/ News Posts / State-Level Mentorship . . . More Than Spinning Plates
State-Level Mentorship . . . More Than Spinning Plates
By Kathy Stefani, Past President of the Idaho Music Educators Association
When asked to run for president of the Idaho Music Educators Association (IMEA), I had never considered it, but I had been a lifelong member of NAfME/IMEA and had both participated in and had students accepted into District and State events, all to the betterment of myself and my programs. So I felt like it was my turn to give back to a system that was a huge part of my professional growth and a key part of the success of music within the schools where I had taught.
I attended the National Leadership Assembly the month I stepped into office, not realizing at first that I got to go to Washington, DC, attend the annual Hill Day event that I didn’t even know existed, and represent Idaho as President-Elect with other delegates who were under the impression I knew what I was doing. Much of my career training was “fake it till you make it,” so I was well trained in rolling up my sleeves and learning the job on the fly.
During one of the event keynote addresses, we were challenged by being asked what we personally were going to do for our state. I don’t know about you, but I have been in numerous situations where the person “leading” was simply the one who got the short straw or was elected because they didn’t show up the night of the vote. I had a little more going for me than that, but I had envisioned my job as just maintaining the status quo, keeping the plates that someone before me had started spinning and not screwing up. I could do that. But I was enlightened that I would be in office for six years. What was I going to do with it? What would be better because I gave my time and energy?
I had been challenged to get with it that day. I likely could have gone through my presidency spinning plates and everyone would have been fine with the outcome. But NAfME was articulating what my state would want as well . . . move us forward . . . somehow.
As a state representative, you are charged with representing music education on Hill Day during the National Leadership Assembly. So I thought I’d start with advocacy, return home to my state, and set up a similar model where the IMEA officers would all visit our state capitol on a given day, flood our lawmakers with our needs, and motivate and stimulate political power to strengthen the place of music in our public schools. Long story short, the big day was canceled in one quick phone call one week prior to our Hill Day. The legislators wanted to have a day of their own training. After months of planning, calling, scheduling, begging, it was over in a moment.
So I took my ambitious efforts home, pouted for a moment, and decided no more advocacy for me . . . not as a platform anyway. I would find some other worthy cause to do my duty to better IMEA. Mentorship had been highlighted at the National Leadership Assembly, so I decided I would give that a try. I had two years as President-Elect to prepare, research what other states were doing, figure out what new teachers needed, learn who was to help them, how to help them, and create a mentorship program for the state. What I learned was that a few states were trying things, some having good success. Everyone was doing it differently, and there was no model for how to start—and once you started, what do you do next?
I entered my first year as IMEA president with lots of disconnected ideas—all good, some needing money, some requiring hours of work, some both. The job of IMEA president was daunting with its own requirements, solving problems all day long, endless strings of emails and phone calls. What had I gotten into? Then COVID happened. Then a few officers behind me had to resign their positions, so I would be serving another two years after serving as Immediate Past-President. I stayed up late, worked through every lunch, had my laptop on my lap every evening as I “spent time” with my husband. And when I could, I worked on my own lesson plans for my educator job.
Though I had the best of intentions, year four came—my second year as president—and I realized I had spent half my original tenure getting nowhere. I signed up for a NAfME virtual training course, sharing best practices and philosophies to consider. I turned to Montana Music Educators Association (MMEA), which very graciously allowed us to adapt all of their policies and procedures for their mentorship program so we could upload something on our website. They told me that there was a brick-and-mortar music retail store in Central Montana that had a bookkeeper who spent August calling EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL IN THE STATE, looking for teachers who had just entered the profession. It was from that list that Montana was able to inform new teachers about MMEA and to offer a hand. There HAD to be a better way!!! But as we now start our sixth year in this project, I can tell you, we haven’t found it.
The Idaho Department of Education had hoped to help us by allowing us to use their resources, but they too have learned that finding new teachers in August is a daunting task. New emails are not yet activated. The school secretary can tell you if there’s a new teacher, but often has no idea if they’re new to the profession, new to the subject, what their expertise is, etc. Oftentimes administrators change schools so contacting the name from last year gets you nowhere. So we call, and call, and call. But we’re getting a little more refined.
There will always be plates to spin, but mentorship programs deserve more than just continuing the work of the person before you. What will YOU do to make the profession stronger for new teachers? How have you extended a helping hand to those who feel they are in over their head? If you haven’t read NAfME’s Music Teacher Profession Initiative (MTPI) report, A Blueprint for Strengthening the Music Teacher Profession, start there and be a voice for building strong educators in our classrooms and rehearsal halls.
Read advice for mentors and mentees from Kathy Stefani and other music educators.
About the author:
A Moscow, Idaho, native, Kathy Stefani has taught both elementary and secondary music for many years. She received her Bachelors of Music and Masters in Music Education from the University of Idaho. She plays numerous instruments, is an Orff Level I specialist and serves as Immediate Past President for the Idaho Music Educators Association. Stefani is the recipient of numerous grants, and she and her programs have been recognized by the GRAMMY Foundation. The love of music came late to Stefani and her hope is to instill that love in her students early on.
Stefani has received the NFHS Music Teacher of the Year, Section 8, 2023, the Governor’s Award in the Arts, 2020, and the Music Teacher of the Year from the Idaho Music Educators Association, 2021, for her work as a member of the organization, establishing the IMEA Mentorship program, and as a music instructor in a small town.
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Published Date
January 21, 2025
Category
- Careers
- Music Education Profession
- Preparation
- Professional Development
- State Advocacy & Public Policy
Copyright
January 21, 2025. © National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org)