The development of social skills through musical learning Marjolein Verburg, MSc; Anne-Christine Wemekamp, Music Professor

Marjolein Verburg, MSc Anne-Christine Wemekamp

Wishful ME wishful music education Learning through art - Powered by

Overview Short introduction social skills Singing Game Difficulties in social skills Learning social skills The role of musical play Singing Game Evaluation Questions

Social Skills Social Skills are the behaviors that we use in order to communicate effectively with other people. Developing social skills is one of the most important developmental tasks in childhood

Social Skills Successful mastery of social skills: o Sharing o Taking turns o Allowing other to talk without interrupting o Smiling when greeting people o Showing appropriate emotional responses o Listening o Etc.

SINGING GAME

Difficulties with social skills Two main groups Inhibited children Symptoms: shy, stand at the side, lack initiative, being bullied Disinhibited children Symptoms: argue, shouting, bullying, aggressive behavior

The development of social skills How and where do children learn social skills? Parents/family Peers in kindergartens and schools Teacher as a mediator Important task in childhood

The development of social skills Social learning theory (Bandura): people learn from one another by Modelling (teacher, peer to peer) Imitation Reinforcement Learning social skills (implicit learning) “You cannot teach a concept, you can only teach skills” - Choksy

The role of play Play is an important setting to learn the implementation of appropriate social skills Internalizing social values through unconscious learning Fosters peaceful interactions Verbal expression Listening to another point of view Resolving conflicts

The role of musical play ‘Music is by its very nature a social art’ – Leonhard (1983) Musical play: Unites social groups, draws the withdrawn into the group, stimulates participation and sharing Through simple music activities: subordinate individual wishes to the goals of the group (cooperation)

Learning social skills What they need to learn….

Learning social skills Inhibited children Stand up for themselves Take initiative Speech volume Stand straight Disinhibited children Taking turns Inhibition Emotion-regulation Empathy

SINGING GAME

Examples of social skills learned from musical activities Establishing positive relationships and maintaining positive interactions with peers Taking turns fairly Showing interest in others Accepting and enjoying peers Interacting non-verbally with other children with smiles and nods Showing cooperation Skill mastery leads to an increase in self-confidence Self-control Showing empathy Performing in a group increases pupils confidence, social networks and the sense of belonging to a group. It helps individuals learn to support each other and cooperate for group goals.

Fun and interactive Practice, practice, practice

Wishful ME wishful music education Learning through art - Powered by