A music and art program to promote emotional health in elementary school children

Author(s): Cogan, D., Cox, C.

Journal/Book: Journal of Music Therapy. 1991; 28: Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. National Association for Music Therapy. 135-148.

Abstract: The purposes of this study were to develop a music and art program that would promote the emotional health and assess the emotional states of ele- mentary school children in a homeroom class setting. Three styles of music were tested for effectiveness in altering mood: classical, music from Walt Disney films, and electronically generated "new age" music. Freestyle drawings of 255 first and second graders, made while they listened to music, were analyzed for indications of aggression, depression and organicity. Results of the music styles' effectiveness showed that new age and Disney music were significantly more effective than classical music in altering mood. Analysis of the drawings indicated that 41% of the children were suffering from depression, aggression or organicity, and often masked their actual feelings. Children who were depressed responded in the same manner to the music styles as the total population but were less responsive, indicating the need for more exposure over longer periods of time. The authors concluded: a music program could effectively promote emotional health using drawings to assess emotional growth.

Keyword(s): music, art, elementary, children, emotional-expression, emotional-reactions, mood, mood-responses, depression, aggression, organic, classroom-behavior.

Zurück | Weiter