Extended music education enhances the quality of school life

Abstract

The claim of whether music education can create social benefits in the school environment was tested in 10 Finnish schools with an extended music curricular class and control classes. The quality of school life (QSL) was assessed by a representative sample (N 0735) of pupils at years 3 and 6 (9-and 12-years-olds). The results showed that extended music education enhances the QSL, particularly in areas related to general satisfaction about the school and a sense of achievement and opportunity for students. Differences related to the schools and gender did not account for the results. A follow-up study examined whether the increase in critical QSL variables was related to music. This analysis utilised data from other classes (N 098) with an extended curriculum (sports and visual arts). These classes did not confer similar benefits. Overall, the results imply that extended music education has a positive effect on the social aspects of schooling.

Arts and Scholastic Performance

“…Eerola & Eerola (2013) reported that extended music education has a positive influence on the social aspects of schooling, Kokkidou, Tsakiridou, & Geka (2008) showed that learning a music instrument, had positive effects on school competence, academic performance, development of self-esteem and self-consciousness emotional maturity, and on the promotion of social skills. Recent theoretical hypothesis suggested that music helps resolving knowledge contradictions and, then, is fundamental for the survival of the entire human evolution (Perlovsky, 2011(Perlovsky, , 2013 study.…”

Educación Musical Y Bienestar Psicológico en Los Niños Y Adolescentes en Etapa Temprana De La “Ciudad De Los Niños De Aguascalientes / Music Education and Psychological Well Being in Children and Early Adolescents at the “Children´s City of Aguascalientes”

“…a) La música fomenta los vínculos sociales desde una edad muy temprana (Trehub, 2001); b) promueve comportamientos prosociales favoreciendo la reducción de prejuicios inclusive entre grupos antagónicos (Bakagiannis y Tarrant, 2004); c) mejora la relación de los estudiantes no solo con sus compañeros y maestros, sino también con sus padres (Broh, 2002); d) favorece el desarrollo de una mejor percepción de los alumnos con relación a la vida escolar y mejora el clima en el aula (Eerola y Eerola, 2014); f) favorece la inclusión social (Welch, Himonides, Saunders, Papageorgi y Sarazin, 2014); g) fomenta las relaciones interpersonales (Stacey, Brittain y Kerr, 2012); y h) impulsa una vida más saludable al reducir el nivel de cortisol y aumentar el nivel de oxitocina, hormona implicada con la vinculación social íntima (Kreutz, 2014). También promueve la afiliación y la empatía (Kirschner y Tomasello, 2010;Rabinowitch, Cross y Burnard, 2012).…”

Choosing to study music: student attitudes towards the subject of music in second-level education in the Republic of Ireland

“…Theories of the psychology of music education (Elliott & Silvermann, 2015;Reimer, 2003) are useful in understanding the way in which music primarily functions as a human activity, including research linking music education with social group membership and schooling (Welch et al, 2004). Furthermore, music can function as a tool for social cohesion (Eerola & Eerola, 2013), which is highly relevant in terms of the surge in multinationalism of 21 st century Ireland (O'Flaherty et al, 2018). Within the Irish context, there appears to be an understanding of the value of the arts (Drury, 2006) (a general term under which music can be considered) in creating an awareness of other cultures.…”