Music Speaks: Using the Language of Music to Embody Social Emotional Learning through Mindfulness

Esther Alcamo, Music, Collinswood Language Academy

Curriculum Unit (PDF)

Synopsis

This curriculum unit was developed within the CTI Course Mindfulness and Education: Transforming Learning through Awareness led by Dr. Donna M. Sacco and Dr. Adriana L. Medina. This curriculum unit is focused on the teaching of mindfulness as part of the elementary music curriculum. Mindfulness is the act of being deliberately “present” or “in the moment.” As life for students and educators can be filled with distractions and anxious thoughts, mindful activities serve to bring us back to the present moment so that we are able to pause and make decisions from a place of peace and calm. Mindfulness based activities will include breathing, attention anchoring activities and body scans. As this course is part of the elementary music curriculum, students will create musical projects reflecting social emotional learning and with mindfulness as their topic of focus. Music and arts related activities will be analyzed within the context of mindfulness, and with the intention of learning how to be more mindful while performing both arts and non-arts tasks.