Photos courtesy of Andrew Bax
In September 2025, Naperville North Learning Behavior Specialists Andrew Bax and Johnnie Lander were approved for an Express Grant titled, “Social Emotional Learning Through Music.” The grant funded the purchase of two Fender electric guitar beginner kits for the SUCCESS program, an emotional support program for structured learning students at Naperville North High School.
With a new cell phone policy in place, Bax and Lander knew their students needed an incentive unrelated to screen time that would keep them engaged during class.
“We needed to look for something that was going to be reinforcing for students,” Lander said. “We have several students in our program who already play guitar and are very into music, so we were hoping that that would be a motivating thing for them to work for.”
The guitars quickly proved to be a huge success among students, with some even using them daily.
“Students are working, especially those who are interested, to get their work done so they can go and have that break time,” shared Lander. “Where they would have before been just working to get a break time to have a break on technology, now they’re engaging with each other, listening to each other play, showing each other how to do the notes, and sharing, like, music interests as well.”
Students who know how to play guitar aren’t the only ones who are enjoying them, though.
“One time we had two students playing guitars, and another one singing the song they knew along,” said Bax. “Everyone gets along in a small group together and they’re connecting through music instead of being on their Chromebooks.”
The guitars may have started as a way for students to stay engaged during class, but have since become a way for students to connect with each other and regulate their stress throughout the day. In response to a class-wide survey, one student shared that “the guitars give me a moment of calm during a stressful day.”
“A lot of students have used it as a calming strategy or something to snap them out of a negative thought loop,” said Lander.
“They definitely also foster community with our kids,” Bax added. “We spend a lot of the day together, and we have a lot of very unique or challenging personalities in our classrooms, so they’ve given us the opportunity to help the kids make connections with each other that, in just the classroom setting, you wouldn’t get.”
Through the use of the guitars students have been able to engage with each other in a unique and exciting way, allowing them to form friendships that otherwise would not exist. The Express Grant impacted 12 students this year, but Bax and Lander are excited to continue incorporating the guitars into their classroom for many years to come.
