Supporting Beginning
Music Teachers
The purpose of the Supporting Beginning Music Teachers ASPA is to identify and describe effective models of mentoring, induction, professional development, and continued support programs for new music teachers, and encourage further research and strategic action in this area.
Beginning Music Teachers
Facilitators:
Jessica Vaughan-Marra, Seton Hill University (jvaughanmarra@setonhill.edu)
Erin Zaffini, Longy School of Music (ezaffini@longy.edu)
To join the Supporting Beginning Music Teachers ASPA Google Group (email list):
send an email to sbmtaspa@googlegroups.com
Group Membership
Register or login to your account on this site to add this group to your SMTE profile.
goals
The Supporting Beginning Music Teachers ASPA established the following action items at the 2017 SMTE Symposium:
- Develop a set of “best practices” on various topics to serve as models for state Music Education Associations when designing and implementing music mentoring programs.
- Enhance our social media presence by reaching more beginning teachers to provide regular, supportive information.
- Documenting the voices of current undergraduate music education students concerning their views on mentoring, as well as strategies/embedded practices within existing undergraduate music education curricula that promote preparation for future mentorship.
Current Projects
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.
NAfME Music Mentorship Program Facilitator and Mentor Support Project
Project Leader: Erin Zaffini (ezaffini@keene.edu)
Financially supported by the NAfME NEB, 10 virtual & interactive sessions led by experts in our field on various topics related to music mentoring & developing music mentorship programs. The program kicks off in January 2020:
- Virtual, real-time series of sessions
- Target participants are state mentorship program chairpersons and mentors
- Funding provided by the NAfME National Executive Board
Project Overview
The project includes 10 virtual sessions on various topics related to music teacher mentoring and mentor program development. Each session is led by an expert teacher, mentor, and/or researcher in the field. Virtual sessions are interactive, occur in real-time (i.e., not prerecorded webinars), and are designed to provide our participants with education, tools, and techniques for navigating various aspects of music mentoring and mentorship program development. Sessions dates (8:00–9:00PM Eastern Standard Time), leaders, and topics are as follows:
January 7 (Tuesday): Current Music Mentor Programs: What’s Working, What’s Not? — Dr. Erin Zaffini (Keene State College)
January 16 (Thursday): Mentor Characteristics & Mentoring Styles — Dr. Tami Draves (University of North Carolina Greensboro)
January 21 (Tuesday): New is Different: Mentoring In-service vs. Pre-service Teachers — Dr. Jennifer Green (Fayetteville-Manlius High School, NY)
January 28 (Tuesday): Characteristics & Development of Beginning Teachers — Dr. Morgan Soja (Gardner-Webb University)
February 4 (Tuesday): Tips for Developing Your State Music Mentoring Program — Dr. Chris Baumgartner (Oklahoma) & Mr. Steve Litwiller (Missouri)
February 18 (Tuesday): Observation Practices & Techniques for Mentors — Dr. Colleen Conway (University of Michigan)
February 25 (Tuesday): Digital/Virtual Mentoring — Dr. Jessica Vaughan-Marra (Seton Hill University)
March 3 (Tuesday): Teaching Mentees to Analyze Student Work — Ms. Denese Odegaard (NAfME Immediate Past President)
March 10 (Tuesday): Guided Reflection and Meaningful Feedback — Dr. Cynthia Wagoner (East Carolina University)
March 17 (Tuesday): Role Play: Practice Your Mentoring Skills — Dr. Margaret Berg (University of Colorado Boulder)
Facebook Group/Social Media Support
Project Leader: Brian Weidner (bweidner@butler.edu)
- New approach to posts of teaching tips, engagement surveys, & features of early-career music educators
- Group is moderated by ASPA members
- Continue recruitment via various methods
Get Involved
We are looking for experienced teachers to help spark conversation, provide tips and suggestions, and interact with our community of beginning music educators!
Don’t forget to join the group AND pass the word to any new music teachers in your network!
Please consider contributing—just visit this Google Sheet to “sign up” and our project leaders will be in touch.
Past Projects
Symposium on Mentoring of the Beginning Music Teacher
Project Leaders: 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
Project Leaders: Jessica Vaughan–Marra & Margaret Berg
- Presented at the 2017 Symposium on Music Teacher Education
From left: Jennifer Green, Bryan Koerner, Jill Wilson
Exemplary Music Educator Association Mentoring Programs: From the Inside Out
Project Leaders: 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
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 (cbaumgartner@ou.edu)
- Link to the webpage from NAfME 2014 presentation, Universities Supporting Young Alumni: Support Programs for Beginning Teachers beginningteacheraspa.wordpress.com
“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)
Working Session minutes
NAfME Releases Updated Music Teacher Certification Table
NAfME has released an updated version of a table of music teacher certification requirements for each state. A link to this important resource has also been added to the SMTE Resources page.
