Emotional Regulation in a Kindergarten Music Class

This research project looked at the effects of explicitly teaching social emotional skills by using lessons from the Second Step Curriculum in a kindergarten music class. The purpose was to see what impact using a social emotional curriculum in a music class would have on the emotional regulation of kindergarteners. The design of the study was qualitative ethnographic, with the researcher/music teacher taking an active role in the study. Three different categories emerged from the study, skills for learning, recognizing the emotions of others, and application of skills from the Second Step Curriculum. Three themes came from these categories. The first theme was teaching the skills for learning of how to focus, listen, use self-talk, and be assertive helped students regulate their behavior during music class. The second theme was students can recognize emotions of others and show care and concern through modeling activities and stories in Second Step Lessons. The third theme was students can apply the skills of how to be a good learner and how to recognize the feelings and emotions of themselves and others in real situations. The results of the study showed an increase in skills related to emotional regulation in kindergarten participants