On Music and Mental Health —— A 2000-word paper Music Education and School Mental Health
Music is closely related to mental health, and mental health can be promoted through music education. Music can help individuals maintain their mental health by relaxing, expressing and releasing their emotions, establishing harmonious interpersonal relationships. There are still some obvious defects in domestic music education, such as paying too much attention to the educational function of music, not paying enough attention to extracurricular music activities, and the single curriculum and lack of changes, which all hinder the promotion of music education to mental health. In view of the importance of students' mental health and the close relationship between music and mental health, future music education should start with the above defects, promote the reform and development of music education and promote the development of students' mental health.
[Keywords:] Music Education Mental Health Measures
In recent years, the problem of school mental health has aroused widespread concern from the government and all walks of life in the country. The frequent occurrence of college students jumping off buildings makes it more urgent to maintain students' mental health. The state attaches great importance to school health education, and the Ministry of Education (2009) specially formulated the Guiding Outline of Health Education in Primary and Secondary Schools, which put forward five aspects of health education, and clearly pointed out that schools must strengthen mental health education to achieve the goal of mental health education for students at each stage. The Guiding Outline of Health Education in Primary and Secondary Schools points out that schools should carry out mental health education from various angles and levels through various forms and contents. Therefore, on the basis of existing mental health education courses, how to give full play to the function of music education and promote students' mental health through music education has gradually become one of the focuses of school education.
First, the positive impact of music on mental health
Music can promote individual mental health and relieve their negative emotions, which has been confirmed by many psychological studies. Shi Min and Yu Huimin (2000) proved that music can promote mental health through experiments. They let students participate in a one-year music education, including vocal music, instrumental music, music art appreciation, aesthetic education and other activities. The results show that these activities can obviously eliminate students' bad psychological state and promote their mental health. Wong et al. (200 1) also found that listening to music for 30 minutes can significantly reduce the state anxiety of individuals. Foreign psychologists Delucia and Gellman(2007) took music as an intervention method and found that music can greatly alleviate the anxiety and depression of children from divorced families, and this effect will last for three months after intervention.
Music has incomparable advantages in promoting children's mental health because of its own characteristics. Harter and Bardeen (1987) believe that it is difficult for children to identify and express two emotions that exist at the same time through language, which is very common in situations such as parents' divorce. Children will feel sad and relieved about their parents' divorce (most divorced families have many conflicts and contradictions before). Music can help children release this emotion that can't be expressed by words. Gladding(2005) believes that for children and adolescents, due to the lack of language and personality, nonverbal therapy is often better than? Talk therapy? More effective.
Second, the influence mechanism of music on mental health
The promotion of music to mental health has been generally recognized, so how does music affect individual mental health? Have the following views.
First of all, music makes people relax, thus promoting mental health. People's breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure and other physiological activities have a certain rhythm. When the rhythm of music matches these rhythms, people will relax (Saoerston, 1995). In modern society, many people are in a stressful life, so relaxation is of great benefit to mental health. But it is worth noting that not every kind of music can make people relax; Relaxing music should generally meet the following requirements: less than the rhythm of the heartbeat, the music rhythm changes little; Music can include strings, flutes, guitars and so on. , and the best is a beautiful concerto (Robb, Nichols, Rutan, Bishop,&; Parker, 1995). Music can also encourage individuals to secrete substances beneficial to relaxation, so as to promote mental health (Cao Li et al., 2000). Einstein, a famous physicist, relaxes himself through music.
Secondly, music promotes mental health by expressing and releasing individual repressed emotions (Zhan Wei, 2004). Music originated from human society for a long time, with the original purpose of expressing emotions and venting emotions; What's the music called? Emotional language? . Psychologists use psychoanalysis to explain how music promotes individual mental health (Zhou Shibin, Gong Zheng, 2007. They think the excitement of music will make them. Id？ Be content. ? Id？ It is primitive, instinctive and the most inaccessible part of personality. At the same time, it is powerful. It includes the sexual drive and survival drive of human instinct (Lin Chongde, 2002). When the needs of the id are not met, the individual will feel nervous and breed anxiety; The satisfaction I need can eliminate tension and make me happy. Psychologists also believe that the skills of music appreciation and praise can also be satisfied? Self? The needs of; ? Self? It belongs to the part of cognition, coordination and mastering social skills. Can music be produced through the blending of culture and aesthetics? Superego? Be satisfied; ? Superego? It represents the moral standard and direction of human life.
Third, music maintains mental health by promoting interpersonal relationships. Each of us lives in society, not in isolation. Personal health and society are inseparable. Zuo Bin (1994), a psychologist in China, believes that one of the mental health standards of China traditional culture is to have good interpersonal relationships. And pointed out:? People with mental health can always keep good contact with society and correctly know and understand others and society? . Because people live in social groups, they naturally tend to achieve harmony with others in society. Music art plays an aggregate role in communication and promotes interpersonal harmony. In daily life, some familiar songs, such as Emil Wakin Chau's friends and Jacky Cheung's wishes, always appear at large graduation parties or friends' farewell parties. These melodies can not only touch our hearts, but also promote the friendship between friends.
