Conference Program

This contribution presents an empirical study conducted at Roma Tre University that examines Circle Singing as an inclusive methodology for developing disciplinary and socio-relational skills and student wellbeing, while also functioning as a teacher-training tool within higher education (Pantano & Rizzo, 2025). Framed within a critical reading of postmodernity (Lyotard, 1985), the pervasive influence of social media (Lancet, 2024), and the fragmentation of identities (Wang, 2022), this study proposes an embodied practice which fosters the emotional and relational development of both teachers and students, while simultaneously supporting the acquisition of linguistic and musical skills. Given the challenges posed by contemporary society “professional education is not education for understanding alone; it is preparation for accomplished and responsible practice in the service of others” (Shulman, 2005, p. 53). Indeed, in educational contexts such as schools and universities, educators bear the responsibility of guiding students toward recognising the other as a value, preventing tendencies toward exclusion, and instead fostering pathways of openness, understanding, and dialogue. Confrontation with alterity renders an inclusive orientation of educational action indispensable. In schools, this implies fostering the full expression of learners’ potential by embracing plurality and difference through the creation of social bonds grounded in shared affinities (Benasayag & Schmit, 2003), while also drawing on the transformative potential of arts-based learning methodologies. Within this framework, music can serve as a privileged instrument for promoting interculturality and fostering inclusive educational environments (UNESCO-KACES, 2010), while also proving particularly effective in arousing and regulating emotions (Juslin et al., 2010) and in supporting the development of socio-relational and reflexive competences. The musical laboratory particularly fosters the experience of flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 2003), especially in collective improvisation (Sawyer, 2012), which offers a privileged setting for continuous shifting between self and other. Moreover, singing has been shown to enhance mood (Clift & Hancox, 2010), generating feelings of euphoria or “singer’s high” (Jacob et al., 2009), and helping to build a sense of community and friendship among all participants, including teachers (MacDonald, Kreutz & Mitchell, 2012). Community music also fosters lifelong learning, especially in the presence of students with special educational needs, enabling both personal and collective wellbeing to flourish alongside the development of musical disciplinary competences. Widely disseminated through the work of Bobby McFerrin, Circle Singing positions difference as a resource, intentionally directing the educational focus toward the plurality of individuals involved in generating a collective, engaging experience. In particular, the present quali-quantitative study investigates a Circle Singing laboratory conducted at Roma Tre University between October and December 2025 (Pantano & Rizzo, 2025). The intervention involved 104 students and employed standardised digital tools (PROMS, SpeechAce) to assess musical and linguistic outcomes. Questionnaires and focus groups were used to evaluate socio-relational dimensions and wellbeing indicators. Preliminary analyses underpin statistically significant improvements in musical and linguistic competences, which correlate with an increased sense of belonging, reduced performance anxiety, and enhanced bodily awareness. Focus groups and questionnaires further highlighted students’ positive engagement with the methodology, with the majority indicating that they intend to incorporate Circle Singing into their future teaching practice.