Music Mentors is a program shared by Eustis High School and the Eustis Middle School Bands. Directors Mr. Ricke of the Eustis Mustangs and Mr. Flenner of The Eustis Panthers created this program to ensure quality music education and performance through mentor-ship. The desire to develop a greater appreciation for the art of music and by giving the next generation an opportunity to receive the best training possible in music education by their peers.
Through strategic partnerships, music awareness, and quality teaching, these bands are in the process of building a music program worthy of national and international recognition. Music Mentors is a Bi-weekly program. Any middle school student can sign up, he or she lists what they want or need for example: assistance with the all-state audition, jazz music etc.
The Music Mentor Program is meant to help those who want to advance at a faster rate.
The Music Mentor Program provides a transition into the high school program
It is a fun way to learn from your older peers.
It gives the middle school students a chance to get together with piers that play the same instrument as they play in a personal setting.
One on One setting with a “big brother/sister ” environment.
Recruits students into the high school band.
The high school students come early and sit in with the students during their band classes.
The program is designed both for remediation and moving to upper levels. This is a volunteer program on both parts. It is the The Eustis Middle School musicians choice to use that time for improvement and the program would not exist if The Eustis Panthers High School musicians were not such great role models.
Using the Music Mentor program helps the middles school band children learn their notations and helps them keep their timing and tunes correct. But it is more than that. First the High School Panther students inspire these young children to stay in band by entering the high school program. This program is directed by Mr. Flenner and is an awesome music education program that is multi-diverse, It is a completely volunteer program on both sides. Each student in both schools are wanting to participate. there is no recruitment or try-outs. The Eustis High School Panther students are all using their own time, and this is above their own commitment to the High School band program. And that is hours and hours during the week for their own practice time, in and out of school.
We are fortunate to have some of the best children located right here in our town. Some of the high school volunteers are
Lauren & Ali Bowman,Nic Colarossi,Nicholas Witt,Jenna Glendinning, Emily Cutlip and Jared Mahair most or all participated in Mr. Ricke's middle school program before moving on to the high school.. They help our community in great ways. First and for the long run, any child that stays in a long term
music education program is statistically 84 percent higher to move on to get a bachelors of higher. So for our community the more of our young youth that stays in school to obtain an education means more support in the cities future. Second and more for today's world. By these older students using their own time to come in and
mentor. According to CNN in an article, "Despite our idiosyncrasies in listening, the brain experiences
music in a very consistent fashion across subjects," said Daniel Abrams, lead author and postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University School of Medicine. Brain regions involved in movement, attention, planning and memory consistently showed activation when participants listened to
music -- these are structures that don't have to do with auditory processing itself. This means that when we experience of
music, a lot of other things are going on beyond merely processing sound, Abrams said.
The students working together will improve test scores and attendance all around as well as inspire the younger students to remain into the long term music education programs that Eustis has to offer that starts in elementary school and carries on to high school.
.jpg)
