As COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease, more of us are starting to think about what we have learnt over this time and what kind of world we want to see when we get to the other side. The prevalence of mental health issues and the strain on services such as CAMHS have been at their limits for a long time, and feelings of stress and anxiety have only been heightened further for many children and teachers. With hopes that things can start to move forward now, the upcoming summer holidays could provide some much-needed space for everyone to reset and reconfigure how we think about and support mental health in education.
It has become clear that if we want to truly improve child mental health then a huge shift is required, but this sometimes feels impossible and can make people feel disempowered and disengaged. However, we can reframe this and recognise that supporting mental health is a collective responsibility, and that, alongside these larger systemic changes, sometimes the smallest actions are what make the most significant impact on people. I'm sure we can all think of a particular moment when somebody put in that little bit of effort or said something kind which made all the difference to us, and these moments should not be underestimated.
Music can translate the most complex, hard-to-reach experiences into an audible and accessible medium, and learning music can offer opportunities for building confidence and ownership for individuals and groups. Because of this, music teachers and practitioners often have a unique relationship with their students and are therefore well placed to offer wellbeing support, so it makes sense to maximise on this and make sure they are properly resourced and equipped to do this well. To move things along, here are a few suggestions for some practical next steps.
Start a conversation
Rather than the conventional ‘how are you?’, we could start to show genuine interest in our students by learning about who they are as people and how they experience different moments in their lives. If it is hard to start this conversation verbally, perhaps the music can act as a springboard. This could be done by asking students to explore feelings by playing a piece in different ways, or asking them what they visualise when they hear or play.
Place the student at the centre
It is important to not only acknowledge what students have to say about their thoughts and feelings, but to allow their own diverse personalities and perspectives to be nurtured so they can truly express themselves through their music. This might require some flexibility as to how we think about goals and what is the ‘right’ way to engage in music, but can really help to improve self-esteem and independence. If there are expectations from the larger education system that need to be met, then perhaps a compromise is needed to work towards both approaches. Perhaps allocating a portion of the lessons to focus on something that the student would like to work on, such as a songwriting project or improvisation, would create more balance.
Understand your own part
It is really important to know your own boundaries in terms of what you can and can't offer to students so that it feels safe for everyone involved. Make sure that you resource yourself to be able to support students effectively, and recognise when the support that is needed is out of your skill set and refer them on to the relevant person. It is essential to make self-care a priority and a regular part of your week so that you also have the emotional capacity to support others. If this is easily forgotten, try scheduling it in so that you have protected time to do something for yourself.
We all have the power to contribute to mental health on an individual and community level, and music is one of the most powerful ways of influencing that change, big or small. Let's take the societal changes that we are seeing as an opportunity to make a difference right now and in the long term.
