Runninghead:THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY1

TheEffectsofMusiconStudentswithAnxiety

by
LindsayBuckel

May2015

Apapersubmittedtothe
FacultyoftheMusicEducationPrograminthe
GraduateSchoolofEducation
UniversityatBuffalo,StateUniversityofNewYork
inpartialfulfillmentoftherequirements
forthecourse
LAI569:IntroductiontoresearchinMusicEducation

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

Growingandmaturityamongadolescentscanbringaboutvariouschangesand
challenges.Fromsocialstatusadjustmentstophysicaldevelopments,preteensandteenagersare
workingthroughtheirtransitionintoadulthood.Somestudentsfindithardertocopewithsuch
challenges,whileadjustingtoadulthoodwithissuessuchasdepression,
attentiondeficit/hyperactivitydisorder,Tourettessyndrome,andobsessivecompulsivedisorder
(AlSharbati,2012).Adisorderoftenoverlookedorundiagnosedinchildrenisanxiety.Surveys
indicatethat10to15percentofchildreninAmericameetthecriteriaforadiagnosedanxiety
disorder,makingitthemostcommonofpediatricemotionaldisorders(Foxman,2004).
Anxietycomesfrommanydifferentissuesinachildslife.Thingssuchasschool,
argumentswithsiblings,divorceandbullyingareonlyafewvariablesthatcouldcauseanxiety.
Unfortunately,anxietyisoftenmisdiagnosedasattentiondeficitdisorder.Thetreatmentforthat
involvesalotofstimulationandchange,whichistheoppositeofwhatananxiouschildneeds
(Nash,2001,p.1).Manyarequicktoofferprescriptionmedicationsasawaytotreatanxietybut
thereareotherpossibilitiesavailable.Findingawaytorelaxisapositiveandhealthyalternative
tomedication.Thingssuchasgoingforawalk,readingabookorlisteningtosoftmusicareall
optionstorelievestress(Foxman,2004).Musiccanhelpalleviatetensionsandfrustrations,
leadingtoadecreaseinselfawareness(Peretti&Swenson,1974).Conversely,forstudentswho
mayhaveheightenedsensoryawareness,musicclassesmayinfactincreaseanxiety.
Thepurposeofthisliteraturereviewistogaininsightintohowmusiceducationaidsin
therapeuticsupportforstudentswithanxietydisorder.Somespecificquestionsleadingthis
revieware:
1) Whatcausesanxietyinachild?

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

2) Howcaneducatorsaccommodatestudentswithanxietydisorder?
3) Whattechniquesandstrategiescanbeusedinthemusicclassroomforstudents
withanxietydisorder?
4) Howdoesmusicrelaxandhelpreducestressinchildren?
Methodology
Theresearchcollectedonthistopicwasmainlyretrievedfromelectronicdatabasesand
journalsfromtheUniversityatBuffaloandfromtheStateUniversityofNewYorkatFredonia.I
searchedwithkeywordssuchasanxietyinchildren,musictherapy,stress,andmusic
andanxiety.Thisprovidedmewithawidevarietyofinformationonhowanxietyfunctionsand
whattypesoftherapyareavailable.Asignificantamountofavailableliteratureindicatesthatthis
isanecessaryresearchtopic.
Whatcausesanxietyinachild?
Williams,J.J.,&Hill,P.D.(2012).HandbookfortheAssessmentofChildren'sBehaviours.
Hoboken,NJ,USA:WileyBlackwell.Retrievedfromhttp://www.ebrary.com
Williams&Hill(2012)includeachapteraboutanxietyinchildrenwhereinsightinto
possiblecausesareexplained.Theystatedthreedifferentcategoriesofanxiety,biological,
psychologicalandsocial.Atablewasgiven,providingmanysubcategorieswithinthesemain
three.Forbiologicalcauses,thereisthepossibilityofabadreactiontomedication,arespiratory
orcardiacissuesuchasasthma,oritispossibleforittobegenetic.Theheritabilityincreases
greatlyduringadolescence.Inrarefamiliesasinglegeneticdefectcausesanxietyinallcarriers,
sometimestogetherwithothersymptoms(Williams&Hill,2015,p.299).

