The school year has ended and summer is in full swing! Our Sparks students have a lot to be proud of in their progress over the past school year.
Sparks’ music therapists worked tirelessly this year to help our students learn many social and emotional skills. Each student had up to three individual skills being measured across all sessions. In fact, overall, 82% of our students made “some” or “significant” progress toward their skill goals.
Here are each of the skills that were assessed on an individual and group basis during weekly music therapy sessions. They are listed in order of overall progress made from greatest to least.
- Active Listening
- Self-Confidence
- Emotional Regulation
- Following Directions
- Emotional Expression
- Creative Expression
- Communication
- Turn-Taking
- Leadership
- Making Choices
- Social Skills
- Appropriate Behavior
Each of these skills was further classified under one of the following categories: “Emotional Intelligence”, “Social Intelligence” and “Healthy Behaviors”. Of the students assigned one or more skills to develop under each category:
- 92% (54 results) achieved some or significant progress in “Emotional Intelligence”, comprised of the subcategories of emotional expression, emotional regulation, and self-confidence.
- 91% (69 results) achieved some or significant progress in “Social Intelligence”, comprised of the subcategories of social skills, active listening, following directions, turn-taking, leadership skills and communication.
- 75% (24 results) achieved some or significant progress in expressing “Healthy Behaviors”, comprised of the subcategories of appropriate behavior, making choices and creative expression.
The Importance of Music Therapy on Developing Brains
Children’s brains develop sequentially, beginning with the brainstem and midbrain, which control basic life functions such as heart rate, then continuing to emotional development, which involves the amygdala, hippocampus and hypothalamus. The cognitive brain develops through the maturation of the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in executive decision-making, planning, and impulse control.
When trauma occurs, brain development is disrupted. Many of our students are stuck in “fight-0r-flight” mode due to an underdeveloped limbic system and related areas of the brain. Thus, they often feel unsafe and therefore are less able to focus and learn. Our students showed the most progress this year in the areas of emotional and social development, which indicates the significant need for developing these skills in the first place. Music therapy has been instrumental (pun intended) in bridging this gap by helping our students learn age-appropriate social and emotional responses to challenges in their lives.
Stay tuned next month for a look at our students’ perspective of the music therapy sessions they participated in this year!
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