Music vs. studying

When I was younger, in primary shool and later in junior high, I  just couldn't stand music playing in the background while I was preparing for a test or writing an essay; all I needed was absolute silence. However, later my attitude has changed; in fact, I'm not able to focus on what I'm reading or writing when all I hear is the sound of my clock (signum temporis, I would say :) We're used to sounds literally attacking us everyhere so the silence makes us feel strange and uneasy). 

The question is, what kind of music is the best to listen to while studying? I can only answer on my own behalf; for me, it's relaxing music, which I 'discovered' last year. 

'Relaxing music' is a vast genre, which contains instrumental music, nature sounds, traditional music (e.g.Chinese, Indian, Irish), etc. It's great, because every time I can choose something new, depending on my mood. It helps me to focus on the task or the book I read, because there are no lyrics, just pure, harmonic sounds. This kind of music also help me to calm down and relax after 4 days spent at university. 

I strongly recommend it to everyone. Of course, I like different music genres too, I would be bored to death or fall asleep otherwise, because honestly, relaxing music is not very lively, just the opposite. When it comes to studying, though, I belive there is nothing better:)