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

Socialcausesareoftenwhatweseethemostaseducators.Theyincludebullyingand
otherissuesatschoolbutcanalsoincludefamilydiscord.Physiologicaltriggersarethingssuch
asdepressionormania,alearnedfearfromaparentorotherperson,cognitivedissonancesuch
asstrongreligiousbeliefs,orsexualabuse.Somechildrensaytheyareafraidinordertoget
parentalattentionorhugs,ortoavoidchallenges,dirtorexercise(Williams&Hill,2015,p.
299).Fromtheirresearch,theauthorsfoundthatanxietyhappensmainlyasadefence
mechanism.Itisdescribedasselfdeception,selfdistraction,ordistortingthesituation
(Williams&Hall,2015,p.303).Theyfoundthatitwasmostlyunconsciousreactionsandthat
theideaofadefensemechanismwasneglectedorignoredbyscientistsuntilrecently.Thisbook
isanexcellentresourceandprovidesbothstatisticalproofandbehavioralobservationstosupport
thefindingsstated.Theideasprovidedinthisworksupportedmyotherliteraturewhich
sometimeswasnotacademicbutconsistedofmainlyinterviewsandobservations.
DiTomasso,R.A.,&Gosch,E.A.(Eds.).(2007).AnxietyDisorders:APractitioner'sGuideto
ComparativeTreatments.NewYork,NY,USA:SpringerPublishingCompany.
Retrieved
fromhttp://www.ebrary.com
DiTomasso&Gosch(2007)providedmanyreasonsfortheonsetofanxiety.They
suggestedthattherewerethreetypesofexperiencesthatcouldpossiblycausethedisorder.First
aredirectexperiencessuchasseeingsomeoneviolentlyillorbeingattackedbyananimal.
Apprehensionandanticipationwhenthesituationisrecreatedinanywaycantriggerpanic.A
vicariousexperienceiswhentheanxietyislearnedfromsomeoneorsomethingelse.Seeing
anotherstudentbeingbulliedwillcreatestressandanxietywheneverthatchildseesthebully

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

again.Thelastexperienceisinformationalexperience.DiTomasso&Gosch(2007)continued
withthebullyexample.Ifastudentisnewatschoolandsomeonetellshimtoavoidthisone
particularstudentbecausetheyareabully,thiswillcauseanxietywheneverthebullyisnear.
Althoughanxietycanbetemporary,theauthorsstressedthatitcanalsobecreatedovertimeand
thatitisveryindividualized.Theunderlyingprocessfortheirtransmissionislearning,a
relativelypermanentchangeinbehaviorasaresultoftheindividualthatisnotattributedtoother
temporarycausesincludingmotivation,fatigue,drugs,ormaturation(DiTomasso&Gosch,
2007,p.7).
Althoughthisbookdoesnotpertainspecificallytochildren,theinformationis
transferabletothatagegroup.Theauthorscontinuedontoexaminedifferentcasesand
treatmentsortherapymethodsthatcouldbeusedtoreducetheeffectsofanxietydisorder.Itis
clearthatthoroughresearchwasdoneduringthewritingofthisworkanditisanexcellent
resource.Comparinganxietyinachildtoanxietyinanadultwouldhavebeenhelpfuland
informative.Ihavepersonallyheardpeoplesaythatchildrendonothaveenoughexperiencesin
theirlivestohaveanxietybutIfeelthisisuntrue.Iveoftenwonderedifchildrenaremore
sensitivetosituationswhichcausesanxietyorpanic.Thiswouldbeaninterestingtopicof
researchatanothertime.
Howcaneducatorsreducestudentanxietyintheirclassroom?
Cowden,P.A.(2010).Socialanxietyinchildrenwithdisabilities.
JournalofInstructional
Psychology
,37(4),301.RetrievedApril2,2015,fromEBSCOHost.
Cowden(2010)statedthatsocialanxietyisaveryrealpartofachildslife.Heexplained
boththecharacteristicsandwaysthatweaseducatorscanhelpputthesestudentsateaseinour

