Date of Thesis

Spring 2024

Description

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore how music supports kindergarteners’ well-being in an elementary music classroom through the lens of PERMA, a framework for well-being developed by Martin Seligman. PERMA stands for positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. An additional goal was to see how applicable this framework was to kindergarteners. Accordingly, a five-week music program was developed and taught at a local elementary school. A typical elementary music curriculum was developed consisting of lessons that included a welcome song, a rhythm activity, a musical storybook, the sequential learning of a song, and a goodbye song. Music instruction was taught once a week for six weeks for approximately 20 minutes each. After each lesson, individual interviews with the students and two focus groups occurred. Additional sources of data included observation sheets, parent questionnaires, and teacher questionnaires. Findings revealed that positive emotions, engagement, and relationships were the most apparent PERMA elements. Meaning was found to be less applicable to this age group, while accomplishment was apparent but difficult for children to articulate. Movement was an important component to children’s engagement and interest in activities. These findings provide evidence that music plays a role in supporting the well-being of kindergartners.

Keywords

Music Education, Well-Being, Early Childhood Education, Positive Psychology, Flourishing

Access Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Type

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Music

Second Major

Psychology

First Advisor

Nicholas Roseth

Second Advisor

Haley Kragness

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