Creating Emotional Intelligence Opportunities for General Music Students in the Keyboard Laboratory

Many educational research papers and government curriculum documents are calling for the inclusion of learning activities which promote student well-being through emotional and social learning. This paper explores the importance of fostering emotional intelligence in schools and in particular looks at a methodology specific to music education. Michael Griffin has designed a new modern keyboard course and delivers it to every Key Stage 3 student at Dubai British School. Using recent national music education research papers from the U.K and Australia for guidance, as well as the educational philosophies of Elliott, Gardner, Goleman and Csikszentmihalyi, the course has been particularly successful creating a great deal of enjoyment and satisfaction for both teacher and students. The keyboard course consists of achievement based challenges, incremental in complexity and contextual with relevant theoretical, aural and listening –response activities. The practical framework of the lessons increases students’ curiosity for musicianship, and hence provides a medium for the introduction of the more abstract theoretical and aural concepts. The result is multi-dimensional, wholebrain music learning experiences. Although the focus of the course is on developing musical skills and creativity, explicit procedures are in place to promote emotional intelligence skills based on Howard Gardner’s definitions of interpersonal intelligence and intrapersonal intelligence. One of the course features is in the assessment and evaluation techniques where students learn simple meta-cognitive approaches leading to selfevaluation and in turn peer-evaluation. The course also provides many opportunities for group work incorporating improvisation and performance. Action research following this course of instruction has been positive. In a survey of 100 students of which 62% had never played a keyboard prior to this course, 72% reported a growing interest in music and 45% were considering taking private lessons in the future. Being an achievement based course, it allows students to progress at their own rate. 91% of these middle-school students found the level of difficulty appropriate for them and 89% were pleased with their progress. The survey also collected data on non-musical skill acquisition. 73% reported improved concentration skills; 70% improved co-ordination; 70% are better at working alone and 67% improved their group work skills. 42% indicated a possibility that they had improved in other subject areas, although this piece of data was less specific. In conclusion this course fusion of social and emotional but always musical learning has been successful in this workplace and continues to develop with new learning materials, creative music challenges and stimuli from new technologies such as YouTube. For the students, they take increasing responsibilities for their learning, evaluation and assessment. Through enjoyable music learning, seeds are sewn for increased future musical participation and on the personal level an increase in self-esteem, self-growth and selfknowledge.