Music and Adolescents
Around 11 years old, kids hit the Formal Operations Stage of development, as defined by Piaget. This is where kids really start to think abstractly. At this stage, kids normally develop the skills to contend with mental problems and ideas outside of their own experience. For example, a normal eight-year-old might begin to understand world hunger from seeing the faces of starving children on TV, or from missing a meal themselves. During the formal operations stage, however, they can think about such things through abstract ideas of crop production, or population declines due to famine. These kinds of formal thinking processes continue to develop throughout the lifespan.
In terms of music, children who have developed the skills of the formal operations stage have a large range of musical experiences at their disposal. It's no accident that this is the time formal music instruction in elementary school, in the form of band, orchestra, and choir, starts to be offered. As they get older, they may form their own music groups, outside of school, forming or joining a garage band, for example.
Playing music isn't the only way adolescents get involved with music. Teenagers will spend many hours listening to recorded music or watching music videos. The genres they may listen to are expansive: rock, pop, hip hop, and rap are often important to Western teens. Streaming services and online gaming have created an interesting situation where teens are seeking out the music they hear in the games they play or the shows they watch. This has the effect of exposing them to a wider variety of music than they, or their adult caretakers, may realize. Orchestral, jazz, folk, and other styles are all present and being consumed by teens.
I don't think it can be overstated just how important music is to adolescent culture. As such, it is also a powerful tool for therapeutic use with this population. Teenagers are trying to figure out who they are, and how they fit into society. Lyric analysis can be a powerful approach to self-discovery, while various forms of composition and songwriting can be tools for both self-discovery and self-expression. Many teens spontaneously write their own poetry and songs are part of the process of “figuring it out,” whether they are in therapy or not. Sharing music with their peers, or family, in a safe, supportive environment, helps them improve social skills, and reduce anxiety. They feel heard, where they might not in other situations.
