Music Industry Mentoring: An Evaluation of the FReeZACentral Program

Theo Papadopoulos

Victoria University

Rachel Crossthwaite

Victoria University

Abstract

The FReeZACentral Program, a joint effort between members of Australia’s independent music, not-for-profit, educational, and community initiative sectors, operates with the goal of identifying young people with interest in the music industry and arming them with the skills necessary to sustain a career in it. Here, the authors examine and measure the success of the Program’s mentorship component, which pairs experienced industry professionals with youth participants in an attempt to harness the latter group’s strengths and groom them for future employment. This segment of the Program focuses on matching participating music industry professionals with individual youth attendees, which, along with the Program’s skills workshop and live-event management components, ensures a comprehensive approach to attendee development. By examining both mentor and mentee written and oral evaluations, the authors were able to conclude that the mentorship component was an overall success, with nearly ninety-six percent of mentees and over seventy-eight percent of mentors indicating that they had established strong and meaningful relationships with their counterparts. The authors also found that over sixty-five percent of mentees who completed the program went on to pursue further education or secure employment in the music industry, satisfying the overall Program goal.

Keywords: FReeZACentral, music business education, music industry, Australia, youth mentoring, youth training, internships

Papadopoulos, Theo, and Rachel Crossthwaite. “Music Industry Mentoring: An Evaluation of the FReeZACentral Program." Journal of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association 5, no. 1 (2005): 75-90. https://doi.org/10.25101/5.5

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