Michelle Conda is the Coordinator of Secondary Piano and Associate Professor of Piano Pedagogy at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma, where she studied piano with Dr. Jane Magrath and piano pedagogy with Dr. Jane Magrath and Dr. E. L. Lancaster. She has written about adult piano study for The Soundpost, Keyboard Companion, and the American Music Teacher. She has given presentations on the subject around the country, including the Music Teachers National Association Conference. She continues to teach adults through the Communiversity program at the University of Cincinnati.
Michelle Conda
College-Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati
PO Box 210003
Cincinnati, OH 45221
michelle.conda@uc.edu
513.556.9525
As a piano pedagogy instructor, I have wrestled for years with the difficulties of supervising pedagogy students in teaching situations. I have been the only pedagogy instructor at the schools I have worked, and my job has always been coupled with group teaching. I have never been given "load credit" (at least "adequate" credit) to cover the amount of time it takes to observe all my student teachers, much less have weekly meetings with them. This has been compounded by the problem of obtaining willing "guinea pigs" for my pedagogy students. It's easy in my position at the university to get beginning piano students that are college age, but to get beginning students that are of traditional age has been almost impossible.
Several years ago I went to a session at an MTNA conference about local teachers mentoring pedagogy students. Why not? Who better to mentor budding young teachers than local piano teachers? They often have years of teaching experience, practical knowledge, and a willingness to share. I like the idea that local studios differ in teaching philosophies. It's nice to be able to work with a teacher who uses technology in teaching as well as someone who is strictly repertoire based. Variety is the spice of our profession!
How do you chose a mentoring teacher?
Since I am not from the Cincinnati area, I needed to get to know the teachers and their studios. I joined the local MTNA chapter and attended meetings. I went to local piano events and festivals, as well as competitions for local students. I gave and attended masterclasses for local organizations. Most of all, I talked and became friends with lots of teachers. We shared teaching philosophies and studio policies. I chose teachers that I thought were excellent in the type of teaching they did. It does not matter to me that they teach as I teachÑit matters that they enjoy teaching and are professional in their pursuits. Given a choice, I prefer to use teachers that are MTNA certified, but that is not always a criteria. I have had several local teacher/mentors that were members of other piano organizations, such as Keyboard Teachers Association.
How do you get a local teacher to mentor?
A simple mention of the mentoring program was all it took to get the seed of possibilities in the minds of our local teachers. I started with one teacher and one (very responsible and bright) pedagogy student, Andrea. The mentor I chose already had years of teaching and pedagogy training, so the idea of being watched and watching a student teacher was not a foreign concept. We built up responsibilities slowly. Andrea started by assisting the mentor in "housecleaning" duties, such as sending letters to parents, filing music, helping with recital programs, and ordering music. From this she "graduated" to watching lessons, and giving help sessions for recitals and Associated Board Examinations. After this, Andrea started substituting for lessons. Eventually, she was hired as a teacher for the studio. The most important point I made with the mentor was Andrea needed to learn all aspects of a piano studio, not just the teaching part. I believe this helped alleviate any threat the mentor might have felt having someone else "shadowing" her every move. After our first successful experience, the mentor passed the word on to others how nice it was to have an "assistant." Now I have more offers for mentoring than I have pedagogy students to send into the field.
What is expected of the student teacher?
Supervised teaching at the conservatory translates into one credit hour. One credit hour translates into 3 hours of work. Therefore, I expect the student teacher to be available for the mentor three hours a week. Sometimes mentors prefer student teachers to come out for longer times and less often. I am very flexible about this - I only ask that a student teacher is available for 30 hours (in 10 weeks). The student teacher must be on time, dress appropriately, and behave professionally. They are responsible for taking notes about their teaching and turn them in to me weekly or monthly (depending on the teaching situation). I allow a form for student teachers to fill out or free-formed ideas. This is flexible, depending on the ability of the student teacher to focus her/his thoughts on the situation. They are under no circumstances allowed to recruit students out of the studio they are assisting.
What is expected of the mentor?
