Examining the Effects of Mentorship in the Applied Voice Studio from the Intersectionality of Mentor, Mentee, and Singing Student Participants

Introduction: The mentor-mentee dyad is a complex relationship that can transform not only the pedagogical facility and skills of the mentee but also provide professional guidance and support for early career teachers (AATS, 2016 and 2021). While supervised teaching, feedback, and teacher induction are integral to K-12 music teacher preparation programs, similar structures for early-career applied voice teachers are scant within graduate pedagogy preparation programs and virtually non-existent for singing voice teachers without formal training.

Objective: This action research examines the nature of an ongoing, 1:1, semi-structured mentorship process following the trajectory of an early career voice teacher within a graduate pedagogy program through the first four years of professional practice in the field of higher education. Domains of transformation perceived by the mentee and mentor teacher will be examined, as will the singing student-participants’ experience of the mentored lesson environment and their perceptions of the pedagogic and technical efficacy of the mentee pre- and post-mentoring.

Methods: This study combines action research (mentee-mentor experience) and qualitative study through interviews/focus groups (student-participant experience). Recorded mentored voice lessons were reviewed to uncover trends in pedagogic and technical feedback and growth over the course of four years. Interviews and/or focus groups of student-participants across the four years of study will be conducted to better understand the immediate and long-term perceptions and effects of the mentored teaching experience on their learning and singing.

Results/Conclusion: Findings from lesson recording analysis revealed growth in specific domains of singing voice deelopment perceived by both mentee and mentor teacher (i.e., aspects specific to treble singing voice: middle register, secondo passaggio, whistle register), pedagogical growth (i.e., critical aural skills and discernment, creating a more student-centered lesson environment, challenges of modeling across voice type), as well as professional support in the realm of academia, consistent with the literature in K-12 music teacher preparation. Interviews/focus groups with student- participants are still in progress. Results will be discussed regarding the challenges and benefits of mentorship, implications for mentorship initiatives for singing voice teachers, and directions for future research.