• DR.SUNITA SHARMA

Abstract The recent shift in Indian education via the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) emphasizes holistic, multidisciplinary, and well-rounded student development, going beyond purely cognitive outcomes. Within this paradigm, integrating domains such as music and spirituality into education may provide unique opportunities to support academic growth, student well-being, and character formation. This study explores how music-both as listening, participation (singing/instrument), and music education-and spirituality-defined broadly as students’ sense of meaning, connection, values, gratitude and inner life-can act as supports (aids) in academic development of students. Drawing on recent empirical literature in music education, cognitive psychology, and spirituality research, this paper presents a conceptual framework linking music and spirituality to student academic outcomes, cognitive functioning (focus, memory, concentration), affective dimensions (motivation, resilience, well-being) and moral/character development. The literature reveals that music education (and listening) can enhance attention, memory retention and cognitive skills, and that spirituality correlates positively with academic performance, happiness and well-being. The paper then situates these findings within the Indian school context under NEP 2020, arguing that embedding music-and-spirituality programmes can align with the policy’s vision of “education for life”, socio-emotional competencies and multidisciplinary learning. It offers practical suggestions for integrating musical and spiritual practices in school curricula, teacher training, and extracurricular programmes. Limitations are discussed, including mixed findings in music–performance links and cultural/contextual variability, and the need for rigorous longitudinal and intervention research in the Indian context is noted. In conclusion, this study posits that music and spirituality—far from being peripheral-can serve as meaningful aids to academic development, especially within a policy environment valuing holistic education.

NEP 2020, Holistic Education, Music Education, Spirituality, Academic Development, Cognitive Functioning, Socio-Emotional Learning, Character Formation.

"“Music and Spirituality as a Means of Supporting the Academic Development of Students in the New Education Policy”", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 11, page no.c218-c225, November-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2511227.pdf

"“Music and Spirituality as a Means of Supporting the Academic Development of Students in the New Education Policy”", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 11, page no. ppc218-c225, November-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2511227.pdf