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

classrooms.Severalsignsareprovidedthatwecanwatchforsuchasbeingshy,aloof,or
disinterested.Oftentimes,thebeginningoftheschoolyearisthehardesttime,wherethechildis
inanewandunknownenvironmentwithdifferentpeople.Differentdegreesofsocialanxietyare
explained.Itisnaturalforeveryonetofeelsomesortofsocialanxietyintheirlivesbutsome
haveaverysignificantfeelingoffearaboutfailinginfrontofpeople.Thesimplesituationof
workinginagroupwithotherstudentscouldbehabilitating.SocialAnxietyDisordervariesby
yourethnicbackgroundaswellasgender.Researchershavefoundthatwomenaremorelikelyto
besociallyanxiousthanmen(FactsAnxiety,2010).
Avoidanceisaverytypicalcharacteristicofsocialanxiety.Manypeoplearesoshythat
theygooutoftheirwaytoavoidsocialsituations.Cowden(2010)providedmultiplewaysweas
teacherscanhelpthesestudentfeelmorecomfortable.Thefirstistobeabletoidentifythe
studentsthatstruggleswiththisdisorder.Aretheyavoidingeyecontact?Dotheystutterwhen
theytalktoothers?Itisthenimportanttocreateanenvironmentwheretheyfeelcomfortable.
Alwaysstayingpositiveandsmilingisasimplewaytomakethemfeelatease.Studentsshould
notbepushedintosocialsituationsbutbegraduallyeasedintoworkingwithotherchildren.
Greatinsightwasprovidedinthisarticleregardingdifferentwayseducatorscanhelp
studentswithanxiety.Cowdendidfocusonstudentswithdisabilitieshavingsocialanxietybut
thisstillprovideshelpfulinformationforallstudents.Thearticleiswellwrittenandprovides
manyusefulreferencesandstudies.Thepurposeofitistoprovideteacherswiththeknowledge
ofhowtoidentifyandworkwithstudentswithsocialanxietydisorder.Still,thearticledidnot
gointoenoughdetailastowhatmethodscanbeusedtoworkwithchildrenwithanxiety
disorder.Thereferencesusedinthisarticlewillhelpmefurtherinmyexploration.

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

Tomb,M.,&Hunter,L.(2004).Preventionofanxietyinchildrenandadolescentsina
schoolsetting:theroleofschoolbasedpractitioners.
Children&Schools,
26(2),87101.
Tomb&Hunter(2004)usedthisarticletotalkaboutwhatweasteacherscoulddoto
assiststudentsstrugglingwithanxiety.Itwasstressedthatpreventionwaskeytoassistingthese
students.Athreetieredmodelwasprovidedtoexplainpreventativeintervention.Thefirsttier
wascalledtheuniversallevel.Thiswaspreventionforanentiregroupsuchasanentireschool
district.Thisgroupingwasnotmeantforstudentswithindividualriskanditwasrecommended
thattheinterventionshouldbepositiveandproactive.Thegoodthingaboutthislevelisthatyou
couldavoidstigmatizingindividualsandtheinterventioncouldbeeasilyincorporatedinany
environment.Thesecondtierwastheselectedlevel.Thisleveltargetedindividualsorsubgroups
withbiologicalorsocialriskfactors.Thesegroupswouldincludethosewhowereathighriskfor
developingamentalhealthdisorder.Thelastlevelwasthetargetedlevelwhichconsistedof
individualswhoshowedsignsorsymptomsofmentalhealthissuesearlyonbuthadnotbeen
diagnosed.
Therestofthearticleexplaineddifferentgroupsandclubsthathadbeenformedin
differentschooldistrictswhosefocuswasprovidingsupportforthesestudentsinthedifferent
tiers.OnegroupthatassistedatallofthethreetierswasReady...Set...R.E.L.A.X.Thisgroupwas
explainedasapreventativesystemforelementarystudents.Thesessionsincludedtechniques
suchasmusclerelaxation,activeimagination,selftalk,andtheuseofmusictopromote
selfesteem.Whenresearchwasdoneusingthisprogram,itconsistedofthefollowing
components:

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

a.aneducationalinserviceprogramheldseparatelyfortheparentsofthesubjects,
teachingstaffandstudentsb.theprincipalreadingtheoriginalrelaxationandsuccess
imageryscriptsovertheintercomwithfollowupdiscussionledbytheclassroomteacher
c.relaxingmusicandaquietreadingtimeondaysscriptswerenotread.(Klein,n.d.,p.4)
PreandposttestingofthisresearchwasdonewiththeRevisedChildrensManifestAnxiety
Scale(RCMAS),theMetropolitanAchievementTest(MAT),andtheDepressionInventoryfor
ChildrenandAdults.Theresearchfoundsolidevidencethatthismethodmadeasignificant
difference.TheideaofpreventionissomethingIdontfeelmanyeducatorsthinkabout.The
focusisoftenondealingwithanxietyafterithasalreadystarted.Ifoundtheprogram
Ready...Set...R.E.L.A.X.tobeextremelyinterestingandIplanonusingpartsofitinmy
classroom.

