By Heather Cornelius
On the surface, music lessons are directed towards learning repertoire, improving technique, and developing musical expression. But what happens when symptoms of a mental illness interfere with a student’s cognitive and emotional capacity for learning?
I’ve learned from my own experience that our mental and emotional wellness is inseparable from who we are as musicians. Only a couple of years after I started Suzuki harp lessons at age twelve, I remember experiencing symptoms of a mental illness, though I didn’t recognize them as symptoms at the time. After taking a year of medical leave from college due to worsening symptoms, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which is a mental illness characterized by depression (persistent sadness and hopelessness) and mania (racing thoughts, impulsive and risky behaviors, delusions, and grandiose beliefs) (National Institute of Mental Health 2024; Aiken and Phelps 2017, 7–27).
These symptoms made everyday tasks difficult, including my music. My harp technique, my ability to memorize, and my capacity for social interaction and focusing during my lesson all suffered. Eventually, my psychiatrist worked through a series of different medications to find a combination that helped me stabilize, and I was aided by psychotherapy, a supportive family, and kind music teachers.
My music teachers helped me move forward by referring me to the resources I needed, and by showing understanding and acceptance for my needs. They aren’t mental health professionals, but because of their mentorship and relationship with me, they were able to support me through one of the most difficult times of my life.
My story is not uncommon among music students today, and mental illness is surprisingly widespread among children and teenagers. As just one example of a mental illness, one in seven young people in the United States ages twelve to seventeen experiences severe impairment from major depression at some point each year (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2024, 32). Symptoms of mental illness are especially pervasive among college-age people, affecting one-third of U.S. young adults ages eighteen to twenty-five in the past year (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2024, 34). Studies specifically dedicated to college campuses show that nearly half of college students (47%) live with moderate to severe levels of depression, anxiety, or both (Healthy Minds Network 2025, 14). Mental illness often begins at a young age: most studies agree that roughly half of all lifetime mental disorders start by the mid-teens, and three-quarters by the mid-20s (Kessler et al. 2007, 359).
As my thesis project for my doctorate in harp performance at the University of Minnesota, I researched the impact of the teacher-student relationship on students with mental illness. Reflecting on these findings as a former Suzuki student and trained Suzuki harp teacher, I believe the Suzuki Method is intrinsically based on some of the key pedagogical approaches that encourage student wellness and mental health. When the Suzuki triangle is working together as a trust-based, collaborative relationship between the student, parent, and teacher, this approach can increase students’ ability to manage their mental health.
The Suzuki Triangle: Students
One of the core tenets of the Suzuki Method is that “every child can.” This statement affirms the value of every student and their potential to learn and grow—regardless of whether they live with mental health challenges. Even though some students’ paths may look different, the idea that “every child can” encourages teachers and parents never to give up on students’ musical journeys.
As a natural extension of this idea, the Suzuki Method also supports the concept of a growth mindset, which supports mental health (Kageyama 2021). Based on the work of Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, the terms “fixed mindset” and “growth mindset” describe our perceptions of talent and failure. A fixed mindset is the antithesis of the Suzuki Method: it assumes that a child is born with a certain amount of talent. In other words, some children are musically gifted, and the rest are not. Children brought up with (or taught with) a fixed mindset come to believe that their mistakes show that they aren’t really as valuable or as skilled as they thought they were. For students already struggling with low self-esteem (often a symptom of mental illness), a fixed mindset compounds this feeling of personal failure.
In contrast, a growth mindset is the belief that talent and skill can grow through hard work and more experience (similar to Dr. Suzuki’s “ability development”). When music students make mistakes in a lesson or concert, these can be positive opportunities for noticing and improving areas of weakness. As part of the Suzuki triangle, students work together with teachers and parents to develop healthy self-awareness and positive mindsets.

