Session Proposals

Alexander Scott serves as Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at The University of Texas at Tyler. His responsibilities include teaching courses in music education and leading the university’s band program. Dr. Scott holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting and a Master of Music Education from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Conducting from the University of Maryland. Previously, Scott taught for nine years in Maryland public schools.

Ensemble directors often serve as de facto mentors for their students. However, effective mentorship is often a nebulous concept left for directors to figure out on their own. Explore what research says "mentorship" really is, and useful tools from the leaders in our field about serving as an effective, nurturing, and enriching mentor.
A clear definition of mentorship will be provided in addition to what the research shows is essential for effective mentorship strategies. This will be augmented with anecdotal stories from leaders in the field about their thoughts on mentorship, and concrete examples on how to effectively mentor students in our ensembles. Attendees will leave with a framework rather than guesswork on how to effectively serve as a mentor for students.
Mentimeter will be used to gather attendee input. Crowdsourcing more examples of effective mentorship via prompts that attendees are already doing in their own programs which fall in line with what is being presented.

• Band - Secondary
• Choral - Secondary
• Orchestra - Secondary
• Collegiate
• Mentorship/Beginning Teachers