Let's face the music: The impact of classroom music on student experience, anxiety and perceived performance for non-specialist Accounting & Finance undergraduates.

Conference proceedings first published at the Chartered Association of Business Schools, Learning Teaching and Student Engagement Conference, Belfast 2022.

These proceedings summarise the research undertaken on a large Level 4 Accounting and Finance module at Nottingham Business School to identify whether non-specialist Accounting and Finance undergraduates experienced particular anxiety studying their introductory accounting module. The research evaluated the impact of playing music in seminars on the students' anxiety levels and enjoyment of the module.  The research confirmed students had preconceptions of the subject matter being dull or complex, that they did experience anxiety on the module, but that they felt playing music in seminars reduced their anxiety and made lessons more enjoyable. A baseline questionnaire completed by 109 students was supplemented with further qualitative data from diary entries of 19 students and a focus group of 3 students, resulting in additional consideratons.  Discussion was added of the inhibitions of the Accounting tutor playing music, and how these were largely overcome by asking students to participate in the selection of the playlists.