Listen To Music at School:

Below, I’ll outline a few of the methods you can use to listen to music at school and bypass those pesky firewalls schools use to stop you from accessing your favorite websites while on campus. I’ve only included a brief synopsis of each technique here. Please click on the titles below for full instructions.

The Sure Fire Way – Proxies and VPNs:

TThe best and most reliable way to access websites of your choosing listen to music at school while behind a firewall is by using a proxy or VPN. This method will allow to access any website, not just steaming sites and works just about anywhere you are stuck behind a basic firewall. A proxy server basically works as an intermediary between your computer and the data you are trying to access. Proxies have a number of uses, but are usually used to keep your computer anonymous and to bypass firewalls. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) emulates a local network connection. They are usually used to allow people remote access to a data network. Your school may even have given you access to a VPN to allow you to make use of school resources from home (unfortunately you won’t be able to use this one to bypass the same school’s firewall for obvious reasons). For our purposes a vpn works the same as a proxy service.

There are several options when it comes to setting up a proxy or VPN, and each has their pros and cons which I go over on the proxy page.

1. Use an online proxy service. These are services that do all the work of setting up a proxy for you. Some are run in browser, and others must be downloaded. Unfortunately, all proxy services are not created equal and you do get what you pay for. The free services are easy to use and work great to access text only sites, but come with ads and many times are too slow to stream music. The best option to listen to music at school if you have the money is to sign up for a pay service. You pay a small fee per month, but the services are much more reliable and will allow you access to almost any site while behind a school firewall. If you can afford it. This method is the easiest and most fool proof way to stream music while at school.

2. Use a browser plug-in like foxy-proxy and find a free available proxy server on one of the many online lists. This method takes a little more work because the lifespan of a free proxy server is pretty short and you will always be hunting for fast available servers. It also requires you to download a plug-in, which is often out of the question when using a school computer. If you have the time and bring your laptop to school often, this may be the best option.

3. Set up your own proxy server on your home computer. The third option is to set up a server using your home computer and access it from school. This is a very reliable option, but has several drawbacks; it tends to slow your home computer and you are forced to leave a computer running while you are away from the house. It also requires a plug-in or something similar on the terminal to access.

Streaming Music Websites That Probably Aren’t Blocked:

For whatever reason, there are several music streaming websites that often are not picked up by many content filters and allow you to easily listen to music at school and work. I will review each in depth on the linked page.

Quick, Easy and Sometimes Overlooked Methods:

These are methods that should be tried first and foremost. They take only a couple seconds, but fail often, especially as filters become more advanced. Certainly always worth a try.

A quick disclaimer: Schools typically frown on those who bypass their firewalls and don’t like people listening to music at school; I do not encourage you to follow any of my instructions at your local campus, and the information above is intended for informational use only. I take no responsibility for any negative consequences you may experience, follow at your own risk.