Music and Emotional Intelligence: Nurturing Empathy Through Composition

By Jack Hardman , Director of Music at M:Tech Education , IAPS Premier Music Partner

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February 2024

We are all familiar with the idea that music is a universal language. A captivating melody or an uplifting song has the power to bring us together, creating a shared experience that resonates with our emotions.

More than just a source of happiness, music can become a medium for us to process and express our feelings. For children, engaging in creativity at a young age can offer a unique avenue for unlocking this form of self-expression. Having taught music technology to hundreds of pupils in schools over the years, I've witnessed firsthand the positive impact that creating an original piece of work can have.

In this edition of Music Notes, I explore the diverse impact of music on the emotional wellbeing of children.

Setting The Tone at School

If the art department is considered to be the eyes of a school, then the music department is its ears. Whether it’s a carol concert, end-of-term performance, or even a soundtrack during assembly, music sets the creative tone of a school.

However, the benefits of this go further than we might at first think. George Peterkin , a leading Mental Health First Aider with a background in Independent Education, believes the daily ritual of starting school with music establishes routine and structure.

Music gives a dopamine release for anyone who plays, performs, or even just listens to it.

Every morning the children would come into a piece of music I would play - usually something much older than them. On a basic level it gives them routine and structure at the beginning of their school day, which boosts wellbeing.

He goes on to comment on the wider benefit of creating and performing, especially in those who haven’t yet excelled in other areas of school life.

In terms of school bands, orchestras and performances, it can give those children who perhaps are not top of the school, the chance to excel and shine. This can boost self-esteem which is vital for their mental health.

“Where words fail, music speaks”

From exam stress to transitioning to secondary school, school can feel like a highly pressurised environment for learners. While there are of course academic pressures and targets within the music curriculum, taking learnings from the world of music therapy can offer us invaluable insight into how it can harness self-expression.

Emma Pelkiewicz , a music therapist at Linden Lodge School in Wimbledon, discusses the therapeutic benefits music can have:

Music therapy provides a safe space to express and understand your emotions. Over time, service users may become more emotionally literate and feel safer to communicate their feelings.

Some may find it difficult or impossible to verbalise how they feel. Free improvisation (playing music on the spot) provides a vessel for self-expression. The way we respond to this music can show the service users that they are heard, understood and accepted:

“Where words fail, music speaks.” - Hans Christian Anderson.

Remembering the wider benefits of our subject can help better understand the experience of our pupils. Beyond being a simple lesson within a timetable, an inspirational lesson can help give children the toolkit to better understand themselves and others.

Emma goes on to comment on the relationship between creativity and empathy:

I believe that in being empathic or creative, we are connected to ourselves on an emotional level. If art moves or ‘speaks’ to us, perhaps we relate or empathise with what we are seeing/hearing/experiencing on some level.

We think of empathy as the ability to put ourselves in someone else’s frame of reference. This can happen on an intellectual level: we can cognitively understand or imagine what someone is going through. We can also empathise on a very visceral level where we feel someone else’s emotions.

Perhaps one of the motivations to create is to be empathised with. It’s a human need to feel understood and validated.

Emma’s perspective is backed by research into the subject. A 2021 study into the relationship between music and emotional development by the University of Valencia found that activities involving music help children ‘recognise, express, and regulate their emotions effectively, particularly in managing aggression or anger.’

An M:Tech perspective

I’ve seen first hand the cathartic benefits that activities like M:Tech can have on children, where a creative ‘safe’ space can encourage them to explore and improvise.

Unlike classroom music lessons, running during extra-curricular time puts M:Tech in a unique position within the school day. Rather than trying to conjure up creativity while being shoehorned into the timetable, we see pupils when traditional academic work is finished. This creates an invaluable mental breathing space for pupils, helping us as teachers to encourage their expression through the music we make.

While there is of course a need to quantify and assess music just like any other subject, we must remember the invaluable role creativity can play within the days of the children we teach. It serves as a vital outlet for emotional expression and contributes significantly to the overall wellbeing of children. After all, music is the soundtrack of life!

If you would like to explore introducing music technology at your school, please email M:Tech Director of Music Jack Hardman.

M:Tech is an IAPS Premier Partner and is an engaging music technology and composition programme designed for children in IAPS prep schools. Running after-school, this innovative course introduces learners to fundamental music theory and composition skills through dynamic multimedia projects.