The Role of Mentoring and Pedagogical Practices in the Formation of Performers and the Preservation of Musical Traditions

Abstract

The article explores the mentoring aspect of music education as an influence on performing musicians and as a medium through which traditions are upheld. The significance of the research topic is related to the demand to balance the preservation of the national cultural essence with creative adaptation within the era of globalization. The purpose is to understand in what ways mentoring supports the technical growth of students as well as their personal growth, in terms of artistic expression, and responsibility in the tradition of traditions. The methodological foundation relies on the mixed method: the quantitative part is a poll of 30 students from three art academies in Kyiv and the qualitative part is a thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with six mentors. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS software (correlation and regression analysis, t-tests). The results showed that mentoring as a phenomenon is multidimensional, with the interaction of instrumental support (M=4.12), psychosocial support (M=3.98), and role modeling (M=4.21). Role modeling was the strongest predictor of cultural identity (β=0.41, p<0.001) and commitment to traditional music (β=0.34, p<0.001). Students who received high quality mentoring scored significantly higher on both technical development (d=1.58), artistic development (d=1.44), and cultural identity (d=1.52) than students with low scores. Mentoring constitutes a space of culture transmission in which traditions are reproduced in personally meaningful interaction, though its effectiveness may be limited by institutional constraints and requires preparation of educators to work in the cultural context of Poland.