Beyond the Notes

Music Can (and should be) the Catalyst for Updating Education

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, 15% of American public school kids require special education services. That's 7.3 million kids nationwide who require services like in-school therapies, one on one aids, small group instruction, self-contained classrooms (or schools), and/or extended school-year programming. In addition to these populations, the CDC cites the following data points regarding neurological based diagnoses in American kids ages 2-17 years (important note: the following data is pre-pandemic):

• ADHD 9.8% (approximately 6.0 million)
• Anxiety 9.4% (approximately 5.8 million)
• Behavior Problems 8.9% (approximately 5.5 million)
• Depression 4.4% (approximately 2.7 million)

Millions of American children enter their school buildings every day with a classification or diagnosis as a part of their daily learning. These data points demonstrate just how much more complex education has become.

Let's zero in and consider the behavioral statistic alone (8.9% or 5.5 million). If you were to walk into any school and ask teachers or administrators how this population affects their work, they will have your ear for an extended period of time. Add in the ADHD data point (9.8% or 6.0 million) and imagine ? from a teacher's perspective ? how that population further complicates a classroom dynamic and learning environment. I focus on these two diagnoses because they correlate directly with student's ability to self-regulate, a vital piece of how a child performs in school.

Self-regulation is defined as "...the ability to understand and manage your own behavior and reactions". It is an extraordinary part of childhood and adolescent development and also plays a huge role in the learning process. Many theories exist as to the current increase in self-regulation related diagnoses (lack of outdoor play, too much alone time), but my purpose is to focus on how we can help these students, and, more specifically, how music is severely underused in this process.

When instruments or the human voice are making music, they're doing more than producing notes. Those notes have emotion, shape, texture, and movement. They stop - then start. They're quiet - then loud. Sometimes there's a rest in the sound, but the tempo keeps moving forward. When we play a musical instrument, or just participate in the act of listening, it requires a complete engagement of our sensorimotor systems. We don't just play music. We listen, feel, react, and respond ? whether it's physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually or all of those. These physical, emotional, and kinesthetic elements of music are perfect tools for self-regulation protocols.

I was recently teaching a roomful of at-risk high school students. These kids come to school out of difficult home lives and/or poverty, and a number also have emotional or behavioral classifications. We were doing an exercise where I asked them to tap sticks in time to my piano playing (I improvised a bluesy solo). I counted them in and noticed how they didn't just tap the sticks, but eventually began moving their shoulders; some moved their heads...others moved both. In addition, they looked at each other (and me) and smiled. Students who were slumped in their chairs acting disinterested (or cool) heard/felt the beat of their peer's sticks and suddenly sat up and joined in smiling as well. I stopped playing, and told them that we were going to do it again. The catch was, now when I stopped, they had to keep the beat going. This not only meant listening to me, but also to each other. They also had to focus on the tempo of the music. I had them stand up this time, counted us in, and began playing again. After a few measures I stopped. I immediately noticed how the students began making eye contact. As my stop grew longer, they began smiling and watching each other. Some were bouncing their knees in time as well. When I brought the piano back in, and we were all together. An audible laugh went up from the room. I stopped again, and this time their smiles were bigger. Some students were moving their heads and shouting "YEAH!" as they, and their sticks, kept the beat moving.

Now, here's the really cool part of my story: This all took place during a math class. I was there doing this exercise as a way to begin bringing the students together to help their math teacher create a healthier learning space. Mind you, I also explained how beats and rhythms relate to math so they could make a common connection. But more importantly was how this seemingly silly exercise allowed the students to tap into the physical, social, and self-regulation attributes of music. During the exercise they weren't just using their eyes, ears, muscles and joints. They were also using self-control. They had to be aware of me but also their classmates. They not only had to stay locked in with the tempo and phrasing of the music, but also with each other. In other words, they had to regulate themselves and, in the process, their entire sensory systems were engaged. At the end of the exercise, I pointed all of this out to the students. I made sure they knew they weren't just listening to, but respecting each other, and me. Then I told them how easy it had come to them. They were "expert" listeners!

That's one example of how music, and music educators, can be used in a "non-traditional" way. Instead of defining music in school solely as either band, chorus, orchestra, or general music class - we need to begin looking beyond the notes and towards the dynamic characteristics of music. It's these qualities that can help with the learning and development of students with diagnoses and classifications. It can also help their therapists, classroom teachers, and administrators.

Music educators are an untapped resource within the whole of education. They (and the subject they teach) are severally underused within the modern day classroom. Are your school district's music educators available to assist in self-regulation protocols? Are they available to all teachers to help implement classroom management strategies? Do the music educators even see themselves in these capacities? Chances are, the answers to these questions is No, and that's because we do not see music as the resource it is in education.

It's time to change that.

*In my next article, I will explain how music educators can help enhance school provided occupational therapy.