The mentor must allow the student teacher to come into their studio for 30 hours during a 10 week period. Sometimes the time is spread over more weeks because of a studio recital schedule. Flexibility is the key here. The mentor reports to me in person or in writing at the end of the 10 week tenure. They are not responsible for issuing a grade, but furnish information to me that helps me decide on the grade. The mentor is not responsible for giving piano students to the student teacher. However, there has only been one instance in which a student teacher didn't get a chance to teach (her English at that point did not allow for good communication). The mentor is required to allow the student teacher to observe them regularly.
What are the traveling logistics?
Often student teachers do not have cars to take them off campus. Luckily, there is often a mentor within walking distance. One of my student teachers took a bus to the mentorÕs house. It was well worth it for her, because the studio who mentored her eventually hired her as a full time teacher. If all else fails, I issue beginning college piano students for those who can not get off campus. Any experience is better than no experience at all.
Who issues the grade?
As the pedagogy professor, I issue the grade, based on conversations/written reports from the mentor and the weekly reports from the student teacher.
How is everyone compensated?
The student teacher received no compensation for student teaching. The mentor does not receive any money either. Most of the mentors arrange the student teachers to take over for them while they are on vacation or at MTNA conventions. Since the student teacher is not paid for 30 hours of work, the mentor gets a free substitute.
What are different mentoring scenarios?
A student teacher can go weekly to a mentor's studio. Another scenario was used by Amy Rose, president elect of Ohio Music Teachers Association. She taught 10 hours while being observed by the student teacher. She watched 10 hours of that student teacher working with the same children and made criticisms/corrections. She allowed the student teacher to teach without observation for 10 hours, but received feedback from her students. She turned in to me a detailed report after the 30 hours was completed.
What problems have occurred since starting this program?
I found out that when a student is off campus for any reason, they may not be covered by university insurance. We have had no problems so far, but I worry about what would happen if a student got in a car accident on the way to their mentor. While at the mentor's studio, the mentor will be responsible for the student teacher's safety. I suggest contacting your university about insurance issues before starting this program. There has been an occasional problem with a student teacher planning to go to their mentor's studio, and then the lesson is cancelled. I prefer to let the student teacher make this time up later (thankfully, the mentor has called in advance). In one case, the student was not able to get enough hours in with her mentor. I allowed her to make it up working with me in the group class situation. Knock on wood, every student teacher I have sent into the field has acted responsibly. I make it clear to both the student teacher and the mentor that if there are any problems I will pull them immediately out of the situation. If this happens, I have them finish their work under my guidance. If I have a questionable student teacher, I prefer not to send them into the field at allÑI reserve this privilege for those whom I feel deserve it.
What does the mentor get out of this situation?
It is nice to have a change in their daily routine. Mentors often find having a "fresh face" next to them makes them think about their teaching and helps improve their teaching. They also get someone to substitute for them while they are gone (and for free!). After the student teacher is done with their 10 weeks, the mentor with an expanding studio has a potential teacher to hire as part of the studio. This happens regularly in Cincinnati. Since the student has mentored in their studio, there is no doubt that teaching philosophies would be understood from the beginning. Our mentors enjoy helping new teachers. They get a charge out of the excitement and take pride that they can help. It also potentially boosts their studios (in numbers and fees) when they can say they work in collaboration with the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
What does the student teacher get out of this situation?
This type of mentoring is the most realistic situation a student teacher can be put in if they decide to open an independent studio. They get the complete picture of the business aspect of teaching as well as the practical teaching aspects. Their student teaching often results in being hired as part of a studio.
Conclusions
Local mentoring does not work for all student teachers. Also, the above reflects only one 10 week period of student teaching. Hopefully, we are able to expect at least a year of teaching as part of pedagogy training. If I don't feel the group of students I have are going to be able to work with a mentoring teacher, I devise an in-house alternative, including teaching a class of three year olds. But even with this, I would prefer my student teachers get the actually experience in a local studio. I have had no problems with using local teachers as mentors. I believe the key to its success is flexibility - in field times, what is done in the field, reporting on what is done, and on who I allow in the field. The result has been a mutual respect between the Conservatory and the local teachers as well as well-prepared future piano teachers.
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