The Role of Mentorship in the Training of Professional Musicians

Abstract

This paper explores the nature of mentor relationships in the training of musicians. The study focuses on the life experiences of university faculty staff actively involved in the training of professional musicians and specifically focuses on the functions and meaning of the experience from the perspective of a person having been mentored and now in their role of mentoring others. The study uses a qualitative framework to describe the construction and meaning of the relationship for musicians from the participants' life experiences of having been mentored and now as educators in the role of mentoring others. The findings identify the key functions of mentorship as per the psychosocial and career development of the protégé, and the meaning of the experience from a protégé and mentor perspective. The study highlights the developmental and sociological importance of the relationship and the need for institutions and music faculty staff to fully understand the scope and function of the role in the training of professional training.