It’s hard to believe another school year is upon us! The school staff that Sparks worked with last year had many positive things to say about our students.
As with the students, school staff received surveys to complete, reporting on the effects of Sparks’ music therapy groups on their students over the year. 7 staff members reported on the progress of 42 of Sparks’ students who participated during the year.
Student Improvement in Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Skills in 2024-2025
A majority of students improved across almost all of the skill areas, shown in the chart below, that they were assigned to (up to 3 skills were assigned per student). Note that most students represented in these numbers fall under more than one category, as the majority had multiple goals. Thus, the numbers shown do not comprise an accurate total number of students who participated.
| SEL Skills: | Number of Students Who Improved | % of Students Who Improved |
| Self-confidence | 23 | 54.8% |
| Creative expression | 36 | 85.7% |
| Emotional expression | 38 | 90.5% |
| Emotional regulation | 25 | 59.5% |
| Leadership skills | 17 | 40.5% |
| Social skills | 34 | 81.0% |
| Active listening | 31 | 73.8% |
| Communication | 32 | 76.2% |
| Following directions | 34 | 81.0% |
| Turn-taking | 35 | 83.3% |
| Making choices | 22 | 52.4% |
| Appropriate behavior | 31 | 73.8% |
Of the school staff respondents, 57% (4) said they strongly agreed that music therapy had positively impacted their students, and 71% (5) said they highly recommended music therapy as a positive intervention for their students. The remaining 43% (3) said they agreed music therapy had positively impacted their students, and 29% (2) agreed they recommend music therapy for their students.
In Their Own Words
Staff also provided their own comments about the Sparks services provided, including the following:
- “I love the Sparks program. It brings so much joy and calm to our campus. The students and I look forward to sessions each week. It really is the highlight of our week.”
- “The students look forward to attending and participating in SPARKS. Students enjoyed playing with instruments, singing along, talking about their day and relevant information with what the music is about. I would highly recommend for every campus.”
- “I absolutely loved the Sparks music therapy classes! I’m so grateful for the opportunity to witness such a beautiful and impactful experience on our campus. The sessions brought so much joy, connection, and emotional growth to our students. It was truly moving to see the power of music used in such a meaningful way, and I feel incredibly thankful to have been part of it. I hope to do it again!!”
Check out this video of one of the school staff members sharing about his positive experience of working with Sparks.
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