The role of emotional skills in music education

Abstract

Developing emotional skills is one of the challenges that concern teachers and researchers in education, since these skills promote well-being and enhance cognitive performance. Music is an excellent tool with which to express emotions and for this reason music education should play a role in individuals’ emotional development.This paper reviews the results of previous studies that explore the connections between active engagement with music and the development of emotional skills, specifically in the field of music education. A sample of 21 investigations was analysed.The results from the selected studies show that music has multiple benefits for the development of certain aspects of emotional skills and positive implications for education. Suggestions for music educators gathered from the previous research are presented and potential areas of interest for further exploration in the field are identified.

Uses and Perceptions of Music in Times of COVID-19: A Spanish Population Survey

“…Music goes beyond the aesthetic dimension and is part of individuals’ identities and the communicative, cultural, leisure, and psychological aspects of their lives ( Fritz and Avsec, 2007 ; Hormigos-Ruiz, 2010 ; Cross, 2014 ; Van der Hoeven, 2018 ). Participating in any kind of musical experience, in general, and music making, more specifically, can have an impact on positive emotions ( Lamont, 2012 ; Croom, 2015 ; Campayo–Muñoz and Cabedo–Mas, 2017 ). These effects can increase when music occurs in a social context ( Wuttke-Linnemann et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Music may help to consolidate people’s sense of identity, which is built on aspects that include understanding what place music has in people’s lives ( DeNora, 2000 ), how people relate to music ( Green, 2011 ), what the personal and social uses of music are ( Small, 1998 ; MacDonald et al, 2002 ) and how musical preferences are shaped ( Rentfrow et al, 2011 ). The perceived use people make of music ( North et al, 2000 ; Schäfer et al, 2013 ) suggests that it is made and consumed naturally to encourage relationships by enhancing the possibility of sharing and connecting with others ( Kokotsaki and Hallam, 2007 ; Cabedo-Mas and Díaz-Gómez, 2013 ; Schäfer and Eerola, 2020 ), for cognitive or rational intentions of aesthetic enjoyment ( Brattico et al, 2009 ) and also for emotional regulation ( Campayo–Muñoz and Cabedo–Mas, 2017 ). And in all cases, the musical experience can have an impact on wellbeing.…”

Effects of the Educational Use of Music on 3- to 12-Year-Old Children’s Emotional Development: A Systematic Review

“…Regarding the field of education, a century ago John Dewey pointed out the importance of the social and emotional nature of the classroom and the relationship between social processes and learning [ 1 ]. However, the increase in the study of emotions in the area of education during the last two decades has given rise to a more humanistic, holistic, and socio-emotional approach to educational activity [ 2 ]. Salovey & Mayer [ 3 ] were the first to define emotional intelligence as “the ability to monitor one’s own or others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information and to guide one’s thinking and actions”.…”

“…The link between music and emotion has contributed to the value of music as a discipline that can be implemented in formal education to develop students’ emotional competence [ 2 , 53 ]. One of the advantages of musical activities is that they mostly require collective participation, which requires cooperation and coordination on the part of the members of a society [ 54 ], making them useful tools for the advancement of socioemotional development.…”

Intrapersonal skills and music performance in elementary piano students in Spanish conservatories: Three case studies

“…Intrapersonal and interpersonal skills are interconnected (Mayer & Stevens, 1994), although each has specific psychological characteristics and functions: intrapersonal skills concern the recognition and appropriate management of one’s own emotions, whereas interpersonal skills are applied to recognize and understand the feelings of other people (Campayo & Cabedo, 2017).…”