TEACHING LIFE THROUGH MUSIC
Real conversations. Real-life skills.
Teaching Life Through Music creates interactive social-emotional learning experiences that help people communicate better, understand themselves, make healthier decisions and navigate everyday life.
We work with youth, adults, schools, workforce programs, community organizations, and teams throughout the United States of America - with virtual programming available.
WHO WE ARE
Life happens fast.
We help people handle it better.
Life doesn’t always give you time to stop and figure out the “right” answer.
Sometimes you’re angry. Nervous. Under pressure. Trying to keep a job. Trying to get one. Trying to communicate without shutting down. Trying to make a decision when everybody around you has an opinion.
That’s where TLTM comes in.
We create spaces where people can talk honestly about the things they’re actually dealing with and build skills they can use outside the room.
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WHAT WE DO
We work on practical skills people use every day:
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Communication
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Emotional regulation
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Confidence
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Decision-making
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Conflict
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Self-awareness
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Relationships
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Workplace readiness
Programs can be a single workshop, a multi-week series or a longer engagement.
Sessions are available in person or virtually and can be shaped around the needs of the group.
Schools + Youth Programs
Workforce Development Programs
Helping young people build communication, confidence, self-awareness, decision-making, relationships and other skills they can carry beyond the classroom.
Connecting social-emotional skills to the realities of work: showing up, communicating professionally, receiving feedback, handling conflict, managing pressure and working with different personalities.
WHO WE WORK WITH
Community Organizations
Companies + Teams
Programming shaped around the experiences, challenges and goals of the people an organization serves.
Interactive sessions focused on communication, emotional intelligence, relationships, professionalism, leadership and how people work together.
Over 3.5k students & adults served ♫ 100 + Workshops Delivered ♫ 25 + Plus Organizations Engaged ♫ 90% Participant Satisfaction ♫
WHERE THE MUSIC FITS
The name can make people think we teach music. We don’t.
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Music is one of the ways we connect. It might be playing in the background. Kris may perform. Aaron may sing. A song, lyric or musical moment may help open a conversation. Sometimes music is barely part of the session at all.
The point isn’t to teach people how to make music. We use familiar elements of music, conversation and real-life situations to help people open up, think differently and connect what they’re learning to their own lives.
No musical experience is required.
WHAT A TLTM SESSION FEELS LIKE
Sometimes the conversation is the lesson.
People talk. Listen. Laugh. Work through real situations. Hear perspectives they may not have considered. Think about how they respond under pressure, handle conflict, communicate, make choices and show up for themselves and other people.
It isn’t another lecture about what someone should be doing. Participants are part of the conversation.
TESTIMONIALS
Actual participants and partners can say it better than we can.
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TLTM Participant
TLTM Participant
"It made me self-aware and self-regulate… to be the father that she needs, the man that she can come to and talk to."
"It’s okay to walk away. It’s okay to breathe it out. It’s okay to think it through before you make that move."
TLTM Participant
“I realized something a little deeper within myself that I need to work on.”
TLTM Participant
"If we don't control our emotions, your emotions will control you!"
BUILT TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE
Different people walk into the room with different experiences, comfort levels and ways of participating. TLTM is designed with that in mind.
We meet the group where it is and shape the conversation around the people in front of us.
IN-PERSON + VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING AVAILABLE
Programs can be adapted to different ages, settings and group goals. No musical background is needed to participate.
MEET THE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM
TLTM is led by brothers Kristopher and Aaron Gordon, who facilitate the conversations and experiences at the center of the program.
Kristopher Gordon
President +
Lead Facilitator
Kristopher Gordon leads the development and facilitation of Teaching Life Through Music programming. His work focuses on helping people strengthen communication, emotional awareness, decision-making, confidence and the way they navigate relationships, work and everyday life.
Kris brings real-life conversation into the room and has a way of taking topics that can feel formal or uncomfortable and making them easier to talk about. Depending on the session, that may include storytelling, interactive discussion, personal reflection or performance.
Through TLTM, he has worked with youth, adults, schools, workforce development programs, community organizations and other partners throughout the Chicagoland area.
Kristopher Gordon leads the development and facilitation of Teaching Life Through Music programming. His work focuses on helping people strengthen communication, emotional awareness, decision-making, confidence and the way they navigate relationships, work and everyday life.
Kris brings real-life conversation into the room and has a way of taking topics that can feel formal or uncomfortable and making them easier to talk about. Depending on the session, that may include storytelling, interactive discussion, personal reflection or performance.
Through TLTM, he has worked with youth, adults, schools, workforce development programs, community organizations and other partners throughout the Chicagoland area.
Aaron Gordon
Vice President +
Co-Facilitator
Kristopher Gordon
President + Lead Facilitator
Aaron Gordon serves as Vice President and Co-Facilitator of Teaching Life Through Music, working alongside Kristopher to lead conversations and interactive experiences with participants.
Aaron brings his background in music and vocal performance into the program when it supports the moment, but his role goes well beyond music. His work with TLTM centers on emotional intelligence, communication, relationships and helping participants think more intentionally about how they respond to the situations they face every day.
His presence gives participants another voice and perspective in the room, helping create the kind of back-and-forth conversation that is central to the TLTM experience.
ORGANIZATIONS WE’VE PARTNERED WITH
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1–12 Week Programs
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1–2 Hour Interactive Sessions
1-on-1 and Group Experiences
BRING TLTM
TO YOUR ORGANIZATION
Every group is different. Tell us who you’re working with and what you’re trying to accomplish. We’ll talk through what Teaching Life Through Music could look like for you.