with the belief that such change is possible. This is the cor- nerstone of emotional self-regulation.
student with ‘incorrigible behavior’ who, in learning to trust you, learned to trust themself; or the student ‘saved’ from a dead-end path because they found the passion of music and felt empowered to follow their heart. We are more ef- fective educators when we successfully deal with students’ emotions and help them learn skills for self-transformation. When Dorothy sings, “Why, oh, why, can’t I?”, the answer is, she can. She just has to believe she can.
Using this new practice, students learn to be in charge of their responses, and the beautiful payoff is that we, the teach- ers, are also practicing being more in the present moment. Doing so can lower our stress level and help us to be better teachers at the same time it is helping our students.
Ulti- Figure 1
The upshot of my welcome song is that it set the stage for a positive learning environment by helping students center and calm their nervous systems. This prepared them to con- nect more with their hearts and get out of their heads. That energetic balance is a fun state to work with and share. As a music teacher with nine classes a day, I had to do something to maintain my energy through the course of the day. Using mindfulness in the classroom helped me be the best teacher I could be and established a climate for focused and respect- ful learning.
Applying Mindfulness through Repertoire
By being aware of our thoughts and feelings, we create space to change our habitual response.
tells us: “nerves that wire together, fire together”.2
use to teach and practice mindfulness principles. “Over the Rainbow”4
When all the world is a hopeless jumble and the rain- drops tumble all around, Heaven opens a magic lane.
When all the clouds darken up the skyway there’s a rainbow highway to be found, Leading from your windowpane. To a place behind the sun, just a step beyond the rain.
The verse to this song is seldom sung, but so beautiful. The song gives hope, an emotion that I think is critical if one is to find their way out of a challenging emotional state. Students first listened to this song, and then we discussed the idea of believing in hope. This was a fascinating topic. As teach- ers, we’ve all seen how believing in a student can positively impact that child. Think of the student who almost gave up but trusted your faith and got through a really tough time; the
Following are two examples of songs I
Neuro-plasticity research Mindful-
ness practice can actually change our brains as we practice finding the positive.3
mately, empowering our students through social-emotional intelligence may be the best teaching we can give them.
“Accentuate the Positive”5
Arlen and Mercer’s song is a superb vehicle for talking about attitudes, perspectives, and our power to make internal emotional shifts. My students first listened to the song and then we learned it. I gave them two prompts from my own children’s lives where I, as the parent, had to “accentuate the positive”. In small groups, students then created skits where a conflict was resolved in a positive way. Students came up with all sorts of scenarios, including negotiating a fam- ily movie night conflict, siblings vying to choose a pet, and confronting another student who stole a pencil. These skits helped students practice a way out of their trigger reactions and into a positive attitude. My students discovered that sometimes there is no “right” or “wrong” solution but sim- ply an opportunity to practice positivity. The perspective of looking for the positive can free students and teachers from an automatic negative outlook or reaction. The ability to shift from the negative to the positive is very empowering!
Mindfulness Principles Applied in Collaborative Composition
Mindfulness happens organically in assignments centered on creation. In running a composition program with 5th graders for 15 years, I observed that the decision-making involved in creating a group composition was mindfulness in action. It was so live, fun, and invigorating! Students feel honored and empowered when working with a long creative leash. You will hear a lot of exuberant “That was fun!” accompa- nying creative activities. The following are three creative, whole-class activities that illustrate how mindfulness can be incorporated, either in the process or as the topic, in collab- orative composition activities.
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