Session Information
08 SES 04 B, Novel approaches to promoting wellbeing and relationship quality in schools
Paper Session
Contribution
In the global north, there is growing evidence of the increased vulnerability of children and young people to mental illness, which has become a notable public health concern (Campayo–Muñoz and Cabedo–Mas, 2017; Faulkner, 2022), and reflects the increasing prevalence of mental illness among children and young people globally (Hedemann and Frazier, 2017; Payne et al., 2020). As discussed in the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development Report, childhood is considered a critical stage in which to build interventions to support mental health and wellbeing (Patel et al., 2018). We argue music can, and should, be one of those support mechanisms.
Music is a ubiquitous means of expression and communication that span across all ages and cultures at a global level (Angel-Alvarado et al., 2022), and there is growing evidence from empirical and experimental studies that examines the impact of music on health and wellbeing, including psychological (emotional and cognitive), physical, social and social (McConkey and Kuebel, 2022). Despite this, there has been little research into the impact that music, specifically singing, may have on the health and wellbeing of children.
This paper therefore presents a qualitative case study within Scottish primary schools that examines the development and delivery of a pilot programme, Sing4Health, designed by the researcher in partnership with a choral conductor, to teach children and their teachers how to create music, focusing on group singing. This initiative was intended to enhance children’s wellbeing, while also establishing sustainable music education by non-specialists within primary schools.
The purpose of this study was therefore twofold: (i) to analyse the impact of theSing4Health programme on the wellbeing outcomes of the primary school children participating in the programme, and; (ii) to research the pedagogic process of implementing the programme within our partner schools, in order to draw out general pedagogical principles which can then be adapted for designing a self-sustaining training programme for non-specialist teachers.
The study asked:
1) Does singing improve children’s subjective sense of wellbeing?
2) Does participation in the Sing4Health programme help children effectively respond to situations they find difficult or challenging at school?
The secondary research objective was to examine the process of implementing the programme within our partner schools and identify underlying principles of the programme delivery. To do this, the study asked:
1) What is the professional music teacher doing when teaching singing for children?
2) Are there general instructive principles that non-specialists can learn to teach singing?
In conclusion, the aim of this study was to assess the outcomes among the children participating in the Sing4Health programme and identify whether there were underlying pedagogical principles of the delivery of the programme by the musical specialist leading it that could then be adapted to build a training programme for non-specialists, in order to create sustainable school wellbeing programme able to be delivered nationally and internationally as part of teacher training initiatives among pre-service or in-service teachers.
Initial findings suggest singing does positively impact on children and their sense of wellbeing, but further research is necessary to better understand how it does this, and how singing can be taught by non-specialists to promote children’s wellbeing.
Method
PARTICIPANT POPULATION 40 participants aged between 5 and 12 years, their teachers and the wider school staff team who work with those children, were recruited from two Scottish primary schools. DESIGN A grounded theory design was used, and data derived from multiple data collection methods. Interviews were conducted with the teachers and the wider school staff team. Focus groups were conducted with children. Participant observation was used to generate data on the programme development and delivery. MATERIALS AND PROCEDURES - Questionnaires distributed to parents before and after the children attended the programme, assessing whether parents noticed any changes in their child’s emotional wellbeing or educational outcomes (i.e. more engaged in homework, wanting to go to school). - Interviews were conducted with the teachers and the wider school staff team, and assessed: -Teacher & Staff Perceptions. Teachers and other school staff were asked to answer a series of questions about the children they teach or for whom they provide care. -Academic Indicators.Teachers were asked to provide information concerning children’s literacy and numeracy attainment, alongside children’s age. - Teacher Perceptions of Sing4Health.Teachers were asked to complete a short questionnaire concerning their perception of the programme and whether it had an impact on the mental health and wellbeing and/or academic outcomes of the participating children. Data collection from participating children took place via small focus groups: - Practice Items.Participants were introduced to the 5-point Likert scale used to answer the majority of the questions. Participants completed two practice items with the researcher to ensure they understood the scale. - Self-Perceptions of mental health and wellbeing. Children were asked to respond to a series of items using the Likert scales. - Self-Perceptions of participating in school and doing school work. Children were asked to respond to a series of items using the Likert scales. - Children perceptions of Sing4Health. Children were asked to respond to a short series of questions in a focus group setting. Anonymised drawings that children had done were also be collected for analysis, with children’s assent. Participant observation was used by the researcher to document the Sing4Health programme in real time as it was delivered, analysing the process to identify underlying principles of the programme delivery. DATA ANALYSIS Data was analysed using Nvivo to perform a thematic analysis through the methodological principles of grounded theory. Excel and/or SPSS were used to conduct an analysis of descriptive statistics collected about all participants in the programme.
Expected Outcomes
As captured by semi-structured interviews with education staff and participating children, initial findings have shown singing supports the social, emotional and academic development of children. However, further study is needed to validate these findings through additional case studies and more robust methodologies.
References
Angel-Alvarado, R., Quiroga-Fuentes, I., Gárate-González, B., 2022. Working on the dark side of the moon: overcoming music education inequities in the Chilean school system. Arts Education Policy Review 0, 1–11. Campayo–Muñoz, E., Cabedo–Mas, A., 2017. The role of emotional skills in music education. Brit. J. Music. Ed. 34, 243–258. h Cook, A., Ogden, J., Winstone, N., 2019. The impact of a school-based musical contact intervention on prosocial attitudes, emotions and behaviours: A pilot trial with autistic and neurotypical children. Autism 23, 933–942. Bates, V.C., 2012. Social Class and School Music. Music Educators Journal 98, 33–37. Broad, 2019. BROAD, S., MOSCARDINI, L., RAE, A., WILSON, A., HUNTER, K. and SMILLIE, G. (2019) What’s Going on Now? A study of Young People Learning Music Across Scotland. Scotland: Music Education Partnership Group Brown, E.D., Sax, K.L., 2013. Arts enrichment and preschool emotions for low-income children at risk. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 28, 337–346. Green, L., 2017. Music Education as Critical Theory and Practice: Selected Essays. Routledge, London. h Faulkner, S.C., 2022. Rhythms of learning — a model of practice supporting youth mental health in the era of COVID-19. J. Psychol. Couns. Sch. 1–7. Hallam, S., 2010. The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. International Journal of Music Education 28, 269–289. Hedemann, E.R., Frazier, S.L., 2017. Leveraging After-School Programs to Minimize Risks for Internalizing Symptoms Among Urban Youth: Weaving Together Music Education and Social Development. Adm Policy Ment Health 44, 756–770. Kim, Hyun-Sil, Kim, Hun-Soo, 2018. Effect of a musical instrument performance program on emotional intelligence, anxiety, and aggression in Korean elementary school children. Psychology of Music 46, 440–453. McConkey, M.S., Kuebel, C.R., 2022. Emotional Competence Within the Stress Coping Strategies of Music Education Students. Journal of Research in Music Education 70, 321–338. Moscardini, L., Barron, D.S., Wilson, A., 2013. Who gets to play? Investigating equity in musical instrument instruction in Scottish primary schools. International Journal of Inclusive Education 17, 646–662. Moscardini, L., Wilson, A., Holstein, J., Moscardini McKenna, C., 2015. Reaching All Children : Developing Inclusive Music Education (Report). University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Patel, V., Saxena, S., Lund, C., Thornicroft, G., Baingana, F., Bolton, P., Chisholm, D., Collins, P.Y., Cooper, J.L., Eaton, J., 2018. The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development. The Lancet 392, 1553–1598.
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