Massachusetts Music Educators Association
a federated state association of NAfME

Massachusetts Music Mentors

A Mentoring Initiative of MMEA

Recently-graduated music educators frequently feel excited, isolated, and overwhelmed. Challenges are often unique to the art and discipline of teaching music. Innumerable daily decisions often distract from the joy of making music.

Mass Music Mentors is a mentoring program piloted by the Northeast District of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association. It is offered through the collaboration of MMEA's Northeastern District and Gordon College. Mass Music Mentors focuses on connectivity among:

• those who are new to the world of music education;

• those who teach in music preparatory programs of colleges and universities;

• and those mentors who wish to share their best teaching practices, wisdom and passion.

This resource is offered to all music educators who may benefit from it.

Massachusetts Music Mentors maintains a mentoring database of thirty professionals who have volunteered their services to young teachers. It is through their time and talent that this program offers onsite classroom observations, onsite rehearsal clinics, mentoring via phone or email, and video or audio review.

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MMEA plans to expand this mentoring program in order to make it available to teachers in all five MMEA Districts. It will follow the format established by the pilot program in the NE District. It will involve the cooperative efforts of one or more Higher Education Consultants and a Music Education Consultant from each District. As with NE District, there will be a database of professionals who have volunteered their services to young teachers. Some of the features the program may offer are informal quarterly meetings, classroom observations, rehearsal clinics, and mentoring by phone or email.