Whattechniquesandstrategiescanbeusedinthemusicclassroomforstudentswith
anxietydisorder?
Goldbeck,L.(2012).Arandomizedcontrolledtrialofmultimodalmusictherapyforchildren
withanxietydisorders.
Journalofmusictherapy
,49(4),2012,395413.RetrievedApril
8,2015from
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.gate.lib.buffalo.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=867dae2c
eded49858bf3867f57281c2c%40sessionmgr4005&vid=1&hid=4210
ThispilotstudybyGoldbeck(2012)proposedthatmultimodalmusictherapycouldhave
adifferentaffectonchildrenwithadiagnosedanxietydisorderthantypicaltreatments.36

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

childrenbetweentheagesofeightandtwelvewithadiagnosedanxietydisorderweregiventhree
individualmusictherapysessionsof60minuteseachandninesessionsofgrouptherapythat
were100minuteseach.Thesesessionsincludedrandomlyassignedmusictherapymethods
includingstructuredimprovisationalplay,animalpuppets,drawings,grouprhythmexploration
withdrumsandlearningtoexpressemotionsthroughmusic.Alongwiththisaddedmusic
therapycomponent,studentsparticipatedinregulartherapysessions.
TheresultswereassessedusingtheScheduleforAffectiveDisordersandSchizophrenia
forSchoolageChildrenPresentandLifetimeversion(KIDDIESADS)(Goldbeck,2012,p.
403).Aremissionoftheanxietydisorderwasviewedin12participants(67%).Whenbroken
downintosubcategories,showedthatfivechildrenwithgeneralizedanxietydisorder,four
childrenwithsocialphobia,andthreechildrenwithspecificphobiahadaremissionafter
treatment.Parentreportedsymptomsofqualityoflifeseemedtoimproveaswell(Goldbeck,
2012,p.407).ComparedtoTAU,theposttreatmentremissionrateintheMMTgroupwas
significantlyhigher(67%vs.33%,
p=
0.46)andremissionofanxietydisordersforMMT
participantsandforTAUparticipantspersisteduntilthefollowupassessmentfourmonthsafter
theendoftreatment(Goldbeck,2012,p.408).Overall,thestudyshowedthatselfreportedand
parentreportedanxietysymptomsaswellasqualityoflifeimprovedbetweenthepreand
posttreatmenthowever,therewasnosuperioritybetweenMMTandTAU.
Thispilotstudywasexcellentforthebeginningofresearchinthisarea.Therewere
limitationssuchasobservingthedifferencesbetweendifferenttypesofanxietyandnarrowing
downtheagerangebuttheinitialresearchshowedthatthereispotentialinthisfieldofstudy.A

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

10

detailedlistofthemultimodalmusictherapymethodswouldhavebeenhelpfultowardsthe
purposeofthisliteraturereview.
Detmer,M.R.(2010).
EffectofOrffbasedmusicinterventionsonstateanxietyofmusic
therapystudents
(p.64).Kansas:UniversityofKansas.
Detmers(2010)inthisstudywastoseeifOrffbasedmusictherapycouldaffectstate
anxietyincollegeagedstudents.Stateanxietycanbedefinedasfear,nervousness,ordiscomfort.
Stateanxietycancontributetoadegreeofphysicalandmentalparalysis,preventing
performanceofataskorwhereperformanceisseverelyaffected...i.e.pressuresituations
(PDHPE,2015)ItwasarguedinthisthesisthattheOrffSchulwerkapproachhadmanyelements
toreducethistypeofanxiety.Theseincludedtheideasthateveryonecouldparticipate,you
couldadjustinstrumentsandtechniquetosuiteverylevel,itisamultisensoryapproachandthe
focusisontheprocess,nottheproduct.Detmer(2010)observed32participantsbothgraduate
andundergraduatemusictherapystudentsfromalargeMidwesternuniversity.Eachparticipant
wasgiventhe
SpielbergerStateTraitAnxietyInventory(
STAI)(Detmer,2010,p.34)bothpre
andposttreatment.Theparticipantswererandomlyassignedintotwogroups.Thefirstgroup
wentintoaroomindividuallyandparticipatedinbreathingexercises,cuedbysteadyrhythmson
thebassbars.Thesecondgroupwereplayedasteadyrhythmonthebassbarsandweretoldto
freelyimproviseontheirownbarinstruments.
Thestudyfoundthatbothgroupshadareductioninanxiety,measuredbytheSTAIbut
therewasnosignificantdifferencebetweengrouponeandgrouptwo.Informalobservationsby
theresearcherfoundthatwhenstudentsenteredthestudyarea,theystatedfeelingsofextreme
anxiety,feelingnauseatedandnotsleeping.Afterthetrial,thesestudentsshowedamorerelaxed

