Music in Psychology - Essay Example

Name: Course: Lecturer: Institution: Date: Introduction Music education is integrally linked to general education initiatives, policies, culture, and society. Music as a component of students learning has faced several arguments in an attempt to connect its goals of learning with the present day priorities of education. Music educators find it hard to defend music program and the music teaching profession. Budget shrinking and political rhetoric have resulted in the false choice of subjects over the area of study. Music and art have not been appreciated as subjects that can provide meaningful ways of equipping individuals to lead a real life and understand the world. Music teachers have to take a firm stand and articulate advocate of the importance of music in a complete education of children. People need an opportunity to have a life enriched with active musical participations such as creating, performing and listening to music. Therefore, access to quality music education is still paramount in the education system. Lack of state-level policy regarding music education has also contributed to denying children access to quality music instructions. Citizens interested in music education are called upon to advocate for a certified well-prepared music teachers in every school so as to make a difference in music learning (Schippers 2009). Achieving Good Results in Music Teaching Students Surrounding Learning environment mostly affects students' ability to learn. This does not change music alone but the continuous learning. The environment affects students' emotions which contribute to effective or ineffective learning. Emotions are important in education because they drive attention, which in turn facilitates learning and memory. Emotional system is very complex and defines one's basic personality. Schools are supposed to focus more on a metacognitive behavior that would encourage students to share their feelings, listen to their classmates and other motivational persons. Music education has been affected drastically by both the public and government. It is viewed as a lesser subject compared to other topics. It is not valued as a matter that can contribute to the understanding of the world and equip one for a better future. In such an environment, students with a passion for music are more often demoralized and those who insist on doing it are viewed as weaker students. This affects the students' attitude and emotions towards music as a subject which makes it hard to achieve good results in music education. This also leads to emotional stress to these students who have a passion for music. Emotional stress makes the students have low self-esteem which reduces their ability to learn. Consequently, social interactions are vital for emotional support. Music students are faced with an environment that doesn't provide a platform for positive social interaction. Music teachers, parents and citizens who have an interest in music need to call for the inclusion of music in the education curriculum and advocate for it as an important subject as any other subject that can give one a better future. This will provide emotional support to students who take music and lead to achieving good results in music (Schippers 2009). Attitude and Perception Students' attitude and knowledge affect their learning proficiency. Attitudes and perceptions about learning climate and classroom task are critical. Effective teachers need to reinforce continually positive attitudes in their students so as to attain good results in teaching. The learning environment is supposed to offer students a feeling of acceptance. In music education, teachers have a bigger role in fostering their students' positive attitude and perception towards music. This is because music experiences a rationale that criticizes its' ability to give one a better future and open up his or her mind to a better understanding of the world. More emphasis has been put on other subjects, and fewer budgets have been allocated to the learning of music. Some institutions have ultimately not incorporated music into their learning programs. To help those students who are interested in this subject, that is not appreciated by many; teachers have to go an extra mile in motivating them. They need to help them feel equally important as their friends who take other subjects. The feeling of acceptance will then create positive attitudes and perceptions about music that will lead to the right results (Rugg 2013). Health and Body There exists a distinguished and diverse coalition in education and health. The health of an individual affects the state of the mind which in turn affects the learning process. Disadvantaged children face a greater challenge in accessing education because they need specialized learning equipment. The environment in which children are raised in mostly affects their health. Children develop health problems when they are put under poor care at a tender age. Those exposed to too much light such as watching televisions for longer period end up with a vision problem. Hearing problems arise when ear infections are not treated at an early stage and exposure to lead dust that destroys their cognitive behavior and functioning. Poor nutrition also affects academic performance especially if it is sustained. It causes iron deficiency anemia which affects one's cognitive ability. All these factors make it hard not only for music teachers but also for other teachers in achieving good results for their students. Music is primarily affected because accessing specialized learning equipment for these children is difficult. The resources allocated to music education are inadequate thus, cannot