Promoting Flourishing in Schools | Page 8

Music and arts

Sevenoaks School Lower School students singing in harmony .
Music , drama , and art in schools have the potential to support many facets of student wellbeing . Participation in these creative programmes has been linked to increased social connections , the development of character skills , higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction , and improved mental and physical health .
Arts programmes offer an opportunity for students to strengthen social bonds with their fellow classmates . Meaningful connection and collaboration among peers has been found to grow over time through group art projects , such as creating an opera .

Group music making can break down barriers , with one study reporting a significant decrease in victimisation of autistic students after students participated in a music programme together .

In one study , researchers also found fewer peer relationship problems among students aged 8-10 years old who participated in performance art or music together . Social gains may have the potential to be lasting as well , as an experimental study on an arts intervention demonstrated that students made gains in prosocial attitudes toward outgroups that persisted for six months after the intervention .
There is evidence to suggest that arts and music programmes may support student mental and physical health as well . In one study , students reported that active involvement in ensemble music provided a relaxation outlet during demanding study periods .
Student choral singers have reported both mental and physical health benefits of singing together . Indeed , choral students have been found to have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and higher levels of key antibodies of the immune system after singing together .
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