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

11

nature,indicatedintheirspeakingvoice,moodandphysicalstillness(Detmer,2010,p.41).Off
instrumentsareareadilyavailableresourceinmanyclassrooms.Thisthesisprovidesexcellent
insightintohowweasmusicteacherscanusethisresourcetoassistourstudentsinreducing
anxietyduringtimessuchasstatetestingorsocialissues.
Howdoesmusicrelaxandhelpreducestressinchildren?
Nilsson,U.(2008).TheAnxietyAndPainReducingEffectsOfMusicInterventions:A
SystematicReview.
AORN,

87
,780807.RetrievedMarch28,2015,from
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.gate.lib.buffalo.edu/ehost/refresults?sid=4f0335fd702f49e
d9159da2a74f1a897%40sessionmgr198&vid=5&hid=119
Thepurposeofthisstudywastodetermineifmusiccouldbeusedastherapytoreduce
anxietyandpain.Thecommonlyacceptedtheoryexplainingthepain,anxiety,and
stressreducingeffectsofmusicisthatmusicactsasadistractor,focusingthepatientsattention
awayfromnegativestimulitosomethingpleasantandencouraging(Nilsson,2008).Theauthor
tookatotalof42differentstudiesandwroteadiscussiononthefindingsoftheliterature.The
articlesreviewedincludedthemeasureofvitalsignsandtheuseofthevisualanalogscaleto
measurepain.Therewereviewsonusingmusicinterventionspostoperatively,preoperatively
andintraoperativelyandallstylesofmusicwasused.Validityandreliabilitywasmeasuredfor
eachworkandwasgivenascoreof1to9.
Inthediscussionsection,Nilsson(2008)statedthatapproximately50%ofthestudies
showedthatmusicinterventioncouldhaveaneffectonreducingpainandanxietyinpatients.
Thiswasindicatedbysuchthingsasreductioninbloodpressure,respiratoryrate,heartrate,and
reducedbloodcortisollevels.Eachofthesemeasurementsalsoshowedarelationshiptothe

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

12

tempoofthemusicplayed.Adversely,wheninsomestudies,minutesofsilencewere
interspersedintheexperiment,therewasadecreaseinheartrate,bloodpressureandrespiratory
rate.Perhapsmusicfunctionsasmoreofadrivinginput,andtherefore,theeffectsofmusic
withaslowertempoonapatientsvitalsignsareminor(Nilsson,2008).
Whendiscussingwhethermusiccanreduceanxietyornot,Ioftenthinkofitasamedical
conversation.Eventhoughitcanaffectusphysically,itwasgoodtoreadthisarticleasa
differentviewpointwithmusicasadistractionorafocus.Itsuggestedthatmusicmaynottake
awaypainandanxietybutitallowsustocopewithit.
Peretti,P.,&Swenson,K.(1974).Effectsofmusiconanxietyasdeterminedbyphysiological
skinresponses.
JournalofResearchinMusicEducation,

22
(4),278283.Retrieved
March27,2015,fromJSTOR.
PerettiandSwenson(1974)examinedhowmusiccouldcauseorreduceanxietyby
measuringskinresponses.Theyselectedfiftymaleandfiftyfemalemusicmajorsatrandomfrom
thestudentbodyatNorthParkCollege.Anadditionalgroupoffiftymaleandfiftyfemalenon
musicmajorswereselectedatrandomfromthesamecollege.Thesetwotreatmentgroupswere
testedtoseeifmusichadaneffectonanxiety.Thestudentswereplacedindividuallyina
soundproofpracticeroomandgivenapencilmazewhichtheyhadtocompletewhilewearinga
setofblindfoldgoggles.Everytimetheycompletedthemaze,theyweretolditwasincorrectand
todoitagain.Thiscontinueduntilanxietylevelsrose,measuredbyaGSRapparatus.Oncethe
GSRstabilized,thescorewasrecorded.Studentswerethenplacedinthesamesituationbutthis
time,withmusicplaying.AdecreaseinGSRresponseoccurredandonceitstabilized,was
recorded.