meet the needs of the students. Parents and caregivers are advised to ensure their children are in good health so that they can be able to achieve their dreams with ease. Music requires a lot of creativity which demands a healthy state of mind that depends on good health (Jones & Creedy 2008). Learning Tools and Structures Music educators put in place theories, structures and progression routes that best suit their young learners and not all young people. This has made it difficult to involve all young people in the vision of the music industry. It hinders flexibility in incorporating all young people in the provisions and delivery service of music educators. It is, therefore, important that young people should be viewed in their own right and each journey in music appreciated. This will create a feeling of acceptance that will make it possible to achieve good results in music teaching. Music educators should also be given right tools to teach. Most music teachers outside the classroom have trained only as musicians hence face a challenge of communication which hinders their delivery (Schippers 2009) Nurturing Skills and Talents Organizations dealing with professional arts should fully embrace and undertake innovative and high -quality delivery in music across all learning institutions. They should create large scale inspired musical projects in schools that will nurture skills and talents in young people. They should also establish a network of musicians that can mentor music students. This would help the students to explore their talents with the view of a better future thus achieving good results in music teaching (Schippers 2009). Education Curriculum Music should be incorporated into the education curriculum. Music teachers need to remain active and articulate for the value of incomplete music education. They should emphasize on the inclusion of music in the school curriculum. The public and the government generally still argue about the value of music in future lives of their young people. They view it as a subject that will not help one to understand the world and give them a better life. Citizens with an interest in education need to advocate for funding and inclusion of music in education curriculum (Schippers 2009). Psychotherapy and Psychopathology Psychotherapy refers to the treatment of mental or emotional illness by talking about the problem rather than using drugs or medicine. It focuses on helping an individual to heal and learn how to deal with problems and issues in their life more constructively. It is recommended when a person is grappling with life, specific mental health concern, work issues or relationship, causing a great deal of pain for a long duration. It is done by a specialist known as a psychotherapist. It involves sharing the pressing issues with a therapist with certainty to get a solution. Psychotherapists tend to focus more on problem-solving and are goal oriented. The goals are broken down into smaller attainable objectives and formed into a treatment plan that will help achieve them. Psychotherapy teaches individuals about their disorder and suggests ways in which they can effectively cope with the problem. Common types of psychotherapy include behavior, dialectical, cognitive, family, and group, interpersonal and psychodynamic therapy. In a successful therapy, a person is able and willing to alter aspects of his or life that aren't working and are contributing to the current problem or ongoing issues (Livingston 2014). On the other hand, psychopathology refers to the study of the mental and social disorder. It involves psychiatrists, neuroscientists and clinical psychologists who clinically treat mental illness, research into its origin, development and manifestations. Psychiatrists are more interested in describing the syndromes and symptoms of mental illness. Neuroscientist focuses on brain changes that are related to mental illness while clinical psychologists diagnose clear signs and symptoms of mental illness and how experiences and behavior can be grouped. Examples of mental illness include insomnia, clinical depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. In psychopathology, the diagnosis has three important dimensions. These include; emotional and thought social and behavioral dimensions. Emotional and thought dimension refers to reactions and internal landscape of an individual. In this case, mental illness occurs when one is unable to regulate problems with his or her thoughts and emotions. Social dimension deals with public relations and mental illness occur when there is a drastic change in one's social interactions. In behavioral dimension, individual’s actions are seen to be erratic, inactive or hyper-reactive. All these diagnoses are made to find out the symptoms, origin, and manifestation of a mental disorder (Mash & Barkley 2014). In both cases, psychotherapy and psychopathology deal with mental disorders. Although different approaches are used, they are all geared towards achieving a common goal which is a solution to mental illness. Psychopathology involves clinical diagnosis and treatment of mental illness while Psychotherapy involves talking out issues or problems interfering with the normal functioning of one's brains. Power of Situation The power of situation explores an attempt by psychologists to understand human behavior within a social context. It examines how behavior and belief can be manipulated and influenced by situational forces and other people. The behavior of an individual can be induced by the physical environment and the situations at hand. Studies indicate that even experienced and educated professionals make decisions altering life based on extraneous environmental