A model for designing an undergraduate peer mentorship program for college music schools

Although some college music programs offer different forms of mentoring for students, there is no readily available model for building a comprehensive peer mentorship program that coordinates the efforts of administrators, faculty, staff, and students. This project provides a structure for a peer mentorship program within a music school setting, designed to foster leadership, discipline, academic success, and self-care among students. The program aims to improve the experience of first-year students and alleviate burdens on studio professors, such as academic guidance, emotional support, study skills, resource navigation, and administrative assistance. It also has the goal of increasing student retention. This program is a collaborative effort involving administration, applied and academic faculty, a program director who manages operations, and upper-level students serving as mentors to first-year mentees. Peer mentorship is defined as a relationship where a more experienced student helps a less experienced student improve academically and provides advice, support, and knowledge. Leveraging the experience of juniors, seniors, and faculty, the program seeks to enhance the personal and professional development of first-year students, encouraging them to become self-motivated and nurturing a culture of resilience within the music school community. This practical peer mentorship model can be implemented and maintained in a music school setting. It includes insights from existing programs and their directors.