Having a mentor could change a lot of things for you for the better. It may mean being around them to help them out with menial tasks at first but think about the things you could learn!
A mentor can bring you resources in terms of networking and mistakes you should avoid but everything they do right will also be yours to learn from. A positive influence like that in life is going to be a good thing in your life as well.
Let’s dive a little bit deeper and try to understand how everything works and how even location can play a huge role.
What Mentors Can Do? – A lot
There are tons of things a mentor or even someone who has been doing something that you want to for years can teach you. It’s like generational knowledge. You get to know what and how to do things without figuring them out yourself.
For example, you would’ve gotten to learn how to make a spear if you came from a hunter tribe. You didn’t have to figure out which stones could work, all the experimentation has been done and you get to reap the rewards of someone who has already walked in those shoes.
Avoid Mistakes
This. This is probably the biggest thing you could’ve asked for. If your mentor is active in their field, they know what land mines are laid, what’s the blast of the radius and how many ways you can be dismembered. Sorry for the gruesome analogy but it’s true.
In an industry as cutthroat as music, you want every advantage you can and probably not live on the ‘hopeful thoughts’ all the time. You can overcome anything no doubts, but why overcome them if somebody already has? They can tell you to go left and when to avoid what kind of movement.
Where are my contacts? – I can’t see!
Your mentor probably knows more people who have been doing music than your age. Okay, that might not be true given when you start but the fact remains your mentor probably knows a lot of people who do a lot of things in the local music scene for sure.
Location Matters
Location is highly trivial because it plays a role in showing the quality of the scene.
If a city is known for its notorious crimes, how long can anything sustain itself there? Hard to be a musician much less a singer if you’re threatened by people for your life for singing a song they don’t like. Very exaggerated but you get the idea.
On the other hand, being in a place where huge composers and producers are present, knowing anyone in that industry is going to be huge for you. So, if you have a mentor in a place like that. Imagine what you can do when your talents are finally recognized.
It’s Not About Taking
There is a universal understanding that when you have a mentor you as a student are in need of them more than they are in the need of you. If your mentor is someone who is great, as they should be you should be adding value to their lives.
Otherwise, you’re not just wasting their time but yours too. It’s about finding ways to help them so they can be helpful to you. They show you things and you help them with things.
Give it time though, it may start out with just doing small errands but it’ll grow. Show them that you’re up to the task and the kind of person who shows up when they need them to.
But, if they just use you for this, talk it out, make your intentions known from the beginning, and if they are now willing to teach you, then they’re not. If they go back on their word, leave.
Strive to Surpass Them
It is only when you have spent enough time with your mentor that you will be able to see what flaws they work with and how it affects them negatively.
Given your relationship with your mentor, you may be able to point it out but if your benefit lies in being silent then go with it. Because you have an even more important job to do: become better.
It’s one thing to learn under your mentor but it is another to improve yourself. You see a mistake, you make a note and strive not to do it for yourself.
The Cycle Continues
Eventually, you’ll reach a point where you will be mentoring someone else and all the mistakes your mentor made, you shouldn’t. If your mentor didn’t listen to you when you had some advice to give then you should strive to be different.
That’s how it is. You become someone else’s mentor and they learn from your mistakes and failures.
Though I say this to everyone, you should teach even when you are not a master. It’s a good habit to be in. I like to give people information because it can help them immediately, you should give whatever you can to help others too.
Secret Weapon!
Okay, it’s not a secret weapon.
One of the ways you can become better by yourself at a steady pace is by learning for yourself. One of the best ways to do that is through an online course.
Which I have written in detail here.
I 100% believe that singing and any other skill can be taught online because I have been learning online for the good past decade now. From bass to everything else I ever dreamt of learning.
Having one in your library is going to be a huge benefit even if you look at it once or twice a month just to see what to practice next.
There are many courses to choose from and I have made a page, particularly for this, you can see which one works best for you and make the right choice!
I personally own a digital copy of ‘The Four Pillars of Singing‘ (affiliate link). This comes in a book and a digital course.
Regardless of what you decide to do, I hope you find success in your singing career!