Engagement with music, through either listening or actively creating, is promoted by both popular culture and by psychological science as a highly beneficial practice. Music lessons beginning at a young age are associated with nonmusical benefits such as stronger language processing, improved motor function, and some increases in general cognitive ability (Moreno et. al., 2011; Schellenberg, 2004). Among adolescents ages twelve to fourteen, music lessons have been linked with improved academic self-concept (Degé, Wehrum, Stark, & Schwarzer, 2014). Developmental psychologist and neuroscientist Adele Diamond champions music as one of the age-old practices that improve executive functions, strengthening skills such as decision making, self control, perseverance, and creativity (Diamond, 2014).

While the benefits of music can be far-reaching, realizing these outcomes is more complex than is often recognized. Cognitive and physiological improvements such as those described by Diamond (2014), require practice that is consistent, high quality, and that occurs over a long period of time. Seasoned music educators have an intuitive sense of this; they know that simply playing through a piece or song without careful technical work, focused practice, and reflection will not reap as great a musical reward. The same is true for its more generalized, nonmusical benefits. Music is an extremely complex skill. It improves executive functions and other cognitive processes because it stretches and challenges them, a process which, at times, is naturally and necessarily uncomfortable.

The discomfort of learning creates a challenge for music educators. We must somehow encourage students to engage with the formative work of learning a new skill (or a complex integration of many skills, as required to play an instrument). At the same time, we must create a positive enough experience that students persevere and are able to reap the rewards of musicianship. The way we approach this challenge determines whether musical practice becomes an enriching, integrated part of students’ lives, or whether it becomes another source of stress.

In her discussion about music, Diamond also challenges the academic education system. She notes the incredible pressures that young children face within school systems, stating that “a major source of stress for many children is feeling that they’re not smart enough, that they can’t learn, that they won’t succeed.” Diamond (2014) then presents activities such as music and the arts as “what children truly need.” While this can be true of music, what is often the reality is that the same feelings of stress children experience within academic learning appear in many music education programs. The often performance-oriented nature of music education can cause significant anxiety, even among its youngest students. It is not uncommon for students to experience heightened stress directly related to their musical studies (Sternbach, 2008). The task of music educators now is to present the complex and difficult skills of music making within a framework that fosters positivity and growth, rather than harmful competition, negative self-appraisal, and stress. To that end, cognitive and motivational psychology have several resources to offer.

This project is in two parts: theoretical considerations and a handbook of exercises. Together, this work offers several leverage points for improvement within music education. It explores the cognitive mechanisms involved in developing identity and a sense of self, and how narrative is integral to this system. It examines motivational processes as they relate to narrative and psychological well-being, as well as presenting current theories of developmental change and skill-learning. Finally, these theoretical frameworks are made practically applicable through a handbook of exercises designed to help cultivate new narratives.