstacles. It packs so many emotions into a beautifully orchestral piece. It's another one of my favorite scores and it worked wonders many times when I had to power through writing a paper.

3. Chariots of Fire from Chariots of Fire

I'm not much of a runner, but that doesn't mean I can't get behind the amazing Chariots of Fire soundtrack. At one point in high school, my friends and I came up with a term we called "exercise studying." It's basically like doing a HIIT workout, but with your homework instead of burpees. We would set short increments of studying then take short recovery breaks. I don't know if this was the most effective method of studying, but I think exercise studying is a lot more effective with the soundtrack of a classic athletics movie in the background.

4. Dawn from Pride and Prejudice

I know I'm not alone in my love for this gorgeous piano melody! This is a great soothing melody to calm you down when your stress levels are rising. Just take a quick break and listen to the rise and fall of the piano.

5. Ratatouille Main Theme from Ratatouille

Ratatouille definitely makes my list of favorite movies. And the score does not fall short. This little Parisian number could be another one to ease you into the beginning of a study session. It starts off slow, but really pulls you into the story. Plus, it always gave me some much needed motivation to think about studying as part of following my passions, like Remy did even though it wasn't easy for him to become a chef as a rat.

6. This is Berk from How to Train your Dragon

I had to include one for those epic study moments. This song from How to Train your Dragon takes you right into the action. There are certain movie scores that make you feel like you're in the middle of combat, in other words, not too far off from how I often felt while studying.

That's a list of a few of my top movie score pics, but the list goes on! There is a movie score for every mood, because there is such a wide variety of stories being portrayed in movies. That's what makes movie scores the perfect focus soundtrack. Whether you need to feel inspired or soothed or like you're in the middle of a battle, you can find the right tune to set the mood. Feel free to listen to my playlist when you need to focus! I hope it will be as helpful for you as it has been for me.