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Mindful Music Moments

Imagine an entire school – students, teachers, and administrators – taking time each morning to turn inward together, and listen to a brief mindfulness prompt and world-class music.

Available For: Schools Schools Organizations Organizations Groups & Families Groups & Families Individuals Individuals

The Well's programs combine best practices in arts and wellness and are designed in partnership with those they serve. How do we create our programs? In partnership with others and especially those we serve.

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We love collaborating with local, national and international community partners and peoples in a variety of arts programming and mindfulness practices.

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Mindfulness in Motion: Exploring Mind-Body Connection in Schools

After the final bell rings and the hustle and bustle of end of day excitement begins to settle at John P. Parker, a Cincinnati Public School, the harmonious sound of twinkling chimes faintly sweeps through the hallway. Imagine following the gentle ringing, noticing a calming sensation enter your body, allowing the soothing of your mind. 

That is the journey after-school students take to Miss Ashley, a facilitator of The Well’s My True SELF program. She smiles down at a line of students standing just outside her classroom doorway.  One by one she invites each student to inhale and exhale with a Koshi chime, their body and mind at peace before welcoming them into the room. Once inside, a curious scent of lavender wafts from a diffuser and fills your lungs with floral, woodsy air. The dimmed lights create a warm glow that eases you into the safety of the space. 

Cr8 Club, a dynamic after school program in collaboration with Kennedy Heights Arts Center (KHAC), a Cincinnati-based non-profit, aims to provide a supportive environment for children to explore their creativity through art, music, and social-emotional learning (SEL). KHAC was enthusiastic about partnering with The Well for the second year to continue integrating a mind-body focus into the program at two Cincinnati Public Schools, John P. Parker and Academy of World Languages. 

The integration of The Well’s SEL program, My True SELF (Social Emotional Learning Fun), is an innovative approach that introduces mindfulness techniques into Cr8 Club. During circle time, facilitators guide the children through short meditation exercises that allow them to center themselves before group sharing. With practices like group movement games, mindful art-making, and Mindful Music Moments, students are able to discover new ways to express their feelings and connect with one another.

Through consistent participation in My True SELF, students begin to find balance and are able to channel their restlessness into creative expression, using their body to explore emotions rather than feeling overwhelmed by them. The once-distracted child becomes an engaged member of Cr8 Club, demonstrating curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. Their journey illustrates the powerful impact of integrating social-emotional learning with creative expression, showing that with the right support, every child can thrive.

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My True SELF facilitator, Miss Ashley (Ashley Miley), leading a fun movement game with Cr8 Club students at John P. Parker School.

 
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A pair of students practicing back-to-back breathing in their mindfulness session.

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My True SELF students practicing yoga at partner school Imagine Bella Academy of Excellence in Cleveland, OH.

August 2023 marked the beginning of the third year of partnership between Imagine Bella Academy of Excellence, located in Cleveland OH, and The Well. At Imagine Bella, The Well supports a dedicated Mindfulness/My True SELF teacher who sees each student at least one time a week in “specials.” The aim for the new school year was to maintain a whole student, whole school reach while making strides to support and include the whole community in an effort to bring social emotional learning initiatives to all.

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DESSA data results from Cr8 Club.

Kennedy Heights Arts Center integrated the My True SELF curriculum in their afterschool program, Cr8 Club for the 2nd year. Two local Cincinnati schools, Academy of World Languages and John P. Parker School saw a marked improvement in their pre-program and post-program assessment using the DESSA-mini – a standardized assessment for SEL. IInitially, 43% of students were identified as having a "need for instruction" in SEL, a figure which dropped to 19% by the end of the year. There was also a 10% increase in the number of students scoring in the typical range and a 20% improvement in the number of students identified as having a strength in the area of SEL.

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Bryce Kessler and Charli Littleton leading UpSpring students in a guided Wonder Meditation with live cello accompaniment.

 

UpSpring, a Cincinnati-based non-profit that works with unhoused youth, utilized the My True SELF curriculum over this past school year. The Well held professional development training for all staff in order to integrate the program themselves into each of their classrooms. The students' scores showed a 100% reduction in the number of students showing a need for additional support for SEL instruction.

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About The Well

Our programs have been nourishing the community since 2005. In 2019, we became the non-profit, A Mindful Moment.

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