What is the Teen Advisory Council?
Old Town School's Teen Advisory Council supports the School's teen programs, works to grow a creative, open-minded youth community, and enriches the greater arts culture of Chicago.
The Council started in the fall of 2015 with six members and the simple idea that teen programming at the School should come directly from teens. Since then, Teen Council has grown to become an integral part of everything related to teens at the School. Council members run events like Teen Open Mic, they help teachers develop new classes and curriculum, they collaborate with other arts organizations across Chicago, and they overall ensure that the School is meeting the needs of its teen students and artists.
How Do I Get to Be on Teen Advisory Council?
All new Teen Advisory Council members go through an application process every fall. The ideal Teen Council member...
- ...loves the arts and can advocate for other teens.
- ...has a personal connection to teen programs at Old Town School.
- ...is comfortable with both leading a group and empowering others to take the lead.
- ...enjoys working on a creative team to make decisions and get stuff done.
Meet the Teen Advisory Council
Dahlia Danger Tanner-Gauspohl (she/her)
I am a junior at Jones College Prep and I absolutely love the open mic nights! I really love the passion and community that come with music and art, and although I am not a musician myself, I love creating art and films especially. I am here to help bring people together and help people show love for their music!
Ivy Tollefsen (she/her)
I'm a junior at Lane Tech. I've been taking classes at Old Town School since I was 7, and I've always really enjoyed my time here. After getting older and growing as a musician, Old Town School supported me by offering open mics and people to play with. Now, I want to pay it forward by helping other young musicians and artists be able to express themselves and to build their confidence as artists, plus work to improve what we offer teens at the Old Town School!
Francis Brazas (they/them)
I'm a senior at Jones and I've been taking classes at OTS since I was about 10 years old. From banjo to guitar, accordion to drums, I've spent numerous hours here learning in private lessons or collectives. OTS has had a massive role in my development as a musician so I feel like I owe it to give back in this way. I've played in various bands and on my own since 2019, and these open mics have always been a vehicle for me and my friends to put their music out there, so I intend on using my role to drive young musicians to get the experience they deserve.
Isabella Bustos (she/her)
Isabella is a Senior at Lane Tech High School. She has been on the Old Town School's Teen Advisory Council for five years! She is also a part of the Urban Gateways Teen Council and The Steppenwolf Young Adult Council. She enjoy performing, singing, and playing animal crossing. She is excited to promote the arts to teens across the city!
Sofie Richter (she/her)
I'm a junior at Jones and a lover of Old Town Open Mics!! I first walked in the Lincoln Ave entrance when I was just about three years old ... Wiggleworms! I've played guitar and sang at quite a few of the open mics with a band called Neptune's Core! We're a Chicago-based indie rock band that's played at venues all over the city. Old Town open mics gave us our start! We're still going strong and playing with some of our absolute favorite bands. I love writing tunes and sharing them with the Chicago music community. Music is so great! Super duper happy to be a part of the teen council!
Syd Howard (she/they)
I'm a senior at Jones College Prep and I've been coming to the Old Town School of Folk Music Teen Open mics for the last few years. I grew up taking piano and violin lessons, but I really found my love for music through school choir. In high school, I taught myself guitar and ukulele and began writing my own songs over the pandemic. At Jones, I am the co-president of our a capella group as well as the dance captain of our drama department. I'm really excited to get to create a safe and encouraging space for teens to share their art, especially since the open mics at old town have helped me grow so much as a performer!
Trey Tucker (he/him)
I have been going to the Old Town School Open Mics for about a year and a half and it has been such an amazing output for me creatively. For each one I write original songs and it's been such a great way to express myself and keep myself creatively motivated. I've always loved music but I just in the past two years started to teach myself guitar and ukulele and piano and writing my own songs. I joined the teen council because I want to help inspire and invite other people to these open mics, just like I was once invited by a member of the teen council, so they can have access to the same creative output I do. I'm in the Jones class of 2024, and I am part of the drama club there.
Ella Schultz (she/her)
I'm 17 years old, and I love music. Over our year at home I took up singing and songwriting and learning how to accompany myself on the acoustic guitar. This blossomed into a passion that I very much hold near to me, and I'm thankful for finding during a not so great year. Old Town School of Folk helped me work on some of the more technical aspects of guitar and gave me a chance to perform my own material for the first time at the Teen Open Mics. I have found a love of preforming and I hope to give back because of it.
Ella Cassidy (she/her)
I'm a sophomore at Amundsen High School, and have been at OTSFM for about a year. Over the pandemic, I picked up guitar and taught myself how to play and sing, eventually playing music with my dad and friends. I started on the electric guitar and quickly decided to explore fingerstyle. I've now been playing guitar for about two years and recently picked up lessons, teen collectives, and open mics at Old Town. I've learned new instruments, increased my knowledge of music theory and grown a love for performing. I'm eternally grateful for the friends I've made and what I've learned here!!
Questions about Teen Advisory Council? Contact us!