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

13

PerettiandSwenson(1974)concludedthatmusiccoulddecreaseanxiety.Theyfound
thatitaffectedmusicmajorsmorethannonmusicmajorsandfemalesmorethanmales.Itwas
concludedthatbecauseoftheirpriormusicaltraining,musicmajorsweremoresensitivetowhat
wasbeingplayedandcouldalreadyusemusicasanoutletforanxietyandstressintheirpersonal
lives.IwouldliketohaveknownwhyNorthParkCollegewaschosenastheonlyplaceforthis
experiment.Ifthiswasaprivatecollege,itcouldhavebeenbeneficialtoseetheresponsefrom
studentsatastateschool.Also,otherageswouldhavebeenimportanttoincludeinthisstudy.
Mucholderparticipantsandmuchyoungercouldhavegiventhestudymorevalidity.Ifoundit
interestingthattheydecidedtomeasureanxietybyfocusingonaperson'sphysiologicalskin
response.Thiswasabletopreventbiasandopinionsfromaffectingtheoutcome.Thisarticle
relatesdirectlytooneofmyquestions.TheonlydifferenceisthatIamfocusingonayounger
agegroup.Itwillstillassistmebecauseashumansweallrespondsimilarlynomatterwhatour
age.Ifthisstudywasrecreatedforayoungergroup,itmightproducesimilarresults.
Conclusion
Asstatedpreviously,thepurposeofthisliteraturereviewwastogaininsightintohow
musiceducationaidedintherapeuticsupportforstudentswithanxietydisorder.ThequestionsI
addressedwere:
1) Whatcausesanxietyinachild?
2) Howcaneducatorsaccommodatestudentswithanxietydisorder?
3)Whattechniquesandstrategiescanbeusedinthemusicclassroomfor
studentswithanxietydisorder?
4)Howdoesmusicrelaxandhelpreducestressinchildren?

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

14

AnxietyinchildrenisquitecommonaccordingtoalltheliteratureIused(
Williams&
Hill(2012)DiTomasso,R.A.,&Gosch,E.A.(2007).Thecausesoftheseissueswere
numerousandseemedtobeneverending.Everythingfromfamilylife,socialissues,povertyora
medicalconditionwereincluded.Manyvariablesneedtobetakenintoaccountsuchasgenetics
andsocioeconomics.IalwaysknewthatanxietycouldcomefrommanyvenuesbutInever
understoodtheextent.ManyoftheissuessomechildrendealwiththatIhaveneverexperienced
didnotcrossmymind.Thingslikehavingasthmaorasickfamilymembercandisruptachilds
lifeandcausestressandanxiousfeelings.Sometimesthatanxietywillalwaysbeastruggleand
sometimesitwillfadewhenthesituationchanges.
Weaseducatorsneedtobeabletoidentifywhatcausesanxietyandthedifferenttypes.
BothCowden(2010)andTomb&Hunter(2004)
explainhowimportantitistoidentifywhat
studentshaveanxietydisordersandwhatwecandotopreventfurtherissues.Iagreewitheach
articleandtherecommendationstheauthorsmadebutthereismorewecandothatIhavenotice
inpersonalexperience.Withthewaymyanxietywas,IneededtokeepbusysothatIcouldnt
thinkaboutwhatwasmakingmefearful.Sittingandtakingnotesforawholeclassallowedmy
mindtowanderandtoworry.KeepinglessonsengagingandupbeatIfindisimportant.Another
aspectIthinkneededtobeincludedwascontactwithparents.Itwasmentionedinpassinginthe
literatureIreviewedbutIreallyfeelthisisanimportantpartthatyoutalkwithparentsabout
whatisgoingonathome,sharingwhatyouareseeingatschoolandworkingtogethertocreate
anenvironmentthathelpsstudentstocope.
Thatsafeenvironmentcanbecreatedinamusicclassroomaccordingtostudiesinmusic
therapy(Detmer,2010Goldbeck,2012).Providingwaysofexpressiontostudentsduringclass