Students living with mental illness also benefit from the Suzuki principle that becoming a good human being is equally, if not more, important than preparing the music with excellence. Fostering each student’s “beautiful heart” through wellness—mental, emotional, social, or otherwise—runs parallel to developing the “beautiful tone” that Suzuki prized. Even now, I can often hear a difference in my tone depending on my mental state: it’s thinner and less clear when I’m anxious and tense, but my tone becomes warmer, rounder, and more beautiful when I’m experiencing fewer symptoms of my mental illness or when I have more resources for managing these symptoms.
The Suzuki Triangle: Parents
One facet of the Suzuki Method that sets it apart from other music pedagogies is its emphasis on the involvement of parents in all of their children’s music-related activities. Not only is the family support network an important predictor of recovery for those with mental illness, but also the parent’s presence in lessons and active participation in the teacher-student relationship provides unique opportunities for teachers and parents to work together to cultivate awareness of students’ mental health needs (Duckworth 2022, 64). Parents know their children and can share what is typical for their child and what may be unusual or a change. Teachers have more time between interactions (which can help provide a more objective perspective), but they still interact with the child frequently enough to recognize behaviors that may be symptoms of a mental illness, respond with care and compassion, and refer the family to a trusted mental health professional and other resources if necessary (Mondimore 2014, 226).
The Suzuki Triangle: Teachers
As mentors and role models, music teachers can be key figures in students’ lives (as mine were for me). In my research, I found that teachers can strongly influence students’ self-talk and mental health, for example, by showing kindness and using stigma-free language (Nielsen 2018, 204; Barba 2023, 19). Pedagogical strategies for creating a positive learning environment also include setting up structure with room for flexibility, giving students a voice in their learning process, setting goals based on effort and values (instead of results outside of students’ control), and prioritizing students’ self-care and joy over their pace of progress or the amount of repertoire they’ve learned (Korinek 2021, 99–10; Gilbert 2021, 79).
Structure is already present in the Suzuki Method. Some examples from my Suzuki teacher training include the progression of repertoire (including a stair-step series of built-in technical goals), the student’s learning structure (consisting of daily practice, weekly lessons, and regular group classes), and even lesson organization (combining sightreading, review, and new pieces). Research shows that structure is beneficial for mental health, but only if it is flexible (Nielsen 2018, 100–102). Because someone living with a mental illness may experience symptoms at unpredictable times or at varying levels of severity, they may need adjustments to expectations and plans from time to time (Kruse and Oswal 2018, 200–201).
Another strategy for supporting students’ mental health is to give students opportunities to have input into their own learning process and to validate their choices and ideas. Part of what the Suzuki triangle represents is that each corner of the triangle plays an equally important and valid role in music learning. A research-based pedagogical approach called “autonomy-supportive teaching” presents a similar perspective that benefits mental health (Savvidou 2021, 27–28). Autonomy-supportive teachers offer students choices and listen to their perspectives and ideas (for example, letting students choose and discuss repertoire, musical interpretation, or part of what needs work in a lesson), as well as explaining the reasoning behind teachers’ choices and perspectives.
Teachers can also support students’ mental health by emphasizing the process of their learning and complimenting them for their effort (which is usually within the student’s control), rather than focusing too much on results (Walker and Boyce-Tillman 2002, 177–179). Another way of reinforcing students’ self-worth as individuals, separate from their performance as musicians, is to choose values-based goals such as communicating with the audience, or playing to the best of ones abilities under the circumstances of that day and situation (Juncos and de Paiva e Pona 2022). The pace of a student’s progress through the Suzuki repertoire is only part of the story; their continued joyful engagement in making music is what matters most.
Building a Support System
Mental illness is common, but just because a student faces challenges, it doesn’t mean they don’t have the potential to pursue their musical interests. The Suzuki triangle approach is one way to help them build the skills to manage their symptoms and promote wellness. Each member of the triangle can emphasize core aspects of the Suzuki Method that overlap with important ways to support mental health—a kind and safe environment, consistent structure and stability, and a trust-based relationship between teachers, parents, and students.
References
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