Over the past several weeks my research on the topic of disruptive behaviour has focused on heavily on good teaching practices. Although I am beginning to understand that good teaching practices appear to be the foundation for minimizing disruptive behaviours in the classroom, I found myself wondering if there were any proven methods to teaching that could assist good teaching practices. Once I began examining some of the different literature on this topic, I was pleasantly surprised with some of the research I came across. In particular I was amazed to learn that a lot of research consistently shows that music, and a students involvement in music, is strongly correlated to reduced rates of disruptive behaviour and increased rates of pro-social behaviour.
One research article which notes the connection between music and disruptive behaviour is entitled, ‘The predictive relationship between achievement and participation in music and achievement in core Grade 12 academic subjects’ written by Peter Gouzouasis, Martin Guhn, and Nand Kishor. Within the article, authors explain the results of a longitudinal study in which they conducted a large-scale analysis to see if there was a relationship between student involvement in music and academic success (Gouzuasis et al., 2007). After the thorough examination of three different groups of students, all of the collected results reveal that yes, there is a positive correlation between involvement in music and achievement in achievement in core academic subjects (Gouzuasis et al., 2007). Specifically it was found that students who had participated in band, choir, or music composition, on average, had higher achievement in mathematics, biology, and English (Gouzuasis et al., 2007).
Although the above research findings are impressive within themselves, the authors of this study also found that incorporating music into the classroom not only appeared to improve academic success, but it also appeared to improve disruptive behaviour (2007). More specifically the authors note that, “With regard to social skills and personality traits, [these] longitudinal studies have found that there are personal, social, and motivational effects of involvement in music specifically, and in the fine arts in general. In particular, there is now experimental evidence that involvement in musical activities increases students’ self-esteem and social competences, including the reduction in aggressive and anti-social behavior as well as the increase in pro-social behavior” (Gouzuasis et al., 2007, p.89).
In addition to the above research, music and arts researcher Larry Scripp also argues the exact same point. In the article ‘An overview of research on music and learning’ Scripp argues that music should be incorporated in education for many reasons, with one of the most important being the effect it has on child’s social-emotional development, behavioural modifications, and ability to learn (Scripp, 2004).
As a future educator it is so exciting to learn about the many positive impacts that music can have in the classroom, both academically and behaviourally. Personally I have always found that creating music, playing music, and listening to music have helped me de-stress and re-focus myself in certain situations, and after reading some research on this topic, I am beginning to understand why. Furthermore, as I reflect on my experiences teaching in the classroom so far, I can so easily see how music positively impacts student behaviour. During one lesson a few weeks back, I played traditional Chinese music in the background as the students worked – the students were all so relaxed and clam. Multiple students even commented on how they loved working with the music. Additionally, there are several students in my class that play in the school band, and now that I think about it, every time they return to class after band, they are well-behaved, calm, and happy.
Upon reflecting on my own experiences and discovering a wide variety of literature that links music to minimizing disruptive behaviour, I think it is safe to say that music could be an important part of the puzzle.
References
Scripp, L. (2002). An overview of research on music and learning. Critical links: Learning in the arts and student academic and social development. (Ed. R.J. Deasy), 132-136. Washington, DC. Arts Education Partnership.
Gouzouasis, P., Guhn, M., & Kishor, N. (2007). The predictive relationship between achievement in music and achievement in core grade twelve academic subjects. Music Education Research, 9(1), 81-92.
I agree with you completely especially if the music is usually chosen by the teacher as opposed to students. Music listening brings some of the same benefits as mindful listening to chimes- it’s too bad that it is used so little and more often as a “special occasion” item as opposed to a way to create a classroom climate. I hope you continue to try out playing and listening to music during both academic and choice lesson times.