Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/using-music-to-manage-challenging-behaviors-in-the-classroom/5024550/
“Music will help dissolve your perplexities and purify your character and sensibilities, and in time of care and sorrow, will keep a fountain of joy alive in you.” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Music is often thought of simply as entertainment, but its power as a conjurer of emotions—and therefore a tool to manage feelings and their resultant behavior—is undeniable. For children especially, music can help instill calm, promote self-regulation and impart joy. The more music is present in a classroom—or in the home—the better. Here are three ways in which music can create a positive difference for young learners when they most need it.
Using Music to Create Feelings of Safety and Security
One reason transitions during the school day can feel chaotic and stressful is that many children struggle during any time of change. Separating from caregivers, leaving a favorite activity behind to go to another, moving from inside to outside environments or vice versa—you name it, these changes can be stress triggers. The good news is that building music into transitions can help smooth things out. Let’s look at a couple of examples.
Toddler Lily struggled daily when Mimi, her caregiver, dropped her ...