by Author Ben Sandbrook

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Developing and Coordinating a Music-based Mentoring Programme

Here we look at the whole process of setting up and running a music-based mentoring programme (where one person – the coordinator – is responsible for all).

This page is part of a resource pack on Music-based mentoring.

 

The checklist below not only walks you though the tasks involved, but also allows you as coordinator to reflect on whether you have the skills, experience and authority to manage a mentoring programme. In practice the jobs may be split between a manager and a coordinator; in which case both parties need to agree where the split is, ensure that there are no gaps between functions, and to agree support and management for those tasks left to the coordinator.

  • Are you endlessly positive with an unshakable belief in what these young people can achieve, because these are qualities you will definitely need?
  • Why are you doing a music based mentoring programme? (Because I can get funding isn’t a good enough answer). Read about what a music based mentoring programme can do at 'Measuring the Impact of Music-based Mentoring' and compare that with your own organisation’s overall aims and objectives: is there a fit, especially between values and outcomes?
  • Who will be your mentees, where will you find them? What are their characteristics? Why would they benefit from a music based mentoring programme, and how? (See: Processes: Recruitment and Induction of Mentees)
  • How many sessions will a mentee be offered? It’s often reckoned for traditional mentoring programmes that regular sessions lasting ten months to a year are necessary for progress*. Music based mentoring starts from a basis of trust between mentor and mentee, and mentors may be already known to mentees, so progress can be faster. Even so, most programmes should budget for at least 20 sessions of an hour or two weekly or fortnightly. But could you make a case for a shorter, focused programme? One organisation offered five mentoring sessions to young people for whom the coordinator considered a few focused sessions might help them dig themselves out of a trough. Another offered a few sessions of one-to-one work as an important step for a mentee's personal development before offering them a place on another project they were running.
  • How many mentees will you have? This depends partly on the number of mentors you have, partly on the balance of work between groups and one-to-one working (See: What is Mentoring?) and of course partly on your budget. How many mentors? is a similar question.
  • So how big a programme altogether will you run? Bigger programmes bring benefits: you can mix and match mentees and mentors more easily, swap pairs around if they’re not working, have more choice between one-to-one and group work. Mentees can support one another, as can mentors. Face to face training of mentors is cheaper in bulk, and with a bigger role more cost-effective for the coordinator’s training. There are also downsides (besides funding): there can be disbenefits of scale; what can be an informal supervision session with one or two mentors might need to become more formal and costly of time with half a dozen. A full time coordinator is unlikely to be able to manage properly more than 15 to 20 mentors – so a programme might be restricted by the amount of your time as coordinator that’s available.
  • Who will be your mentors? How will you recruit them? The job description for a mentor is at 'Am I  / Are we ready to mentor: What do you need to be a music-based mentor?' - how much of that is familiar to the music leaders you already work with? What else will they need to know before they can start work? (They should find it all in this online guide!)
  • What documentation will you need about your mentees initially? (See: recruitment and induction of mentees) And about what goals they have agreed with their mentors, and about how they are progressing?
  • How will you match mentees to mentors? There are a number of strategies: [See Processes: Matching mentees and mentors]
  • What ongoing support and management will your mentors need? They will need to use you as a sounding board, and they may find some of the mentees’ challenges and stories overwhelming. You will need to be there regularly, often just to listen. (See: Ongoing Support Requirements for Music-based Mentoring)

 References: * Sandford, S et al (2007) Lean on me: mentoring for young people at risk - a guide for funders and donors. New Philanthropy Capital (p15) http://www.philanthropycapital.org/download/default.aspx?id=344
 Meier, R (2008) Youth mentoring: a good thing? London: Centre for Policy Studies. (p17) http://www.cps.org.uk/cps_catalog/CPS_assets/691_ProductPreviewFile.pdf
 Philip, K & Spratt, J (2007). A Synthesis of Published Research on Mentoring and Befriending: University of Aberdeen (p46)

For further information read 'Move On Up – an evaluation of Youth Music Mentors', (pages 26 to 35 and Chapter 5 , pages 36 to 45).