Fourteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

In traditional piano pedagogy courses, the student teaching component is often considered the most impactful aspect of the class. The two critical aspects of that component are the developmental relationships between young teachers and their students and the feedback supplied by the supervisor. Logistically, supervisors simply cannot observe all of the teaching that takes place. In addition, their comments and suggestions will necessarily be viewed from the perspective of young adults who remain conscious of the fact that the supervisor provides the final evaluation, i.e. grade. Would a defined process of peer mentoring enhance the development of instructional skills in music? What is the recommended balance of supervisor and peer input? This poster session will share results of an experiment at Northwestern University that replaced some of the typical supervisor evaluation of graduate piano pedagogy students with peer guidance. Included will be descriptions of teaching situations on campus and within the larger Chicago community, sample peer mentoring rubrics, and feedback from students involved as both mentors and mentees in this project. The broader benefits to participants in defined mentoring situations - professional growth, personal discovery, intrinsic satisfaction from helping another succeed, and improved interaction within the larger artistic community – will be presented to help other supervisors consider similar approaches within arts education programs.