As a service to new band teachers the MBA, in partnership with Brandon University and University of Manitoba, offers a free mentorship program for MBA members who are recent instrumental music education graduates or are new to teaching band.

Why is the MBA promoting a mentorship program?

Remember what it was like as a first year teacher?  Did you wish you had a little help or guidance?  Maybe you were grateful to have someone to turn to for answers during that inaugural year of band directing. Well, this is what MBA is hoping to provide to teachers new to our profession or people new to our province. We would like to offer a helping hand by pairing them with an experienced teacher in our unique field. Attracting and keeping qualified teachers in our profession is becoming increasingly difficult. MBA sees this program as a step towards increasing the success of teachers entering our field or who may be new to our province.

What am I expected to do as a mentor?

Once you have been assigned a new teacher that has requested guidance, we would ask that you contact them personally as soon as possible at the beginning of the school year; (you will be provided with contact information.) Perhaps arrange to meet with them, talk on the phone, email, etc… whatever works for the both of you! The concept is to share ideas and resources. Keep in regular contact throughout the school year.  As a skilled teacher, you already have a sense of when and where a new teacher is going to experience challenges, and alleviating some of those stresses is the goal.

Who is asked to be a mentor?

There are no hard-set guidelines about who will be asked to be a mentor, and interested MBA members are encouraged to have their names placed on the availability list. The idea is to find band directors who are willing to be available to share their expertise and enthusiasm as they recall what it’s like to be a new teacher.

What can I expect as a mentee?

There are many things to learn as a new teacher…many practical applications which are sometimes not covered in a university course or found in a textbook.  Classroom management, discipline, dealing with administration and parents, communication and organizational skills, balancing work and personal life, are just a few issues new teachers are faced with. Your mentor will have experience dealing with all of these issues and will be willing to share their knowledge of what has, and hasn’t worked for them. 

For more information contact the MBA at 663-1226 or mbband@shaw.ca