Developing Social and Emotional Learning Skills through Secondary School Concert Bands

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the social and emotional skills of students through participation in secondary school concert bands. Using a qualitative approach, the study involved a focus group interview of 10-12 students who are section heads, and a semi-structured interview with the band director of each secondary school concert band that made it to the final round of competitions held in Thailand over the past five years. The result revealed that students exhibited strong self-learning capacities with respect to their social and emotional learning (SEL) skills in the following ways; a) self-awareness—they knew their strengths and weaknesses, knew how to improve themselves and were able to deal with their own feelings, b) self-management—they demonstrated effective management in their own practice routine, dealing and overcoming stress and pressure, c) social awareness—they empathised with and understood the perspectives of others and recognised their diverse backgrounds and cultures, d) relationship skills—they built strong relationships with other members, band directors and band alumni, negotiated conflict among other members and sought and offered help when necessary, and e) responsible decision making—they learned to make decisions responsibly and reasonably on behalf of their bands.