How to Mentor and Support a Young Music Leader by Holly Kehoe-Kingsley (Plugin Project blog)

Over the last two years, I’ve been a lead artist on the Plugin Project and one of the biggest things this role has taught me is how to successfully mentor and support a young music leader (YML). I’ve previously taken on other lead artist roles before but hadn’t ever had the opportunity to mentor a YML until I started work on the Plugin Project. Below are the things I found worked well this year.

Having a plan

At the start of the project, the YML and I chatted about his project aims and areas he wanted to progress in. One of the YML’s aims was to help a young person to start writing an original song so, during sessions, I made sure that the YML had opportunities to contribute and to provide the young people with guidance whenever he felt comfortable doing so. By leaving space for the YML to jump in, he not only started to feel comfortable in taking the lead but he also was able to help inspire the young people to come up with their own ideas. Planning and setting aims with the YML from the start helped him to feel more confident when working with the young people during sessions and was crucial for me so I could support his development.

Creating a safe space and giving more responsibility

I wanted sessions to feel like a safe space for the YML to try out different teaching techniques and to see what worked for his practise. At the beginning of a session, we would go over the session plan and I’d reassure him that he could jump in as much or as little as he liked. This created a ‘no pressure’ environment and put the YML at ease from the start of the project. I also spoke with the YML about how we could make sessions fun, not only for the young people but for us too as music leaders. The YML often suggested holding listening parties to learn more about the young people’s music tastes and also keen in exploring unusual sounds on the midi keyboards. By having these discussions before the session started and focusing on having fun, we were able to create a relaxed environment for both the young people to create whatever music they were interested in and for the YML to try out different ways of leading. Once the YML felt comfortable during sessions, I started asking if he’d like to lead short activities/warm ups and as time went on the YML started to lead full 1-2-1 and group sessions. I wanted to make sure that the YML had the opportunity to take on more responsibility when he felt ready whilst being in an environment where he still felt supported.

Time to skill share

The YML and I specialise in different skillsets so it made sense to discuss what areas he would like to improve in. One area that the YML was interested in was how to use Logic Pro X. Whenever we had spare time before or during sessions, we would go through this. The YML had never used Logic before but by going over elements of the software every week, he started to feel more confident using Logic on his own and by the end of the project he was able to lead sessions with the young people using the software. By focusing some time on skill sharing, the YML has now acquired a skill that he is able to take forward on other projects and it has made him a more versatile music leader.

Overall, the best way to mentor and support a YML is to go at their pace and to give them a safe space to try out different teaching techniques and activities. By doing this, the YML should become more confident when working with young people, have the ability to take the lead when needed and in general will grow as a music leader. It’s also key to remember that each YML is different and will learn in different ways at different speeds so when supporting them, it’s always best to tailor your approach to suit the YML’s needs.