Adolescence in the Music Classroom

• Jen Rafferty
• Posted 2/7/22
• 0 comments

When I first started teaching, I entered the classroom feeling confident in my content, pedagogical, and philosophical knowledge. I knew I would have an incredible impact on the students in my classes. However, after my first few months in my 7th-grade general music class, I realized I had no idea who these kids were.

My adolescent students seemed to need something more from me, and I wasn’t sure how to figure it out. All of a sudden, I felt lost and underprepared. What good were my content, pedagogy, and philosophy if my students felt disconnected from my lessons? It was clear there was a gap between what I thought my students wanted and what was relevant to them.

I felt a sense of profound responsibility to get this right. The 7th-grade general music class is often the last chance for students to feel that music can be a part of their identity. In response to my feelings of urgency, I dove into the research and realized that I could be a much more effective teacher if I understood more about adolescent development.

I started to wonder if some of the behavior “problems” I was noticing were in part just symptoms of adolescence. After all, between the ages of 10-15, students are going through profound physical, psychological, emotional, moral, social, and intellectual changes (National Middle School Association, 2010).

To create developmentally responsive lessons, I included opportunities for autonomy, movement, collaboration and always ensured my lessons were relevant. As a result, 7th-grade general music class gained the reputation of being a place where students developed a musical identity that stayed with them even after graduating high school.

Autonomy

Your middle school students crave autonomy. If you think about their school days, adults make decisions for them all of the time. Students must have a sense of control over their own experiences. This is why you might observe behaviors that seem to push boundaries as they express their independence and individuality. (Sometimes, this presents as a power struggle.) Instead of working against their developmental growth, work with it.

Give students choices whenever you can. The more autonomy you give them in class, the more they can express their individuality without causing conflict. These choices don’t necessarily have to be big things either. It can be as simple as, “do you want to play this song, or that song?” or, “choose your instrument for the class period.” Even trying this out for a few class periods can significantly benefit how your middle school students interact with you and your general music class.

Movement

Adolescents are going through significant physical changes during this time of their life. They are tripping over their feet and seem to be getting taller right before your eyes. It’s possible that the kids who are fidgety and moving around in their seats aren’t purposely misbehaving; they might be uncomfortable in their growing bodies. They need to move!

Developmentally responsive classes create purposeful opportunities for movement. Perhaps you set up stations, so the students have to get up and move around the classroom. Or, maybe you incorporate stretch breaks in the middle of the lesson. Be creative with this and make it fun.

These small changes will make a massive difference in how your students can concentrate and be present (and more comfortable in their skin).

Collaboration

Belonging is a basic human need, and during adolescence, the need to belong becomes even more vital. Developmentally, they are moving from a sense of self to self within society, and their connections with their peers become a large part of their identity.

Peer interaction and group learning are highly beneficial to their learning processes. They are at a time when the influences of their friends supersede the influences of their parents and other significant adults in their lives. Leverage this information by creating opportunities for collaboration and group learning.

Relevant

Music is the soundtrack of these middle schoolers’ lives. However, traditionally there seems to be a disconnection between “home-music” and “school-music.” Trends are shifting recently. However, so much more can be done to connect with the music that they are already consuming, and in some cases, producing.

You do not have to be the expert in making beats, understanding hip hop, or slaying a guitar solo. You can guide budding musicians to learn and grow using their current skills.

Unfortunately, the general music curriculum is often designed around the teachers’ strengths. This results in gaps in student learning, particularly when there isn’t congruence between how the students want to experience music and the teacher’s own lived musical experiences. Our job is to validate our students’ music and guide them to become their best musical selves.

In addition, there seems to be a culture in music education that places professionalism in high regard. While professional musicianship is important, it is not necessarily relevant to all students, particularly those in the general music classroom. Kratus (2019) postulates that a return to amateurism (playing music for personal satisfaction) would better foster students’ musical goals than the traditional focus of music education. Teaching relevant lessons allows students to find their connection and identity with music.

The Results

Once I started creating developmentally responsive lessons, my general music students wanted to continue making music. As a result, the music program expanded in my school district. Students asked for more electives outside of the scope of traditional band, chorus, and orchestra.

Eventually, this led to a modern band elective at the high school where students learned how to play bass, drums, keyboard, and guitar. Students also wrote, recorded, and produced their own music. More students gravitated towards the music program, and even the traditional ensembles grew in size.

Although there is not much research about 7th-grade general music, limited studies show that music teachers are divided in their views about whether or not middle school general music should be a required course (Cronenberg, 2020).

In my experience, this is the most important class that we teach. When students discover their connection with music, it will continue to be a part of their identity and will have lasting implications. We need to validate where they are as adolescents and create lessons that are responsive to their developmental needs. This is how we foster lifelong musicians.

Resources

Cronenberg, S. (2020). Music teachers’ perceptions of general music as a required middle-level course. Research in Middle-Level Education, 43(9).

Kratus, J. (2019). A return to amateurism in music education. Music Educators Journal, 106(1). pp. 31-37.

National Middle School Association. (2010). This we believe keys to educating young adolescents. National Middle School Association.