This study investigated how background music impacts our cognitive abilities, specifically examining how different music genres affect test scores among students. With a sample size of 164 participants, the research used a randomized control trial where students were exposed to one of four music conditions (instrumental classical, vocal classical, instrumental metal, vocal metal) or silence while studying a text on the topic of “Illusion of Frequency”. Participants were allocated to these conditions using convenience sampling. Kruskal Wallis along with descriptive statistics was used in the R studio software to analyze the differences between the groups. Results showed significant differences in test scores across several musical conditions. Participants in the silent condition scored highest, while participants exposed to vocal metal music scored significantly lower, suggesting that complex and vocal music may hinder cognitive performance. Every other musical condition was shown to significantly disrupt learning processes compared to the silent condition. Furthermore, there was a weak but significant positive correlation between music enjoyment and test scores, indicating that while music enjoyment influences cognitive performance, it is not the primary factor. The study's results highlight the potential cognitive benefits of silence or instrumental music during study sessions, while also acknowledging limitations such as the female-majority sample and the short duration of music exposure. The findings contribute to the ongoing debate on whether music impacts learning and suggests open areas for future research to explore and find the interplay between music, enjoyment, and cognitive performance.