Music Education in the Time of COVID-19

Music education may never be the same. Blowing wind and brass instruments raises the risk of COVID transmission. Zoom and other virtual platforms do not allow for real-time synchronization so people can play together. It is the time for reconsideration of the necessity and possibilities for music education. It is time to innovate the practices of music education.

I would like to propose a new approach to teaching music that would solve a myriad of social problems in this time of COVID and beyond.

The Cost of Social-Isolation

There is a tremendous burden on well-being for people who are socially isolated and experience loneliness. In a recent (2020) pre-COVID report by the National Academies Science, Engineering, and Medicine, they described these conditions as a “serious yet underappreciated public health risk.” Here are the key data points from their extensive report.

• Approximately 24% of Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated

  • (now with COVID, those numbers are extremely high);

• Social isolation has been associated with a significantly increased risk of premature mortality from all causes; 

• Social isolation has been associated with an approximately 50 percent increased risk of developing dementia; 

• Loneliness among heart failure patients has been associated with a nearly four times increased risk of death, 68 percent increased risk of hospitalization, and 57 percent increased risk of emergency department visits; and 

• Poor social relationships (characterized by social isolation or loneliness) have been associated with a 29 percent increased risk of incident coronary heart disease and a 32 percent increased risk of stroke.

Student-Elder Pairing

If you have read any of my works to date, you know that I think music is the answer to most of what ails us. I strongly believe that music education has a role in this public health crisis that has been exacerbated by COVID-19. 

Consider this scenario. Every high school music student is paired with an elder in their community. The Councils on Aging could work together with the high school guidance counselors and music educators to create and mentor these relationships. The high school students would interview their elder friends about their relationships with music. The questions would be brainstormed by the students, guided by the teachers.

What music did you like when you were my age?

What role did music have in your family?

What role does music have for you now?

What songs bring you comfort?

What songs do you find motivate you, give you energy?

What songs make you smile?

Discussions of music will create a natural bond between the two of them. The student then connects the song inventory of their elder friend to history by researching the background of the composers, performers and date of release. They would investigate major world events of that year noting who the leaders of the day were, what the trends in society were and how the music reflected those times. They would look at fashion, cars and architectural styles of the day. They could then use those images to create resources to share with their friend.

The students would be assigned say 4 songs to learn on their primary instrument. Two of those songs should be those that their elder friend enjoys. In subsequent meetings, they perform those songs for their elders. Perhaps they learn to use technology to arrange and orchestrate the songs. Some technology would allow the student to use the audio recordings plus images they collected about the context in which the songs were originally published. If the student is in an art class, they could look at other creative ways to represent the content.

The other song assignments would be related to music that makes them feel de-stressed and those that make them feel upbeat and energized. Beyond the songs they are learning on their instrument, they create playlists of music for these purposes. They then connect with conditioning principles from psychology and learn how to use the music to self-regulate their energy, emotions and focus for and away from school work.

Peer Mentoring

The high school students could also be paired with an elementary or middle school student. In this dyad, the high school student would be mentored to mentor the younger child. The older student would watch tutorials or webinars about constructs in neuroscience and music, music and cognition, and music and anthropology to advance their knowledge and consider how to bring this information in a developmentally appropriate way to their younger peer. 

After watching a music and cognition tutorial, they would be able to practice how to alternate studying and playing music to benefit both endeavors. They would then be able to help the younger peer learn how to take breaks by playing music that keeps their brain engaged and ready for the next academic lesson. By weaving the two activities together, the brain takes breaks from focused academic work but keeps attentional circuitry high. For example, a child can do 20 minutes of study, 5 minutes of scales, 25 minutes of study, 10 minutes work on a single song, and 30 minutes of work with a dance break. If a child leaves their desk work space and goes for food or social media, their attention spans will have to ramp back up to continue the academic schedule. With music, the engagement will keep their attentional circuitry humming. 

After watching a webinar on music and neuroscience, the older student can learn about scientific studies on how to optimally practice (spoiler alert - it is not more time!). The student then shares the information on how to practice in a developmentally appropriate way. They talk to them about how to practice and mentor them in doing so. They could each complete practice logs that they share at subsequent meetings. The elder student should be encouraging and helping to solve problems when practice has been low. 

The paired students would choose an artist to study who plays their instrument. The choices would be made by the music educators. They would listen to music together and categorize them as sedative or stimulating. This exploration of music would add to the playlists of music both students can use to relax with and energize with. By studying classification systems of music (e.g. Hevner) and emotions, the mentor could help the younger student learn adjectives related to emotions that enhance their social-emotional growth. 

The pair would learn to play a pop song that the younger child loves. The high schooler would transcribe it for the younger person to play and arrange it as a duet. This could be recorded by one or the other, sent to the second person who then video records themselves playing to the recording. This will be a duet in real time (something Zoom and Google can’t accommodate yet). This duet could also be shared with the elder whom the older child would introduce the younger child, thus expanding the social circle of the elder. 

All of the duets would be submitted for a virtual concert, attended by all students, family and the elders of the community. 

After studying a webinar on ‘why humans are musical,’ the older high school students would encourage and mentor the younger child finding objects in the house and in the yard that can be musical (either rhythmic or melodic or both). The younger child would organize their family members into a concert using these found objects with awards for the hippest beats, most imaginative instruments and having the most authentic fun.

The pair could continue their studies or consider why music is important by looking at a variety of films together. These resources could include the ‘Lady in Number 6’ connecting the autobiography of a musician to the Holocaust.

They could see the film clip from ‘Alive Inside’ that went viral showing a man who had been in a nursing home for 10 years, virtually non-interactive, light up when music was played for him. The pair could then consider how important it is to share music with the elder they are engaged with.

A Time for Innovation

Music education won’t look the same and perhaps changes can be made that connect and bind us, just as music has typically functioned in society for millennia. In this modern age, we can and perhaps should move from the silos of headphones and individualized music experiences back into relationships with others, especially those who are very much in need of meaningful connections.

Bibliography

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2020. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25663. 

Schubert, E. (2003). Update of the Hevner Adjective Checklist. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 96(3_suppl), 1117–1122. 

https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.2003.96.3c.1117