factors that are not relevant to the case. This is a clear indication that people do not make decisions in isolation. Their moral behavior is not only influenced by their biological being but also the environment they live in. In the case of music teaching, student’s attitude towards music has significantly been affected by the environment they live in. People around them show little value for music. It is viewed as a subject that cannot help one explore the world and have a real life. This has made most students not to venture into music even when it is their talent. This eventually contributes to poor results in the teaching of music (Mash & Barkley 2014). Constructing Social Reality A constructing social reality is a program that looks at elements and processes of implementing reality. It explores the power of development of prejudice, Pygmalion effects, and cognitive control and how expectations affect human behaviors such as compliance and performance. Religion plays a significant role in this aspect. It is believed that religious beliefs can control the human mind. Understanding of different aspects of religion defines one's behavior. Other social groups that are, family, friends, and peers also influence individual behavior. In the case of teaching music, most students will keep off this subject because their parents, friends, and peers are not of the idea. Young people end up not exploring their talents and skills. This eventually contributes to poor results in music teaching (Jenkins 2011). Health, Mind, and Behavior Health, mind and behavior program explore the relationship between the mind, body and other psychological factors affecting the immune system and physical health. It also examines sources and consequences of stress. Beyond traditional biomedical approach to illness, the relationship between mind and body is imperative. The mind defines why people become sick, respond to the sickness and maintain or fail to maintain their health. Psychological factors also influence physical and brain functions and can adversely affect the immune system's ability to fight diseases. Music therapy can be used to provide a solution to mental illness. A psychotherapist can use it on their clients experiencing depression or those struggling with relationship issues (Jones & Creedy 2008). Cultural Psychology Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi (2014) define cultural psychology is the study of how behavioral and psychological tendencies are embodied and rooted in culture. It examines how culture contributes to central aspects of cultural values, self-identity and emerging issues of diversity. They indicate that it tends to unite anthropologist, linguistics, philosophers and psychologists to a common pursuit. Culture is a set of ideas that constructs meaning and coordinates actions in a group of people. It shapes individuals behavior and mind. Cultural psychology reveals most fundamental aspects of psychology. Its study indicates that the functioning of the mind is a product of social communities that people belong to. It recognizes human nature and different ways of being human. It also describes people as common products. A culture that impresses music will make a positive impact on music teaching. This is because if the music is incorporated into our culture, then most people will appreciate it as opposed to that culture that does not value music as Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi (2014) emphasize. Cognitive Neuroscience Cognitive Neuroscience is a scientific study of neural mechanisms underlying cognition as Rugg (2013) reports. It focuses on neural substrates of mental processes and their behavioral manifestations. Cognitive neuroscientists have a background in neurobiology, mathematics, neurology, psychology and physics. They apply cognitively with neural mechanisms in determining behavior and changes in brain dysfunctions. It combines perceptual and intelligent decisions revealing mechanisms of numerical comprehension and language production. Applying Psychology in Life Applying psychology in life involves innovative ways in which psychology is practically used in professions and situations. It helps in improving leadership skills, building motivation, enhancing good communication skills, good interpersonal relations, more accurate decision making, increased productivity, improved education performance and good health. Psychology, therefore, plays a significant role in human beings daily life. Impressing psychology in education will contribute to good performance in the teaching because it largely contributes to improved memory in students. This will also be of great importance to music teachers as it will help them achieve good results if they incorporate students' psychology in their delivery (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi 2014). Reference Jenkins M, 2011, Horse Sense or horse feathers: Does Equine-assisted psychotherapy reduces externalizing behavior in children and adolescents a meta-analysis of the current quantitative literature. Jones K., & Creedy G, 2008, health and human behaviour; Oxford University Press. Livingston W, 2014, motivational interviewing step by step–4 DVD box set (Institutional/Instructors version) Psychotherapy net with Cathy Cole and Ali Miller journal of Social Work, 14(1), pp.100-101. Mash E.J. and Barkley, R.A. eds., 2014 child psychopathology; Guilford publications. Rugg, M, D, 2013, Cognitive neuroscience; psychology Press. Schippers, H., 2009, facing the music: Shaping music education from a global perspective; Oxford University Press. Seligman M, E, & Csikszentmihalyi, M, 2014, positive psychology an introduction; Springer Netherlands. Read More