Group music making — such as in a choir, orchestra, or band — is a good way to teach kids how to face adversity, according to ongoing research based on the Tasmanian Youth Orchestras at the University of Tasmania, Australia.
What to know:
For a group of players to make a piece of music work, they must work together, and in doing so develop resilience through the qualities of teamwork, empathy, and grit.
Being part of a choir, orchestra, and band is a collaborative process because members must listen to each other, understand what is happening around them, and be prepared to change how they play something depending on how the group is performing.
Empathy grows over time through rehearsals and performances, as players and teachers learn to understand each other in a group, supporting one another, recognizing that dependency on one another will influence the overall outcome.
The collaborative effort and its results show the importance of commitment to pursuing a goal and sticking with it even if it takes a long time, requires considerable work, or becomes difficult.
While working together in sporting teams or academic assignments promotes teamwork, playing music provokes activity in many different parts of the brain at the same time, triggering the release of dopamine and serotonin in that "feel good" reward sensation, and provides an incentive to keep engaging with music.
This is a summary of the article "If you want your child to be more resilient, get them to join a choir, orchestra or band" published by the Conversation on October 23, 2022. The article can be found on theconversation.com.
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Cite this: Bands, Choirs, and Orchestras Teach Kids Resiliency - Medscape - Dec 29, 2022.
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