Mentoring in Practice

"There's nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself."

-Johann Sebastian Bach

​

This quote refers to the pianoforte or piano. It is a beautiful instrument with the ability to produce such chords as major, minor, augmented, and diminished. It can produce musical tones that draw out our deepest hurts and fears or remind us of our greatest joys. However, it cannot do it alone. A pianist must sit down and play for the piano to produce magnificent sounds. Thus is born a great partnership. Without a piano, a pianist is no pianist at all. Without a pianist, a piano can produce no music. Together, they form an inseparable duo. They both bring something to the partnership that the other cannot; consequently, something new is born. Similarly, for a mentoring relationship to produce great 'music,' there must be a partnership where each participant brings something to the table.

​

At the heart of the pianoforte are its many keys- A, A#/Bb, B, C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab. As mentors, the heart of our mentoring relationship relies on respect, commitment, honesty, trust, confidence, willingness to change, learning, critical thinking, openness, relevance, support, and self-awareness. Just like combining various keys creates a harmonious chord by which we build progressions and songs, so does combining elements of the mentoring relationship. As a mentor, I seek to transport my mentee from the individual keys to create chords that resonate in their life.

​

I believe mentoring is a process of collaboration between two or more people. When playing piano, both members gain something- the pianist gains practice, satisfaction, and release. The piano that yearns for music receives tonally and melodically combined chord progressions that linger in the atmosphere. Similarly, mentoring is a place where both players seek to gain something. The mentor gains new experiences, learns from the other person's struggles and hardships, and creates a new sense of diversity and self-awareness. The mentee seeks to gain knowledge, skills, and experience. By combining their unique experiences, common goals, and skill sets, the two people will transform their learning into something directly applicable to their personal and career development. Becoming fully developed in our careers and personal lives requires respect and appreciation for various cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

​

As a mentor, I will seek to involve my students in a mutually beneficial relationship full of trust and respect. I aim to guide my students and produce intrinsically motivated individuals who value diversity in opinions, cultures, and languages. I aim to become self-aware, emotionally intelligent, and culturally competent to best understand and relate to my students and foster their learning appropriately. As a mentor, I see myself as the pianist with the knowledge and skills to create beautiful music. My mentee is the piano on which the music of our relationship is borne. However, I am just one pianist. I see myself as a stepping stone in my students' growth as individuals and professionals. There will be many pianists that will sit down at the piano throughout its life. I understand that my embodiment as a mentor does not require me to be the most knowledgeable interpreter, as I am one of the many resources available to my students, not the culmination of all their learning.

My mentoring practice and objectives can best be defined through Knowles' four andragogy principles. I understand that adult learners need to be actively and directly involved with planning and learning and that their goals must be immediately applied to practice. Mentors best enhance learning by combining our life experiences with our students' experiences and directly relating content to real-world problems. I aim to lead my students from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence by fostering their sense of self-awareness. I keep my students at the center of their learning by respecting their wishes and goals, helping them define their learning objectives and evaluating their progress, and constantly challenging them to strive for more. I listen, support, and challenge them while reflecting on my biases and assumptions and keeping an open mind to new possibilities. I encourage critical thinking, problem-solving, and confidence and use constructive feedback to help my students improve. I connect with my students personally, getting to know their strengths, weaknesses, and the many contexts they bring, empowering them to advocate for their needs. I am honest, respectful, and responsive, keeping content relevant and allowing my students to feel comfortable making mistakes.  I expect my students to be prepared and understand that they are ultimately in charge of their learning.

​

Pianists have varying levels of competence, which is also applicable among mentors. At the beginning of your journey as a pianist, you will strike many wrong notes and chords, make numerous mistakes, and there may be an awkward feeling of incompetence for a while. As you progress, you will make fewer mistakes, find that the music is becoming more harmonious and that your responses to change become more automatic. As I am new to the mentoring journey, I understand I will make mistakes, make wrong decisions, and I may feel awkward and incompetent. However, I know that as I progress as a mentor, I will learn new skills and techniques that will improve my ability to create beautiful music with my mentee.