Below is a description of the Supporting Beginning Music Teachers ASPA Projects. If you are interested in participating in one of our projects, please contact a Project Leader.
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Current SBMT Projects (as of March, 2018)
Virtual Music Teacher Support Groups
- Provide community-based support for each end of the mentorship spectrum (see below).
Beginning Teachers Virtual Community – Lisa Martin (martlis@bgsu.edu), Project Leader
- Facilitate discussion among novice teachers
- Serve as support group/safe space for sharing entry-year issues/concerns/successes with a cohort of like-experienced professionals
Mentor Teacher Virtual Community – Ryan Meeks (ryan.meeks@ou.edu), Project Leader
- Facilitate discussion among mentor/veteran teachers
- Share ideas for mentoring; provide outlet for mentors to discuss issues and best practices
Mentor Chairperson Support Program: Project Leader: Erin Zaffini (ezaffini@keene.edu)
- Determined to offer a virtual, real-time series of sessions/forums/meetings on various topics related to designing and implementing a state MEA mentoring program. Examples might include:
- Funding
- Mentor-mentee pairing
- Mentor training/effective mentoring
- Virtual mentoring/communication
- Awaiting funding support from NAfME for this program
Facebook Group/Social Media Support: Project Leader: Brian Weidner (bweidner@butler.edu)
- Improve recruitment members to the group; get MTEs to promote the group to student teachers
- Generating content for the page that is useful to beginning teachers and a schedule for posting topics
- Group is moderated by ASPA members
- Encourage short “success story” videos from beginning teachers
- (Future) Link to a new Beginning Teacher Resource Page through the SBMT ASPA website
Preparing Undergraduates for Mentorship
- Discussions on research ideas to collect diagnostic information on existing practices in undergraduate curricula that promote future mentorship.
- Survey undergraduates regarding their perceptions of mentorship preparation; examine current practices
- Propose model/framework of what mentoring looks like throughout the undergraduate curriculum
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Past SBMT Projects
Symposium on Mentoring of the Beginning Music Teacher
Colleen Conway, Jessica Vaughan–Marra, Margaret Berg, Bryan Koerner, Christopher Baumgartner, & Christine Mueller
- Presented at the 2018 Biennial Music Research and Teacher Education National Conference, Atlanta, GA
- Music Teacher Education SRIG Symposium Included findings from multiple studies on music teacher mentoring (i.e., retired teachers as mentors, virtual mentoring, state-MEA mentorship program) and discussion on the topic.
Digital Mentoring: Customized Content Support for Early Career New Music Teachers
Jessica Vaughan–Marra & Margaret Berg
- Presented at the 2017 Symposium on Music Teacher Education
Exemplary Music Educator Association Mentoring Programs: From the Inside Out
Jennifer Greene, Bryan Koerner, & Jill Wilson
- Presented at the 2017 Symposium on Music Teacher Education
- Compared current practices of four state MEA-sponsored mentoring programs
From left: Jennifer Green, Bryan Koerner, Jill Wilson
“Best Practices” for Designing Music Teacher Mentor and Induction Programs
- Project Leader: Bryan Koerner, bryan.koerner@colorado.edu
- Mentoring Best Practices Presentation – NAfME 2016
- Examine the current MEA mentor, induction, and PD program structures in place (24 states)
- Create a set of guidelines or “best practices” for others to reference when designing/revising programs
- Various levels of “involvement” based on individual state DOE requirements
- Structural/Organizational/Logistical considerations
- Financial/Capital considerations
- Disseminate information to organization chairs/presidents
- (follow-up to 2015 SMTE research presentation)
The Current Status of Beginning Teacher Mentoring and Induction Programs in the US
- Project Leader: Chris Baumgartner, cbaumgartner@ou.edu
- Presentation at 2015 Symposium
- Virtual Meeting Notes
From left: Jennifer Green, Sarah Stanley, Vanessa Bond, Morgan Soja, Melissa Baughman, Christopher Baumgartner, Bryan Koerner, & Betty Anne Gottlieb.
University-Alumni connections for professional development and mentoring
- Project Leader: Chris Baumgartner
- Link to webpage from NAfME 2014 presentation, Universities Supporting Young Alumni: Support Programs for Beginning Teachers beginningteacheraspa.wordpress.com
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