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

15

timecanbeanoutletforthem.Makingmusicingeneralisaprovenstressrelief(Goldebeck,
2012).Thingslikerhythmexplorationondrumsorplayingorffinstrumentsandimprovisingcan
causeadecreaseinanxiety,measuredbybothscientificmethodsandbyinformalobservations.I
feelthatthisisexcellentespeciallyforyoungerstudents.Ihavepersonallyfoundthatexploration
andplayprovidesagreatcreativeoutlet.Forolderstudents,Ithinkitwillbethesameconcept
butadifferentapproach.Orffinstrumentationwouldbedifficulttomakeinterestingforolder
students,especiallymiddleschool.Progressingtothingslikekeyboardorguitarmightbeagood
transitiontotheolderstudents.
Ioftenseestudentscopingwiththeiranxietyandstressbylisteningtomusic.Inthetwo
studiesIreviewedonthisquestion,physicalmeasurementsweretakentodeterminetheanxiety
level.Alltypesofmusicwasusedanditwasdeterminedthatyes,musiccouldbeusedtoreduce
anxietybutindifferentways.Musicwasusedmoreasadistractionorafocustotakethemind
offofwhateverwascausingthestress.Bothstudieswereinterestingandvaluablebutneitherone
identifiedthedifferenceifthesubjectenjoyedthemusictheywerelisteningtooorifitwasjust
pickedrandomly.Ibelievethatlisteningtomusicthatmaysoundsoothingbutisnotprefered
willnotcreatethedesiredresults.Evenifthemusicisupbeatandloud,ifitisenjoyableforthe
participantthenitcanassistinrelaxation.
Recommendationsforfutureresearch
Moreresearchonthistopicisnecessary.Itwasextremelydifficultformetofindboth
qualitativeandquantitativeliteraturetoanswerthequestionsthatIposed.Ithinkmoreofa
focusondifferentagegroupswouldbebeneficial.Itwasdifficultformetofindtrialsthat
involvedschoolagechildren,especiallymiddleorhighschool.Forthatagegroup,statetesting,

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

16

socialsituationsandhormonesaretakingoverandwefindthatstudentsaremorestressedand
anxiousnowthantheyusedtobe.Exploringthedifferencesbetweentypesofinstruments,
writingversusanalyzingandlisteningtopreferredmusiccomparedtowesternclassicalmusic
wouldalsoprovidesomevaluableresults.ThegroundworkhasbeenlaidandnowIthink
branchingoutandexploringdifferentmethodsandideasiswhatisnext.
Reflection
Iamveryexcitedtoimplementmanyoftheseideasintomyownteaching.Ihavemany
studentswhoareshyandreservedandthisliteraturereviewhasopenedmyeyestowhatmight
reallybegoingon.Therearealsostudentsinmyclasswhogiveuponthingsveryeasilyormake
excusestogetoutofthings.Ineverrealizedthatanxietycanshowinsomanydifferentforms.
ManyofthemethodssuggestedforworkingwiththesestudentsareonesIamgoingto
implementrightawaybecausestudentsaregoingthroughstatetestingatthistime.Workingon
mysixthgradelessonplans,Ihaveincorporatedmoreexplorationandimprovisationaswellas
usingmoremusicthatthestudentsprefer.IlookforwardtonextyearwhenIcancarefullyadjust
mycurriculumtoaccommodatethosespecificstudentswhoarestruggling.Ialsoplantobemore
incontactwithparentssothatIcanunderstandtheentiresituationthatthechildisdealingwith
sothatIcanmakemoreeducateddecisions.ReprimandingsometimesdoesntworksoIam
goingtoadjusttopositivereinforcementandwillhopefullyseeadifference.Personallyknowing
whatitisliketodealwithanxiety,IfeelthatIhaveabetterabilitytoworkwiththesestudentsto
createanenvironmentwheretheycanbehappyandsuccessful.

THEEFFECTSOFMUSICONSTUDENTSWITHANXIETY

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adolescents.
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Cowden,P.A.(2010).Socialanxietyinchildrenwithdisabilities.
JournalofInstructional
Psychology
,37(4),301.RetrievedApril2,2015,fromEBSCOHost.
Davis,W.,&Thaut,M.(1989).Theinfluenceofpreferredrelaxingmusiconmeasuresof
stateanxiety,relaxation,andphysiologicalresponses.
JournalofMusicTherapy,

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EffectofOrffbasedmusicinterventionsonstateanxietyofmusic
therapystudents
(Doctoraldissertation).RetrievedfromtheUniversityofKansas.
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ComparativeTreatments.NewYork,NY,USA:SpringerPublishingCompany.
Retrieved
fromhttp://www.ebrary.com
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