Research

The skills learned through MBWP have a direct impact on the states of mind and behavior that we bring to our lives and professional work. Research suggests that practicing mindfulness may result in many beneficial numerous beneficial outcomes.

Mindfulness for Educators

  • Improved self-control, feelings of compassion, less reactivity, and improved sleep (Frank, Reibel, Broderick, Cantrell, & Metz, 2015) 
  • Feelings of well-being and reduced burnout (Jennings, Frank, Snowberg, Coccia, & Greenberg, 2013) 
  • Reduced feelings of stress among urban teachers (Jennings, Snowberh, Coccia, & Greenberg, 2011) 
  • Improved focus, memory, and self-compassion (Roeser et al., 2013) 
  • Improved relationships between students and teachers (Lancioni, Winston, Karazsia, & Singh, 2013) 

Mindfulness for Performers 

Many artists and musicians experience performance anxiety, excessive perfectionism, burnout, and bodily injury. As mindfulness works on awareness of the mind-body system, MBWP can give you insight into patterns of thought, emotion, and movement that prevent you from practicing and performing at your best. Emerging research among musicians demonstrates that mindfulness may result in: 

  • Decreased anxiety (Lin, Chang, Zemon, & Midlarsky, 2008) 
  • Increased experiences of awe and curiosity (Diaz, 2013) 
  • Reduced feelings of negative perfectionism (Diaz, 2018) 
  • Better focus and less negative rumination (Diaz, Silveira, and Strand, 2020)

Mindfulness as Pedagogy 

In the MBWP program, we work with educators involved in K-College classroom and studio settings who teach everything from performance skills to graduate level research. Therefore, rather than providing a prescribed curriculum, we help educators interested in teaching MBWP principles to design lesson plans and curriculum appropriate to their needs and interests. Previous participants have implemented MBWP principles into warm-up exercises, listening and movement skills, conducting curriculum, and practice and rehearsal strategies among others. 

References 

Diaz, F. M. (2018). Relationships Among Meditation, Perfectionism, Mindfulness, and Performance Anxiety Among Collegiate Music Students. Journal of Research in Music Education, 66, 150–167. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429418765447

Diaz, F. M. (2013). Mindfulness, attention, and flow during music listening: An empirical investigation. Psychology of Music, 41, 42-58. 

Frank, J. L., Reibel, D., Broderick, P., Cantrell, T., & Metz, S. (2015). The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction on educator stress and well-being: Results from a pilot study. Mindfulness, 6, 208-216. 

Jennings, P. A., Frank, J. L., Snowberg, K. E., Coccia, M. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2013). Improving classroom learning environments by Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE): Results of a randomized controlled trial. School Psychology Quarterly, 28, 374. 

Jennings, P. A., Snowberg, K. E., Coccia, M. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2011). Improving classroom learning environments by cultivating awareness and resilience in education (CARE): Results of two pilot studies. The Journal of Classroom Interaction, 37-48. 

Lin, P., Chang, J., Zemon, V., & Midlarsky, E. (2008). Silent illumination: a study on Chan (Zen) meditation, anxiety, and musical performance quality. Psychology of Music, 36, 139-155. 

Roeser, R. W., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., Jha, A., Cullen, M., Wallace, L., Wilensky, R., … & Harrison, J. (2013). Mindfulness training and reductions in teacher stress and burnout: Results from two randomized, waitlist-control field trials. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105, 787. 

Singh, N. N., Lancioni, G. E., Winton, A. S., Karazsia, B. T., Myers, R. E., Latham, L. L., & Singh, J. (2014). Mindfulness-based positive behavior support (MBPBS) for mothers of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: Effects on adolescents’ behavior and parental stress. Mindfulness, 5, 646-657. 

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