A Silicon Valley orchestra teacher’s unique approach to education.
By Dhrithi Vishwa
COMPOSITION CLASSROOM of a
It was a chilly Monday morning, and Johanna “Jo” Nilsson was still in her ofce. Chatty high school students in Packard Hall busied themselves with their usual routine of setting up the room for orchestra rehearsal. Discussions ranged from favorite video game characters to upcoming exam topics; in Packard, students could express themselves freely. At 8:40 AM, with a gentle smile on her face and a cup of cofee in her hand, Jo fnally emerged from her ofce. Jo’s students did not hesitate to include her in their conversations, cracking jokes and making small exchanges with her even afer class ofcially began. Tough the weather outside was cold, the atmosphere in the room felt warm.
Jo’s interest in music was sparked when she was just a toddler, and since then she has been involved with music for over 20 years. As a high schooler, she
was heavily involved in Mountain View High School’s music program (where she now teaches orchestra) and always dedicated time to music practice. However, music wasn’t her only passion. Growing up, Jo found herself in mentoring roles in several of the groups she was in; the skill of teaching came to her naturally. Today, she is not only perceived by her students as an exceptional educator but also as an approachable one. While many public school educators take traditional approaches to teaching, Jo extends her methods beyond the music sheets. In the cutthroat landscape of Silicon Valley’s public school system, she puts her students’ well-being frst by fostering a positive classroom culture, supporting them through personal challenges, and fostering an inclusive community in the context of music education.
As academic pressures intensify in American high schools, student mental health sufers a toll. A recent Pew Research Center survey revealed that 61% of teens feel a lot of pressure to get good grades, while 70% recognize that anxiety and depression are major problems among their peers (Horowitz and Graf). In Mountain View High School, one of the top public high schools in Silicon Valley, the pressure to excel endures. Relentless grind culture, high parental expectations, and dwindling college acceptance rates drive students to take on crammed schedules in pursuit of achievement, ofen at the expense of rest and social activities. Amidst their tedious schooldays, Jo’s class serves as a refuge for tense students.
In most classes, students are occupied by stress-inducing assignments, lectures, and exams. When teachers give them time for discussion, it is ofen for purely academic purposes. In contrast, Jo believes that giving unstructured talking time to her students helps create a comfortable learning space. She expresses that the nature of orchestra is inherently “less conversational” than academic classes, so “you have to balance time for folks to just chit chat, while also having an efcient rehearsal.”
Comfort Support
While Jo appreciates some aspects of her past instructors’ teaching styles, she has mixed feelings about their approaches to assignments and assessments. For example, despite their common appearance in her music classes growing up, she avoids assigning practice logs–sheets where students are required to record their weekly practice hours and have signed of by their parents. Jo acknowledges that practice logs can increase the level of personal accountability that students feel towards their music program. However, she also recognizes that they can be challenging for those who struggle with assignment submissions: “ Tey would get a worse grade because they didn’t turn in their practice log, and I know they’re practicing because I see them practice.”
Jo’s teaching style was partly shaped by the music instructors she studied under as a student in Silicon Valley. What struck her most was their commitment to building genuine connections with their students and creating positive learning environments. Lara Fernando, one of Jo’s former students and president of Mountain View High School’s music council, attests that Jo takes the time to get to know each of her students and their passions. “She could tell you what I do outside of orchestra,” says Lara, “and she knows me well enough to understand what’s going on in my life.”
To Jo, forming positive connections with her students and encouraging them to bond with one another is crucial to creating a classroom where they feel secure enough to take risks. Failure to establish a safe space for taking risks can lead students to withdraw and avoid participation because they’re afraid of making mistakes in front of others. Tis is why Jo prefers to give feedback to individual students privately instead of pointing out errors in front of their classmates. When providing feedback in a group setting, she addresses it to either a section of the ensemble or the orchestra as a whole. Tis allows students to learn without feeling insecure and also makes risk-taking seem less scary. In a results-focused place like Silicon Valley, Jo has created an atmosphere where students feel at ease taking risks and making mistakes.
As a high schooler, Jo was diagnosed with severe depression. In her junior year, she decided to drop out of all her academic classes, yet she continued to at-
Above: One of Jo’s students practicing. Previous page: Jo checking her music score while teaching.
tend her music classes. It was her bond with music that gave her motivation to show up to school, and it was her peers and music teachers who kept her “anchored” in the community. Refecting on this period, Jo shares that, if she didn’t have those musical communities, she “might have not come back to high school or decided to not pursue college.”
Jo’s openness about her experience enables her music students who are facing similar struggles at Mountain View High School to connect with her on a deeper level. When Lara experienced a setback in her career path due to a brain injury, she found inspiration in Jo’s resilience. “Knowing she had something similar happen to her made me feel like it will be okay,” says Lara, “sometimes redirection can turn into something really positive.”
