A Safe Place to Land: Music Classes as Havens for Anxious and Other Youth

Heather Lewis

Journal

The Canadian Music Educator

Year

2021

Volume

62

Issue

4

First Page

35

Last Page

40

Abstract

What characteristics of music classrooms, classes, and ensembles lead students to feel comfortable, safe, and accepted? In this paper, I seek to answer this question through an exploration of the research literature. Beginning with my own story, as a child with crippling anxiety, and leading into an overview of the struggles facing anxious and Other youth, the following themes are identified in the literature and framed through a personal lens. These themes include: (1) music's power to heal; (2) the teacher's influence in building safe spaces; (3) friendship and connectedness in music classes; and (4) music classes as communities and subcultures.

Music and Health Institute Terms

Adolescents; Anxiety; Community Music Experience; Mental Health; Recreative Music Methods; School Setting; ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Indexed Terms

Young adults; Students; Classrooms; Obsessive compulsive disorder; Anxiety disorders; Secondary schools; Mental health care; Learning; Subcultures; Society; Mental disorders; Music education

Study Type

Editorial, Opinions, Position Papers

Disciplines

Psychiatric and Mental Health

Document Type

Article

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