uite a bit of music created for the sole purpose of relaxation and the reduction of stress. The questions posed by this study were to determine whether relaxation tapes really work better than a person's personal preference in music or no music at all in reducing stress? The study found that all three ways worked well for relaxation and reducing tension, but listening to music proved a little bit more beneficial. Of the two music groups, it found that the relaxation tapes were equally as good as the subject-selected music, but were no better (219-220). Music is an invaluable tool when it comes to reaching students who fail to do well in school, or are at risk of learning. Scott Shuler, a music consultant in the Connecticut State Department of Education and adjunct professor in the Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, Conn. describes at-risk students as students that express characteristics. These charateristics included academic underachievement, lack of self-esteem and self-respect, inability to communicate thought and feeling on an intimate level, limited conflict resolution and problem-solving skills, boredom with traditional schooling. Additional tracks of the at risk students indicate a need for a supportive peer group with whom they can establish a social bond, learning styles that differ from those addressed by traditional modes of instruction, interest in artistic expression and eagerness to pursue tasks they find interesting, need for an experiential, hands on approach to learning, avoidance of academic risk taking, and need to experience success somewhere in the school setting (Shuler 31). Shuler proposes that there are two essential reasons why students fail in school. They lack an ability to learn or lack the desire to learn, while most students who fail have the ability to do well, they choose not to because their school experience doesn't motivate them (30). At-risk students create an aversion to traditional sty...
