Teens take Lessons at

The teVelde School of Music

Lessons customized for the Needs of Teens

By the time a music student is in their teen years, their needs have changed significantly from when they were in elementary school. The brain is learning at a very high level, as students are able to understand concepts of advanced reasoning, and math, as well as advanced language, and comprehension. As a student graduates from Junior High School, and begins thinking about a potential college major, it is really important to identify any musical talent and develop it at a higher rate of speed.

Even if a student doesn't want to be a professional performing musician, or a music teacher, there are many benefits to considering a music major in college. Of all majors that someone can have in college, 59% of students who major in music are accepted to medical school. That is the highest percentage of acceptance of any major, by far. If a student really wants to pursue higher education, in any subject, and get a Master's or Doctorate Degree, a music major will put them in one of the best positions to get into advanced degree programs at major universities.

For those students who have been studying music since they were very young, the teen years become the time when they can learn the highest levels of music... the pieces with the greatest difficulty. This is because the mind is ready to soak up all of the thousands of notes required for a piece of this level, and all neurons are able to fire at the high speed that is required to play at this level.

These years can be the most exciting years for young students, because the music they can perform is truly spectacular. They can win competitions, and learn to write their own music.

Teens and Voice

Not only is this age of student good at instruments, but their voices are mature enough to study voice. This is because the center for pitch is now developing in the brain. Voice students of this age have been singing with songs on the radio for years, and have the opportunity, if trained, to really get good at singing. Students at this age do very well in group voice classes, even if they are shy, because they can really support each other and bond as a class.

We allow teens in our classes, and in private lessons, to study the music that they love most, even though the warm ups are done in a classical style. We have found that having an outlet like playing an instrument, or singing, is really good for teens that are experiencing a lot of stress dealing with all of the things they have to experience in high school.

Taking Away Music as a Consequence for Poor Grades or Behavior

We have seen a trend, with parents, where they take away the voice lessons if a student has problems, either with grades, or socially. Without realizing it, they are taking away the very activity that can help relieve the stress that is causing the original problems.

Music has been proven to help retention of facts in the brain. Taking away music from a child who is doing poorly in school, takes away the very activity that could help them get better grades. Instead, we recommend that the student listen to classical music and songs they are working on while they are doing their class coursework... it has been proven that this will help subject retention.

When students are stressed out, it has been proven that singing helps them get in contact with their feelings, and helps them deal with and address those negative emotions in song. If parents listen to the songs their student is singing, they will get a snapshot of the issues their child is dealing with at school and at home.

So many times as teachers, we have observed the songs our students have chosen to work on, and have found them to be very telling in regards to what the student is thinking and feeling. Teen years are some of the most difficult years, in an educational, a social way, and a hormonal way. Students of this age have the bodies of adults, while still being treated as children. It is a critical time to stay connected with your child, and to keep the lines of communication open. The last thing to do, in our opinion, is to take away avenues of communication and expression when a child is not doing well.

Anger and rebellion are symptoms of inner pain that is not being recognized or dealt with. Punishments for expressing this pain are not only ineffective, but counter-productive in so many ways. Every student eventually becomes an adult, and it is in those years that we realize that our children will grow up to be responsible and good people. Even though our belief in this outcome might be tested during the teen years, we need to believe in our young people. Expecting their success helps them live into the positive behaviors and lifestyles that are best for them, when they may be scared or feeling insecure.

Positive Mentors for You/Your Teen

The teVelde School of Music does it's best to find the very best mentors and teachers to work with your teen. We not only look for good instrumentalists, we look for individuals that are positive role models for our teen students. We realize that your teen will be spending a lot of one-on-one time with our teachers, and we take that responsibility very seriously. Smoking, excessive drinking, drug use, excessive tatoos, and other destructive behaviors are screened out, and we make sure we have a thorough history and background check on every teacher. At the same time, we look for teachers who respect themselves, and therefore can be respected by our students.