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Running Head: STRESS REDUCTION THROUGH EXERCISE & MUSIC FOR TEACHER
LEADERS

Stress Reduction through Exercise and Music for Teacher Leaders

Eric Gauthier
Oakland University
EA 754

Running Head: STRESS REDUCTION THROUGH EXERCISE & MUSIC FOR TEACHER
LEADERS
Abstract
In the changing world of education the amount of stress for Teacher Leaders increases
exponentially each year. This wellness plan will look at a male teacher leader for a six week
time period implementing two strategies aimed at reducing stress for this individual. The
implementation of exercising once a week and listening to relaxing music before bed will be
observed. Participant information was collected through anecdotal evidence. The findings
suggest that music and sleep were beneficial in reducing stress, fatigue, and overall emotional
feelings of wellness in the male subject.
Keywords: stress, stress reduction, teacher, leader, exercise, music, sedative, strategies,
wellness, education, educator

Running Head: STRESS REDUCTION THROUGH EXERCISE & MUSIC FOR TEACHER
LEADERS
Introduction
This wellness program will focus on the perceived benefits of music and exercise on
stress reduction in teacher leaders. Stress is one of the leading causes for educators leaving the
profession of teaching. Teacher burnout is currently at an all-time high in the field of education.
The amount of stress increases significantly for teachers who are viewed as leaders of their
respective buildings. This study will look at possible strategies to help teacher leaders cope with
stress, and implement changes that are manageable.
Question/Issue
Stress reduction is a constant battle for me in my daily life. The expectations of being a
professional educator, graduate student, father, husband, small-business owner, son, uncle,
brother, friend, and mentor can have its stressful times. I find that each night I cannot fall asleep
because all the days stressors seem to bombard me at night time when I try to fall asleep. One
way I chose to mitigate this was to have a note pad by my bed to write down all my thoughts to
clear my mind. It is necessary for me to find outlets that work within my schedule to make time
for myself to reduce stress and clear my mind for a restful night of sleep. I have chosen to look
into playing basketball weekly, and listening to Tibetan Singing Bowls for fifteen minutes each
night as I go to bed. Currently my wife and I have a white noise machine that runs through the
night. I will start off by playing basketball once a week, and listen to the music nightly over the
course of this wellness study. This plan was chosen because it seemed feasible to implement it
during my currently very busy schedule.
Literature/Research
Based on research exercise and listening to music are both meaningful ways to reduce
daily stress. Hawk and Martin followed a group of superintendents and had them rank their top

Running Head: STRESS REDUCTION THROUGH EXERCISE & MUSIC FOR TEACHER
LEADERS
five coping strategies to deal with stress. Their research found that Of the five coping
strategies, exercise was used most frequently with a 41.49 percent frequency score. {Hawk,
Martin 2014} This lead me to include playing basketball as part of my wellness plan for stress
reduction. McKee also noticed the benefits of exercise and state Participation in sports has
many clear benefits, including increased physical fitness , reduced body fat, improved
cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk profiles, improved psychological health, enriched
interpersonal relationships, and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. {McKee, Ann C.
2014}
Music research is mixed in terms of effectiveness in terms of stress reduction. Music can
positive holistic effects. Nechama said It seems that music promotes relaxation via
physiological and/or psychological entrainment. {Nechama 2011} Types of music have
different impacts on stress level and reduction. Jiang states that Listening to unpreferred
sedative music results in significantly greater stress reduction than listening to unpreferred
stimulative music. {Jiang, Jun 2013} Based on this information I choose the Tibetan Singing
Bowls and my preferred sedative music. I find the resonance of the bowl soothing and relaxing.

Stress Reduction/Wellness Plan

This wellness plan was focused on stress reduction. In order for me to implement my
wellness plan some discussions have to occur with my wife. These discussions are important

Running Head: STRESS REDUCTION THROUGH EXERCISE & MUSIC FOR TEACHER
LEADERS
because they will impact her also, and her willingness to participate will be vital if my plan is
going to be successful. After discussing the changes in both of our schedules we came to an
agreement to make my plan a reality. My wife on Fridays will drop our children off to daycare
so I can play a 60 minute basketball game at Lakeview High School on a regular basis. This will
continue to happen for 6 weeks of the plan implementation. That is part one of my plan
involving my wife and parental responsibilities.
The second part of my wellness plan to reduce stress is to listen to a Tibetan Singing
Bowls mp3 each night for 15 minutes while lying in bed quietly. My wife and I have always
listened to a white noise ever since we have been together. She is willing to give it a try. If it is
too hard for her to fall asleep to, we compromised on headphones for me during the course of
this study. During that fifteen minutes there will be quietness and no talking. I created a
S.M.A.R.T. goal to be successful with my wellness plan.
Strategic: Implement the use of Tibetan Singing Bowls and playing basketball to reduce
stress in my daily life.
Measureable: I will use personal journaling (anecdotal notes) and interview my wife
with her perceptions about my progress during the implementation of my wellness plan.
Attainable: I believe a six week time frame will be enough to see if the plan
implemented will be beneficial or not to reduce stress in my day-to-day activities.
Relevant: Research suggests that the two activities I am implementing for my wellness
plan have shown to reduce stress in individuals participating in those activities.
Time Bound: There has been a time frame of six weeks slated for the measurement of
effectiveness part one and two of my wellness plan for stress reduction.

