My Music Mentors

For the majority of of us in the arts and related sectors, mentoring plays a huge part in the learning process. Even those who pursue a college education will usually mention some mentor as a key to their growth.

I’ve had several music mentors (my primary art form), and they usually fall into one of two categories: those who taught me the art of making music, and those who gave me opportunities to grow in music.

Among those who taught me music, I had 4 private piano instructors between age 9 and my sophomore year of college. Each and every one played a part in my development, but one in particular stood out as a mentor more than the others. While three of my music mentors concentrated mainly on method and expression, my instructor through high school recognized my gift in songwriting, and being a songwriter herself, tailored my training to include theory and contemporary songwriting, as well as classical training. She did not merely put me in a system instead she helped me develop into an artist.

I had private instruction under 2 composition professors while I was in college taking up composition as my major and like my four previous mentors one of the two stood out. He discovered my weak points and strong points as a composer and he provided me with a task that will help me grow. He is more of a coach than a teacher and he is willing to work with every aspect of my humanity not only as a composer but as a person as well.

On the other hand, I also encountered mentors who never taught me something but instead they gave recognition to my talent and gave me the chance to use it and develop it. I spent a lot of time in church music surroundings as a young man, and several of the musical and spiritual leaders in those settings gave me access to musical instruments and recording equipment, let me play on the music team (even as a youth), allowed me room to make mistakes, and even found me other areas to play. These people were my private cheerleaders, but even more than that, they had a hand in building a foundation of success under me.

There are two things I seem to remember when I think about my music mentors. First of all, concerning the mentors themselves – the ones who affected me most were the ones who took a personal interest in me and in my development, both as a musician and as a person. Second – looking back at my growth, I believe my mentors played more of a role in my education than my collegiate studies..Even though a few of my teachers and mentors were in the college scenario, it was the personal attention that helped me develop in music, far more than the classes, homework or tests. College was helpful in my development, but my music mentors were pivotal in my development.