Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) provides a foundation for safe and positive learning and enhances students’ ability to succeed in school, careers and life. This can be provoked more vigorously with Music- the best tonic for mind & body.
The SEL is further facilitated in form as an experiential workshop where the worthy participants i.e. our music teachers imbibe the concepts that need a deeper perpetuation in the minds of our today’s students.
They are involved in various activities with prime objectives and to develop the skills as mentioned below:
a) Self-Awareness
This includes accurately assessing one’s strengths and limitations, having positive mindsets and a well-grounded sense of self-efficacy and optimism.
b) Self-Management
This includes the ability to delay gratification, manage stress, control impulses and persevere through challenges in order to achieve personal and educational goals.
c) Social Awareness
Social awareness involves the ability to understand, empathize and feel compassionate for those with different backgrounds or cultures. It also involves understanding social norms for behaviour and recognizing family, school, community resources and supports.
d) Relationship Skills
Relationship skills help students establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships. These skills involve communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively and seeking help when it is needed.
e) Responsible Decision Making
Responsible decision making involves learning how to make constructive choices about personal behaviour and social interactions across diverse settings.
f) Self-confidence and Leadership Skills
Taking the lead in a team not only requires being the best but also to be confident, vigilant and a team player. It becomes all the more challenging when you are responsible for the performance of the team giving equal opportunities to each member and ensure participation.
g) Empathy Development
Making music in a group also challenges students to watch the people around them for subtle cues to timing, volume and expressiveness—the same cues that we use for reading expressions and moods on people’s faces.
To inculcate most of these skills mentioned above we facilitate and execute various activities involving the participation of all. They are segregated in groups and made to sing songs by skipping lyrics to promote self control, self regulations and group coordination.
The teachers are made to create and self compose songs to manage and overcome problem behavior of students and promote brainstorming, empathy, relationship building, creativity and expression.
These are the most prominent and integral skill techniques which can surely be inculcated in the classrooms. Pertaining to music which acts as the trigger for optimal performance.
