Five Books that Connect to Social and Emotional Learning skills for K-8 Students

Since the pandemic, I think it is safe to say that social and emotional learning (SEL) is on the brains of most music educators. Not only are we trying to teach our students music, but we are also trying to embed the life skills they will need to be successful outside of our classroom in as many of our lessons as possible. That’s not a bad thing, and certainly has been a major shift (I think, in the right direction) of where music education can play a role in “whole child” development. I’m here for it - and if you are general music specialist who feels the same, this post is for you!

As someone who provides workshops and other useful professional development for music teachers, I always get asked about my favorite resources. I love this question, because I know that this is what teachers are really looking for—not just the “dictionary” presentations about what SEL is, but more along the lines of “how can I do this effectively and efficiently on top of everything else I have to do?”

As with everything I do, I write it with the teachers in mind. If I have some nuggets or resources that are not relevant and useful for teachers, I just don’t share it. That’s a time-waster, and who has time for that?!? In the SEL workshops that I provide, I love highlighting the following books as a wonderful way to connect literacy to music and SEL (which, in my opinion, is the ultimate win-win!). These books will not waste your time. You will reach for them time and time again. So…here they are! Let me know what you think. Of course, if there is something you’d like me to highlight that’s not here. Send it my way! 

One quick thing about what I’ll share below: SEL is most effective in the music classroom when we directly “spell it out” for students. Many folks think it’s naturally-embedded, and this is true. But below, I will not focus on the musical aspects so much as the guiding questions that I would pose students to get them into the SEL mindset. These are just recommendations. As with everything, tweak to meet the needs of your students and context. Context should drive everything. Have fun with it!

                                               Jabari Jumps - by Gaia Cornwall 

Grade level: Kindergarten/1st grade

SEL topics: Self-efficacy, solving problems, goal setting, teamwork

Music learning topics: Vocal exploration, sounds exploration, found sounds, pitch

SEL questions to pose to students:

• Why do you think that Jabari waited so long to jump off the diving board?

• How do you think Jabari felt when he did jump off the diving board?

• What are some things that make you nervous or scared?

• Have you ever been afraid to do something? What did you decide to do? How did you feel afterwards?

                                               Jabari Tries - by Gaia Cornwall 

Grade level: Kindergarten/1st grade

SEL topics: Self-efficacy, solving problems, goal setting, teamwork

Music learning topics: Vocal exploration, sounds exploration, found sounds, pitch

SEL questions to pose to students:

• Was there ever a time where you had to keep trying to achieve something? How did you solve the problem?

• What things did Jabari try that did not work for him? What did he do at the end that finally worked?

• What would you do if you were Jabari in this situation?

                                     The Book of Mistakes - by Corianna Luyken

Grade level: 4th and 5th grade

SEL topic: Learning from mistakes, overcoming fears, self-efficacy, growth mindset

Music topics: Exploring improvisation, 12-bar blues, taking musical risks

Art topics: Mistakes through all art, revisit old work/old drafts – turn them into something great

SEL questions to pose to students:

• In what ways do you think the artist's picture changes were a mistake?

• How were they mistakes? In what ways were they not?

• Do you think a lot of people are scared of making mistakes? Are you? Why?

• Have you ever used a mistake that made to create something new? 

                                   Building an Orchestra of Hope - by Carmen Oliver

Grade level: 4th to 6th grade

SEL topic: Solving problems, analyzing situations, self-motivation, goal setting, social engagement

Music topics: instrument timbre, instrument classification (chordophones, idiophones, membranophones, aerophones), different types of ensembles

Art topics: Instrument building, classification of instruments, various materials

SEL questions to pose to students:

• Why do you think it was so important for Favio to create an orchestra?

• What challenges did Favio face, and what did he do to overcome those challenges?

• Have you ever wanted to accomplish something but thought it would be too hard to achieve it?

• Think of one thing that you really hope to achieve – what are some things that you can do to help you achieve it?

• How would you feel if you lived in a community that didn't have the things you needed to do what you enjoyed (instruments, sports equipment, books)? What could you do to help with this problem?

                                            I Want my Hat Back - by Gaia Cornwall 

Grade level: Kindergarten/1st grade

SEL topic: Consequences of actions, honesty

Music learning topics: Instrument timbre, echo rhythms

SEL Questions to pose to students:

• What do you think happened to the rabbit?

• How do you think the bear felt? Was there ever a time that you felt this way?

• Why do you think the rabbit stole the hat?

• Have you ever acted the like the bear in this story? The rabbit? What happened when you did? What would you do differently?