Empathy Vs. Sympathy

In Brene Brown's popular 2010 TED talk on the power of vulnerability and her 2012 TED conference closer, Listening to Shame, Empathy was largely addressed. This animated video succinctly answers the question:

"What is Empathy and why is it different than Sympathy?" 

According to Brene Brown, empathy fuels connection while sympathy drives disconnection. She cites research on 4 Qualities of empathy: 

• Perspective taking 
• Staying out of Judgement 
• Recognizing emotion in others 
• Communicating that recognition  

But how do we encourage the development of these qualities in children? In our experience at Alice's Encore, we find that these qualities can be introduced in a creative and fun music therapy group program.

Perspective taking/recognizing that emotion in others/communicating that recognition: Improvising musically in the group provides opportunities for the children to take time to listen and concentrate on their peers music making around a certain topic. Music can provide a vehicle for expressing a range of emotions and experiences in a safe, non-verbal way. The depth of emotion that music can evoke in the listener may provide an understanding of what their peers are feeling. 

Staying out of Judgement: Ground rules are established from Day 1 to respect themselves, individual group members, and the instruments. Often children's behavior towards one another and the group dynamic offer a place to work out these conflicting emotions; both verbally and musically.