Resilience in Music Education: Part I

David Hedgecoth

David Hedgecoth

Resilience is a word many find affirming and aspirational. Several authors offer a nuanced meaning of the term from, “adapting and persisting” (Holling, 1973), “[resilience is] … less an individual trait and more a quality of …social and physical ecology” (Ungar 2011), to resilience being “an agent of producing confidence and potential success” (Sameroff, 2010). The American Psychological Association defines resilience as: the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental or emotional challenges (American Psychology Association, 2024). The topic of resilience is present in numerous aspects of life.

On September 18, 2022, President Joe Biden declared the COVID health crisis over (60 Minutes interview, September 19, 2022). Although we know the acute health crisis has passed, the long term emotional, cultural, and behavioral impacts of the pandemic continue to reveal themselves in our classrooms. Teaching feels different. Students “are not the same” This is the new normal. Pedagogically, students seem behind and efforts to motivate and drive students to success are met non-engagement, or simply quitting altogether. How do music educators recalibrate our craft of teaching? Where do we find motivation when the interactions and transformational learning moments that reinforce us are no longer present? In an effort to gain understanding on this topic and give voice to what’s happening in our classrooms, I have spoken to teachers from across the State to learn how music educators are meeting these challenges and new opportunities. This is the first in a three-part series about resilience in music education. My thanks to Rob Cebriak (Gahanna Schools) Phil Nagy (Hilliard Schools), and Beth Hankins (Lakewood City Schools) for sharing their perspectives and allowing me to link their narratives to develop the themes below for the first installment of this series.

Success in 2019 is not success in 2025.

We know life and schools are different, so we always strive to be in discovery mode – no need to stall in negativity, so how do we get better? What do we see happening in the class, both in the moment and over time? What do we address immediately in small ways and how do we strategize in larger, long-term ways? There were so many curricular and social factors we took for granted – we see now we can’t do this anymore. After COVID, there is no established playbook. We are revising as we go. This is new teaching. It is ok to relax and understand we are in a different place in the arc of learning and success.

The concept of “work” is different for students.

COVID presented an 18-month window (give or take) where progress seemed to stop. Our hand-held devices provided people with immediate gratification and escape from the stress of the pandemic. It is possible this escape carried over to prevent students from seeing work as something to engage in – but as something to avoid because it is stressful. We as teachers must remind students that the work is worth it. Further, we must model this behavior. We need to explain how we are going to support and guide student progress. Setting goals for practice might be understood for us, but new student mindsets require new approaches to reminding and reinforcing.

Discovery mode is required.

Knowing that student behaviors - social and musical - seem different now, a shift in mindset of educators can be helpful. Working in “discovery mode” allows us to both observe what’s happening and gather data on patterns. Formative assessment of how students (and teachers) improve has become a higher priority. Demonstrating particular skills are still essential, but demonstrating how to practice with thoughtful repetition is key. It is critical to state that “you will not do this correctly the first, or fifth time, so, think about the goal and strive for small steps toward the ideal.” Students need to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Building resilience requires a long-term strategy.

Teachers should show students the joy, success, and meaning of music making. Although with this, however, we should help cultivate within them an understanding that taking time to build good skills is, in fact, a good thing! Failure is a short-term learning moment that can lead to bigger success with the proper mindset. Progress in music class seems to move slower in some ways when compared to 2019, but we are reinforcing approaches that will lead to success long-term. There is joy in this approach.

A final note on this first installment of resilience in/and music education. The critical elements of socialization and community cannot be overstated. Bringing students together for group experiences and to learn from one another is even more important now than before the pandemic. Given the increasing reliance on handheld devices for communication and socialization, providing nurturing, authentic, and relevant music experiences for students should be at the heart of the music educator’s purpose and process.

American Psychology Association (2024). Resilience in American Psychology Association dictionary retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://dictionary.apa.org/resilience

Holling, C. S. (1973). Resilience and Stability of Ecological Systems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 4, 1–23. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2096802 Sameroff, A. J., & Rosenblum, K. L. (2006). Psychosocial constraints on the development of resilience. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1094, 116–124. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1376.010 “The Pandemic is Over.” 60 Minutes interview, September 18, 2022 S55, E1. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIQz0fsX38U Ungar M. (2011). The social ecology of resilience: addressing contextual and cultural ambiguity of a nascent construct. The American journal of orthopsychiatry, 81(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01067.x

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