Mentoring Programs Project Meeting Minutes – 8.13.15
Task List Fact Checking: Your re-assigned NAfME division (double-checking your friend’s work) by the end of next week (5:00PM Eastern, Friday, August 21) to ensure accurate info across the board. More detail as needed, especially in the “Structure” and “Guidelines”...
Winter 2015 Virtual Meeting
Professional Development for the Beginning Teacher ASPA Winter 2015 Virtual Meeting Notes February 12, 2015 ASPA Members in Attendance: Chris Baumgartner, Jennifer Greene, Bryan Koerner, & Morgan Soja Old Business Reviewed proposed ideas from fall semester...
Collaborators
While this ASPA does not have a formal standing membership, the following individuals have been active in this group.
Robert Amchin
University of Louisville
raamch01@louisville.edu
Kimberly Ankney
Christopher Newport University
kimberly.ankney@cnu.edu
Melissa Baughman
University of Oklahoma
baughman@ou.edu
Chris Baumgartner
University of Oklahoma
cbaumgartner@ou.edu
Margaret Berg
University of Colorado–Boulder
margaret.berg@colorado.edu
Vanessa L. Bond
The Hartt School, University of Hartford
vbond@hartford.edu
Patrick Casey
Newberry College
patrick.casey@newberry.edu
Vimari Colón-León
University of Miami
v.colonleon@miami.edu
Colleen Conway
University of Michigan
conwaycm@umich.edu
Carolyn Cruse
Texas Tech University
carolyn.cruse@ttu.edu
John Denis
Texas State University
john.denis@txstate.edu
Penny Dimmick
Butler University
pdimmick@butler.edu
Tami Draves
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
tjdraves@uncg.edu
Laura Dunbar
University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
DunbarLL@uwec.edu
Keith Dye
Texas Tech University
keith.dye@ttu.edu
Ellie Falter
Drake University
ellie.falter@drake.edu
Eva Floyd
UC College Conservatory of Music (Cincinnati)
Eva.floyd@uc.edu
Benita Gladney
University of Georgia
bglad440@aol.com
Robin Giebelhausen
University of Maryland
rgiebelhausen@gmail.com
BettyAnne Gottlieb
UC College Conservatory of Music (Cincinnati)
Bettyanne.Gottlieb@uc.edu
Jennifer Greene
Fayetteville–Manlius Schools (NY)
jgreene@fmschools.org
Damon Harvey
West Virginia University
damonharveymusic@gmail.com
Edward “Ted” Hoffman
University of Montevello
ehoffman@montevallo.edu
Scott Kaliszak
Gettysburg College
kalisc01@gettysburg.edu
Amanda Kastner
University of Florida
alkastner@ufl.edu
Bryan Koerner
Oklahoma State Department of Education
bryankoerner@gmail.com
Susana Lalama
Converse College
Susana.lalama@converse.edu
Danelle Larson
Eastern Illinois University
dlarson@eiu.edu
Amanda McClintock
Northwestern University
Mandamcclintock@gmail.com
Elizabeth McFarland
Southeast Missouri State University
emcfarland@semo.edu
Ryan Meeks
University of Central Oklahoma
rmeeks3@uco.edu
Ian Miller
University of Colorado Boulder
ian.miller@colorado.edu
Christine Mueller
Oklahoma City Public Schools (OK)
cmuellerspage@gmail.com
JJ Norman
Maryland MEA
jjn.nmea@gmail.com
Jordan Northerns
USD 375 Circle Public Schools (KS)
jnortherns@usd375.org
Tim Nowak
East Carolina University
nowakt19@ecu.edu
Kelsey Nussbaum
University of North Texas
kelseynussbaum@my.unt.edu
Denise Odegaard
National Association for Music Education
denese@cableone.net
Andrew Paney
University of Mississippi
apaney@olemiss.edu
Elizabeth Parker
Temple University
Elizabeth.parker@temple.edu
Natalie Steele Royston
Iowa State University
nasteele@iastate.edu
Amanda Schlegel
University of South Carolina
aschlegel@mozart.sc.edu
Heather Shouldice
Eastern Michigan University
heathershouldice@gmail.com
Crystal Sieger
University of Wyoming
csieger@uwyo.edu
Alvin Simpson
Eastman School of Music
asimps11@u.rochester.edu
Jacqueline Smith
The Hartt School, University of Hartford
jacksmith@hartford.edu
Anne Marie Stanley
Louisiana State University
astanley1@lsu.edu
Morgan Soja
Samford University
msoja@samford.edu
Marsha Vanderwerff
Arizona State University
mmvande1@asu.edu
Jessica Vaughan-Marra
Seton Hill University
jvaughanmarra@setonhill.edu
John Wayman
University of Texas at Arlington
john.wayman@uta.edu
Brian Weidner
Butler University
bweidner@butler.edu
Richard Welch
Kansas State University
Richard87@ksu.edu
Megan Wick
University of Colorado–Boulder
Megan.wick@colorado.edu
Jill Wilson
Luther College
Wilsji01@luther.edu