Finding Harmony with Music “Instru-mentors”
A new performing arts program at Somers Middle School is helping students learn from each other through practice and peer mentoring.
“If you have the desire to coach,” said Mrs. Rachel Malara, “then you can help a younger student.”
The Instru-mentors program is open to all students who play a band instrument. Each week, seventh and eighth-grade students can sign up to be paired with a sixth-grade student who plays the same instrument for a mentoring class together. Mentoring occurs during the older student’s lock period and the younger student’s instrument class.
“He plays it first, and then I try and copy what he does,” said sixth-grader Hunter Doria about his mentor, seventh-grader Chris Conlon. “He’s a good mentor. I like him.”
The instruments that are available for instru-mentoring rotate every week so that all students can participate regularly. Throughout the year, students may be paired with different people depending on who signs up to be a mentor. Having different mentors allows students to gain unique perspectives and learn new skills from a variety of peers.
“I listen to him play and then help fix his mistakes,” said seventh-grader Jake DiPasquale. “Then we play together to show how loud we should be.”
Mentoring pairs work on many skills, including playing techniques, reading music, and counting time. This program fosters community between grades and allows students to learn and grow from working together.
“I like to hear how they explain things to each other,” said Mrs. Malara. “It gives me a different perspective about how the students are learning.”
As an extra benefit, students who sign up to participate in the instru-mentoring program earn service minutes that they can use towards things like scouts, confirmation, and the National Junior Honor Society.
Instru-mentoring was conceived after Mrs. Malara had a student come to school without her instrument. The student decided to play the piano instead, playing together with the other students to create a new learning environment.
Mrs. Malara added, "Sometimes students prefer coming to the band room instead of lunch and recess. I realized with three lock periods, we now have more flexibility in what we can offer. We seized the opportunity, and it seems to benefit everyone in a different way."
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