Musical Waypoints in Primary School

Abstract

Children’s and adolescents’ well-being has become an area of heightened concern recently, as national and international surveys have shown declining well-being indicators. Concurrently, researchers have increased focus on interrelations between art, culture, health, and well-being. Focusing on the influence of background music on young children’s well-being in classroom settings, the Musical Waypoints project combines artistic and scientific research methods. After creation of mindfully developed audiovisual artwork, we conducted a small-scale classroom investigation to explore whether the resulting “Quiet Music” enhanced children’s well-being more effectively compared to the relaxation YouTube videos used by teachers in their existing routines. Although teachers reported no behavioral differences between conditions, the children reported higher well-being ratings after “Quiet Music” with the strongest effects in grade 3. The project and its results are discussed in light of theoretical frameworks on resonance and aesthetic experiences, highlighting feasibility and implications for scalable music-based well-being interventions in schools.