Findings
The results were very interesting to me at the end of the six weeks. Not just my
observations and journaling, but the discussions I had with my wife since she was involved in
this also. Often nights she indicated that I would fall asleep faster when listening to the Tibetan

Running Head: STRESS REDUCTION THROUGH EXERCISE & MUSIC FOR TEACHER
LEADERS
Singing Bowls. I no longer have a note pad next to my bed. I have noticed that I am able to shut
my brain off after going through my new sleep routine. Music seems to effectively reduce
anxiety and improve mood for medical and surgical patients, especially for patients in intensive
care units and patients undergoing aversive procedures. {Yehuda 2011} Yehundas quote
resonates will especially now. Previously, I would wake up and write down thoughts on my note
pad. This was a nice change for my wife because I would wake her up during my scribblings as
she called them. By having a set night time ritual in which the music turns off after fifteen
minutes has provided me with more restful sleep. My wife also likes the sound of the singing
bowls better than they static noise we had grown accustomed to the previous nine years together.
She has noticed that it is easier for her to fall asleep also. Falling back asleep is also easier if
woken due to the noise machine is not running in the middle of the night.
I have also noticed that on Fridays I am not nearly as exhausted in the evenings and
weekends from the work week. I attribute this to the exercise I get consistently on Fridays by
playing basketball. Esch states Physical activities have a potential to increase mood, i.e.,
decrease psychological distress by pleasure induction. { Esch, 2010} The Friday basketball
event is counted on, and I look forward to it weekly. My students are asking me why I am so
energized every Friday. I told my students that I wake up at 5 a.m. each Friday to play
basketball. My students think I am crazy for getting up that early to play a game. Another
benefit that I found out indirectly is that I go to bed earlier on Thursdays on when I am playing
basketball. The added sleep I am sure also helps out with my mood. I notice that being my
physically active has increased my stamina at work, and the endorphin rush keeps me energized.
The only potential downside about my wellness program was my body transitioning to
changes due to my wellness plan. I never realized how out of shape I truly was in terms of my

Running Head: STRESS REDUCTION THROUGH EXERCISE & MUSIC FOR TEACHER
LEADERS
stamina and health. Just because you are skinny does not mean you are physically or mentally
fit. It took four weeks into the process of playing basketball for my wind to come back, and not
waking up on Saturdays heading for the medicine cabinet for my aches from playing the
previous day. The Tibetan Singing Bowls took about a week to get used to. The first couple of
nights I found myself getting a little restless because the mp3 would end, and it was hard to lay
there in silence to fall asleep. After the initial week my mind and body adjusted to the new
bedtime routine.
The amount of time to implement the plan and evaluate it was more than sufficient.
Benefits were noticed in both parts of the plan within the first two weeks of implementation.
Between the anecdotal conversations with my wife, and my own personal observations I would
consider adding more physical activity to my plan. Playing basketball had a tremendous impact
physically, emotionally, and in stress reduction for me and my family during the weekend. It
allowed me to be a more patient partner to my spouse and children.
There are two nagging wonderings I have as I wrapped up my wellness plan. The first
one was the lack of support in terms of implemented wellness plans for professionals in
education, and when do stress reduction activities become stressful? The overall trend that really
bothered me in reading the research was the lack of wellness plans in place for educators in
America and across the world. Hawk and Martin investigated wellness plans for superintendents
in the United Kingdom. The state the following: Apparently, school districts do not have
structured programs in place to assist superintendents to make the connection between
superintendent stress and the importance of learning how to manage stress. {Hawk, Martin
2014}

Running Head: STRESS REDUCTION THROUGH EXERCISE & MUSIC FOR TEACHER
LEADERS
I would also like to investigate the threshold of what is too much physical activity.
Where the activity used for stress reduction would actually promote and cause stress. The idea
of too much of a good thing came to my mind while reflecting on this process. I am curious to
find out where that balance lies. I often here from my students who play on travel teams for
athletics that sports no longer becomes fun, and is more like a job. I had this experience as a
child, and had always wondered what the tipping point for me was. This journey has opened my
eyes to new ways to manage stress, and I am happy to say that I will continue with my wellness
plan, and add to it.

References
Esch, T., & Stefano, G. B. (2010). Endogenous reward mechanisms and their importance in
stress reduction, exercise and the brain. Archives of Medical Science : AMS, 6(3), 447-455.
doi:10.5114/aoms.2010.14269

Running Head: STRESS REDUCTION THROUGH EXERCISE & MUSIC FOR TEACHER
LEADERS
Hawk, N., Martin, B. (2014). Understanding and reducing stress in the superintendency.
Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 39(3), 364-390.
doi:10.1177/1741143210394000
Jiang, J., Zhou, L., Rickson, D., & Jiang, C. (2013). The effects of sedative and stimulative
music on stress reduction depend on music preference. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 40(2), 201205. doi:10.1016/j.aip.2013.02.002
McKee, A. C., Daneshvar, D. H., Alvarez, V. E., & Stein, T. D. (2014). The neuropathology of
sport. Acta Neuropathologica, 127(1), 29-51. doi:10.1007/s00401-013-1230-6
Yehuda, N. (2011). Music and stress. Journal of Adult Development, 18(2), 85-94.
doi:10.1007/s10804-010-9117-4