SoundstageEDU
Building Better Fine Arts and Theater Tech Culture
Helping educators, parents, and students rebuild fine arts culture from the inside out.
REST STOPS: STUDENTS AND STUDENT LEADERS
Students today are operating at a pace most adults never experienced at their age.
Academic pressure.
Performance pressure.
Social pressure.
Leadership pressure.
These Rest Stops are short, guided audio sessions designed to teach students how their nervous system works — and how to regulate it safely.
No ideology.
No therapy replacement.
No hidden curriculum.
Just practical nervous system literacy in a format students will actually use.
🎧 Start Here: A Message to Parents, Guardians, Counselors, and School Leaders
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Before any student engages this resource, we encourage parents, guardians, and school professionals to listen first.
This message outlines:
• Scope and boundaries
• What this resource is and is not
• Clinical limitations
• Data and communication transparency
• Intended use within school environments
Transparency matters. Trust matters. Optics matter.
You may also read the full written letter below.
A Letter to Parents and School Professionals
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Before any student presses play on one of these sessions, I want to speak directly to you.
I am a dad.
I am a former educator.
I have spent decades working alongside students in performance environments — marching band fields, theater stages, leadership rooms, and classrooms. I have seen firsthand how capable our students are… and how much pressure they quietly carry.
This resource was built with one goal:
To teach students how their nervous system works, and how to regulate it safely.
That’s it.
We are not providing therapy. We are not diagnosing. We are not replacing counselors, psychologists, or school mental health professionals.
We are not engaging in private communication with students.
There is no data collection, no messaging feature, and no hidden curriculum.
These are guided audio sessions that teach:
• Breathing techniques
• Nervous system education
• Vagal nerve awareness
• Emotional regulation skills
• Performance and academic stress management
Everything is transparent. Everything is developmentally appropriate. Everything is focused on regulation, not ideology.
The language is simple. The science is basic and widely understood.
The goal is practical:
A calmer nervous system supports better decision-making, healthier peer interaction, improved performance, and stronger academic outcomes.
Students today live in a constant state of stimulation.
Notifications, comparison, pressure, expectation — it never really shuts off.
We cannot remove all stress from their lives. But we can teach them how to downshift. That is what this is.
There are no belief systems embedded here. No worldview shaping. No emotional manipulation. No replacement of parental authority.
In fact, I encourage families to listen together. If at any time a student requires professional mental health support, this resource should supplement — not substitute — appropriate care.
My commitment is simple:
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To offer students safe, science-informed tools for emotional regulation in a format they will actually use.
Nothing more. Nothing hidden. Nothing agenda-driven.
Just practical nervous system literacy.
If you have questions, I welcome them.
Transparency matters. Optics matter. Trust matters.
And our students deserve adults who are thoughtful about all three.
— Mike DeJohn
Founder, SoundstageEDU
Father. Educator. Advocate for student wellness.
🎧 Welcome to Reset: Understanding Regulation
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Before diving into specific sessions, students are encouraged to listen to this orientation.
In this session we explain:
• What regulation means
• How stress impacts the nervous system
• What the vagus nerve does
• Why breathing works
• What sounds may be used and why
• What these sessions are not
Students are not expected to “meditate.”
You are learning how to shift gears.
For Students
If you’re here, there’s a good chance your brain feels loud.
That’s not weakness. That’s a nervous system under load.
These sessions are built for:
• Before a test
• Before a performance
• After conflict
• When leadership feels heavy
• When you can’t sleep
• When everything feels like too much
You don’t need to believe in anything. You don’t need to “clear your mind.” You don’t need to be good at this. You just need a few minutes.
Think of this like stepping off the field between reps.
You reset.
Then you go back in steadier.
Who This is For
These sessions are appropriate for:
• High school students
• Middle school students (with parental awareness)
• Student leaders
• Athletes
• Performing arts students
• Academic competitors
• Students navigating social stress
These sessions are not a replacement for professional mental health services.
If a student is experiencing crisis-level distress, please seek licensed support immediately.
Why This Exists
Emotional regulation directly supports:
• Academic performance
• Executive functioning
• Peer relationships
• Leadership clarity
• Performance consistency
A regulated nervous system improves cognitive bandwidth. Students do not fail because they lack intelligence.
Often, they are overloaded.
Regulation is a skill.
Skills can be taught.
Available Sessions
(This section is under constant development. Sometimes ideas for sessions land here before the session is fully complete. Once a session is produced, you will see the player appear.)
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• Leader Reset
• Night Reset
Each session includes:
• Clear regulation goals
• Simple pacing instructions
• Optional background tone
• No data collection
• No tracking
FOR SCHOOLS & COUNSELORS
School professionals may:
• Share this page publicly
• Post QR codes in counseling offices
• Include in wellness newsletters
• Use sessions before leadership meetings
• Use sessions before performance or testing blocks
If you are a district administrator and would like a direct conversation regarding implementation boundaries, you are welcome to reach out.
DISCLAIMER
SoundstageEDU Rest Stops are educational audio resources focused on nervous system literacy and emotional regulation skills.
They do not provide medical or psychological treatment and are not a substitute for licensed mental health care.
If a student is in crisis, contact appropriate local emergency or mental health services immediately.