Classical music has time and time again been found to help students effectively help study for tests and exams. With finals just around the corner, The Rubicon has put together a playlist of classical and instrumental music to help you study.

John Luther Adams’ Become Ocean, a vast soundscape of ethereal noise, won the Grammy for best contemporary classical piece in 2014, and for no small raisin. The piece ebbs and flows as the ocean does, swelling to great heights and quickly becoming calmer and calmer. The orchestration features a massive orchestra with four harps, making all of the sounds that Adams writes that much intenser.

John Adams’ Shaker Loops was written in the late 70s, when minimalism was first gaining traction among the public. The repetitive notes and unorthodox rhythms give the piece an intense focus that carries through beyond the headphones.

Bach’s 3rd cello suite is probably the most beautiful suite in Bach’s six cello suites, but one of the most underrated.

Debussy’s La Mer (notice the water theme?) is a hallmark in the impressionist repertory and one of the most important and beautiful pieces of music ever written. Beginning similarly to Become Ocean with bass and harp, the piece is ultimately more melodic than its modern counterpart.