Third, specific measures to promote mental health through music education
First, focus on classroom activities, weaken the educational function and strengthen emotional expression. For a long time, China's music education has put too much emphasis on the educational function, but neglected the promotion of music education to mental health. Music records,? Happy people are saints, so they are happy; But it can be kind and touching, and change customs, so why did the late king teach it? . Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, music education has often been used to express patriotic feelings and revolutionary ideals, ignoring the personal demand for music and the satisfaction of music to personal feelings. In fact, as early as thousands of years ago, Xunzi noticed the satisfying effect of music on human emotions. He mentioned in the theory of music:? If the husband is happy, he will be happy, so happiness is inevitable. So, old friends can't help being unhappy? . Although the ancients have long noticed that music can meet emotional needs and promote mental health, it is a pity that this idea has not been taken seriously.
To weaken the educational function of music education and emphasize its role in emotional satisfaction, it is necessary to change the arrangement of teaching materials. It is a valuable attempt to reduce ideological content and introduce pop elements in music education. Pop music refers to all popular and popular music with the trend of the times and regional characteristics. Wang Zhenyu (2009) thinks that pop music should be introduced into middle school music education. Pop music is based on daily life experience, emphasizing self, easy to communicate and resonate, closely related to the times, and easy to understand. For middle school students who don't know much about music theory, it is easier to learn to sing or play. Contemporary middle school students are in an atmosphere of intense study and fierce competition. Pop music can express their inner tension and depression well.
Secondly, extracurricular activities should be supplemented to improve students' initiative and enthusiasm and meet their emotional needs. At present, the main form of music education is that students appreciate and discuss music in class. This form is necessary, but it can't fully meet the students' demand for music. On the premise of insisting on classroom activities, we can carry out various colorful extracurricular music activities, and we must break through the previous forms of extracurricular music activities. Previous extracurricular music activities include mass song teaching activities, singing competitions, special music appreciation lectures, comprehensive music competitions, concerts, school music clubs and so on. These traditional extracurricular music activities are relatively formal, and the students who participate in them have a strong sense of being restricted and cannot express and express their emotions well. Schools can guide students to carry out some informal themes and forms of extracurricular music activities. In the past, school singing competitions were closely related to the theme of revolutionary patriotism, such as the school singing competition in Red May and the singing competition in 12.9. Although it is instructive to carry out such activities, students can't express themselves well and express their emotions. In the future extracurricular music activities, we can relax the requirements for the theme and make students more active and enthusiastic. Schools only need less supervision and management, but they should not be too strict in subject matter. In addition, the school can also guide students to carry out some other forms of extracurricular music activities, such as karaoke competitions and self-organized bands. These forms are all students' favorite, which can make them show off their youth and release themselves, and are also beneficial to their mental health.
Third, the arrangement of courses and activities should be more targeted. At present, the courses and activities of music education are relatively simple, with little variability, without considering the occurrence of social events and the changes of social environment. When major social events occur, in order to reduce the negative impact of these events on mental health, some special music activities can be held to release individual emotions. For example, after the 5. 12 earthquake, CCTV held a benefit performance for disaster relief. On the one hand, it can raise money for the people in the disaster area, and on the other hand, it can release the sadness of the people in China. In foreign countries, the church also performs similar duties. When vicious social events occur, such as school shootings, people can seek comfort in religious music. Today, with the increasingly developed media, the influence of major social events on students is gradually increasing. After these events, the school can arrange corresponding music activities according to the specific situation to cope with the impact of such major events. In addition, music education and music therapy can also be combined. When students face some major personal events, such as parents' divorce and family members' death, teachers can arrange some special small-scale activities to help students cope with the crisis and tide over the difficulties.
References:
Delucia wacker, j.l. Gherman, R.A. (2007). EF? Difficulties in using music among divorced children: effects on anxiety, depression and irrational beliefs about divorce. Group dynamics: theory, research and practice, 1 1(4), 272 282.
[2]Gladding, S. T. (2005). Consultation as art: creative art in consultation (3rd edition. ). Alexandria, Virginia: American Consulting Association.
[3] Zhan Wei. Music appreciation and the cultivation of contemporary college students' mental health. Journal of Southwest University for Nationalities (Humanities and Social Sciences Edition), 2004,25 (9): 401-402.
[4] Zhou Shibin, Gong Zheng. Reading and analysis of foreign music education literature. Shanghai: Shanghai Music Publishing House, 2007.
[5] Cao Li waiting for "Music Pedagogy". Beijing: Capital Normal University Press.
[6] Shi Min, Yu Huimin. Research on the influence of music activities on teenagers' mental health. China School Hygiene, 2000,21(4): 293.
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