Lara also recalls another instance where Jo’s support helped her cope emotionally. As she was preparing for an upcoming concert, Lara received news that her middle school music director was hospitalized for cancer. Lara’s middle school music director had taken her under her wing and taught her how to conduct, so the news deeply afected her. Despite being unaware of Lara’s trouble, Jo allowed Lara the opportunity to conduct a piece for the concert. Te day following the concert, Lara learned of her music director’s passing. To this day, Lara maintains gratitude for Jo’s support: “She was willing to try something new with me, and it was really helpful in healing from the loss of someone who had been a critical part of my life.”
Jo also recognizes that many teenagers “go
through a tumultuous time emotionally and hormonally,” an experience similar to hers as a high schooler. According to a 2021 report by the CDC, 42% of American high schoolers experienced persistent feelings of hopelessness or sadness. Furthermore, 22% seriously considered attempting suicide, and 10% attempted, indicating a concerning rise in mental health issues among teenagers over the past decade.
In Silicon Valley, poor mental health in teenagers can ofen be traced back to achievement culture: pressure to “stand out” for elite universities undermines students’ well-being, leading them to measure their self-worth by their achievements. However, as award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Breheny Wallace points out, “It’s not the prestige of a college that matters; it’s how students ft into their environment and feel valued in a meaningful way.” Tis sentiment is echoed by Jo, who believes that parental pressure for students to join top-level ensembles should be avoided. “Emphasizing prestige negatively impacts students’ experiences in the class,” says Jo, “and I think that if we can instead focus on why we love making music and participating in the community, then students are more likely to persist with the music program and enjoy it.” Breheny Wallace highlights that many of the students who struggle most feel like
Jo writing a concert schedule for her students.
Basses in the instrument storage room.
their value is “contingent on their performance,” so Jo underscoring the importance of valuing enjoyment over achievement ofers a vital strategy educators can take to support their students amidst Silicon Valley’s demanding academic climate.
JInclusion
o not only supports her students’ emotional well-being but also makes them feel included by considering where they each ft into the orchestra, accepting student input, and promoting collaboration. In selecting concert pieces, for instance, Jo thoughtfully considers the musicians’ skill levels and their enjoyment. Lara notes that “she can fnd music that’s a good balance” between a suitable challenge for an experienced player, and something accessible for a beginner. Tis approach encourages new members to join the orchestra while also keeping older members engaged. Additionally, Jo makes sure to balance the melody of the music among diferent instrument parts. Ofen in orchestral music, violists may fnd their parts less signifcant. But Jo makes an efort to select pieces that highlight the viola section–a choice that violists like Lara have come to greatly appreciate.
Furthermore, Jo’s approach to musical selection is highly inclusive of student input. In one class, Jo played a professional recording of “Hungarian Dance No. 5” for the students–a piece they were preparing for a concert. Afer hearing a glissando–a technique where a string player will slide upward or downward between two notes–a student pointed out its usage by the
performers in the recording. Jo then asked the student to demonstrate a glissando to the class and opened the foor to the other students for discussion on its inclusion in their performance. Rather than simply instructing the students to use the glissando, Jo actively engaged her students in a conversation surrounding the technique. She explains, “I think those conversations increase a sense of ownership and enhance the collaboration that’s already happening.”
Jo further encourages student collaboration by scheduling sectionals as part of the class’s weekly activities. During sectionals, students who play the same instrument work together to improve on specifc segments of the concert repertoire. While there may sometimes be a designated section leader, the environment of a sectional is typically more of a “collaborative give-and-take conversation” where students can freely exchange ideas on how to approach certain passages and the best techniques to use. Tis practice not only benefts the students’ musical skills but also strengthens their interpersonal bonds as they develop teamwork skills.
For Jo, collaboration in an orchestra serves as a metaphor for teamwork in life. “If the student next to you is playing completely wrong notes, while you’re playing all the right notes, it’s not going to average out to the middle,” Jo explains, “Our ear is going to pick up the wrong notes.” Tis orchestra principle applies to a broad spectrum of scenarios. From group projects to relationships, efective collaboration can’t happen before individuals take on self-responsibility. It’s only then that individuals can develop an awareness of how they ft into the whole.
As an orchestra teacher at Mountain View High School, Jo has grown to cherish the vibrant community of students and educators that make up the music program. In the relentless academic climate of Silicon Valley, she is dedicated to supporting her students, but just musically but also emotionally and socially. Jo’s goal is for her students in the music program to feel safe and included in the musical community, and she aspires for them to “leave the music program with a lasting love for music.”
Music guided Jo to where she is today. But it’s her love for her students that has brought them closer to the world of music.
“I get a kick out of hanging out with my students and making music with my students, and I love it when they just can’t stop practicing.”
A viola belonging to one of Jo’s students.
ABOUT the AUTHOR
Dhrithi Vishwa is a junior at Mountain View High School and a Design student at Freestyle Academy. Outside of school, Dhrithi is ofen found designing spreads for Mountain View’s student-run social justice and culture magazine. A vice president of her Girl Scout troop, Dhrithi is also involved in community service and advocates for social change. She also plays the viola in her high school’s string orchestra. In her downtime, Dhrithi enjoys reading comics, making playlists, and napping. She lives in Mountain View with her parents and sister. Dhrithi is looking forward to growing as an artist, designer, and individual, and is excited to see what the future holds.
