• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.41-67
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• 2018

The purpose of this case study was to examine how a supportive songwriting program could facilitate resilience for adolescents with school maladjustment. Participants included four middle school students with adaptive difficulties. The participants received eight 50-minute sessions of a supportive songwriting program. The program consisted of singing and discussing selected songs, followed by the participants creating their own lyrics about their current adaptation issues. The Resilience Scale for Adolescents was completed by each participant before and after the intervention, and the participants' lyrics were analyzed for how the factors of resilience were reflected in their lyrics. The results showed that all participants' scores on the resilience scale increased. It was also found that the factor on the resilience scale that increased the most for each participant was related to the issues expressed in their lyrics. The results suggest that the process of writing songs can be effective in eliciting adolescents' school related issues and accessing their positive resources, which can lead to behavioral and psychological improvements.