In Harmony Therapeutic Services works with school-aged children and adolescents in the Cleveland community and is uniquely trained to administer trauma-informed supports within music therapy services. While we support the academic goals of the students we treat, In Harmony also places particular emphasis on social and emotional learning (SEL).
The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) recently issued new education standards that address the “whole learner.” In 2017, a survey of school officials indicated that teachers, administrators, and service providers thought that social and emotional skills were essential to achieving academic excellence. A large body of evidence exists to support this theory and meta-analysis of current research also concludes that well-designed and well-implemented social and emotional instruction has long-term, positive impacts on academic performance, behavior, and attitudes.
The K-12 Social and Emotional Learning Standards (2019) help teachers and therapists foster specific skills in their students, which include:
In an article written by the Ohio Department of Education in June 2019, ODE cites research that supports the argument for well-designed and well-implemented social and emotional instruction. SEL increases academic performance, improves test scores, decreases drop-out rates, reduces truancy, increases prosocial behavior, and decreases emotional distress and anxiety in K-12 students.
Childhood trauma affects brain development, learning, and behavior. Trauma-informed schools aim to provide consistent, safe environments for their learners. These schools also work to address the anxiety and other trauma-related responses in their students through a range of interventions, including music therapy. When social-emotional learning and trauma-informed supports are combined, specific positive outcomes are seen in children who are survivors of trauma.
Examples of these positive outcomes include:
The Ohio Department of Education notes that when these outcomes occur and children move from a mental state full of stress to a calm mental state, they are then ready to learn. Read more about trauma-informed schools here.
In Harmony supports the administration of the new SEL standards through therapeutic music interventions. Examples of these interventions include singing, instrument playing, dancing, songwriting, lyric analysis, and guided meditation with music.
When analyzing the data from our sessions, In Harmony is proud to report positive outcomes in our students. Some of these outcomes are increased engagement, as evidenced by participation in interventions, and positive interactions with each other. In all of our groups in which this data is tracked and evaluated, we have seen a positive trend throughout the course of the school year.
With your continued support, In Harmony can continue and expand the work we are doing to improve the lives of the children and adolescents in our community.
