Mentoring Performing Arts Educators: Identity, Belonging, and the Teachers Who Create Teachers

Guest editor(s)

Edited by Dr. Clarence McFerren II, Texas Tech University

,

A volume in the Perspectives on Mentoring Series

 

Book Description

This edited volume centers mentoring within theatre, dance, and music education—fields in which mentoring remains unevenly represented within broader scholarship despite their deeply relational and embodied nature. While mentoring research often emphasizes formal induction programs or organizational leadership structures, performing arts education operates differently. Mentorship frequently unfolds through rehearsal processes, ensemble collaboration, artistic lineage, critique traditions, and embodied pedagogy. Grounded in the premise that “teachers create teachers,” this volume examines how mentoring relationships shape educator identity, belonging, professional formation, and long-term sustainability across K–12 schools, higher education, conservatories, and community arts environments. The book is organized into three sections: (1) Foundations: Mentoring, Identity, and Artistic Formation; (2) Practice: Mentoring in Context; and (3) Mentoring Across Difference: Identity, Equity, and Belonging.

 

Topics of Interest

Proposals must clearly align with one of the following strands:

  1. Mentoring as Artistic Lineage and Professional Formation
  2. Pathways into Performing Arts Teaching and Mentorship
  3. Identity, Belonging, and Relational Educator Development
  4. Mentoring Structures in Teacher Preparation and Higher Education
  5. Peer and Ensemble-Based Mentoring
  6. Early-Career Mentorship for Performing Arts Educators
  7. Creative Leadership and Community Arts Mentoring
  8. Informal Mentoring Through Practice and Performance
  9. Mentoring and Black Male Identity
  10. Queer, Trans, and Nonbinary Mentorship
  11. Multicultural and Intercultural Mentoring
  12. Disability and Embodied Difference in Mentoring
  13. International and Global Perspectives

 

Chapters must maintain a sustained focus on mentoring within theatre, dance, and/or music education. Comparative and interdisciplinary chapters that synthesize across theatre, dance, and music contexts and advance mentoring theory are especially encouraged.

 

 

Proposal Submission

Prospective contributors should submit a single Microsoft Word document (.docx) that includes: (1) proposed chapter title; (2) strand alignment (Section I, II, or III); (3) a 250–300 word abstract clearly outlining the chapter’s central argument, methodological or conceptual orientation, and specific contribution to mentoring scholarship in performing arts education; (4) 4–6 keywords; (5) full author name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and contact email; (6) a 100–150 word professional biography; and (7) a brief statement confirming willingness to submit a full chapter by the stated deadline and participate fully in the peer-review process. Abstracts must position mentoring as the primary analytic lens rather than as a secondary theme. Proposals should be emailed to Dr. Clarence McFerren II at [email protected] with the subject line: Mentoring Performing Arts Educators – Chapter Proposal.

Chapter Guidelines

Accepted authors will be invited to submit full chapters of 6,000–8,000 words (including references) in Microsoft Word format. Manuscripts must be double-spaced throughout (inclusive of title, abstract, main text, references, tables, and appendices) and should demonstrate substantive engagement with mentoring scholarship while clearly articulating implications for performing arts educators across theatre, dance, and/or music contexts. Contributions may be conceptual, empirical (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods), arts-based, or reflective-practice oriented, provided mentoring remains the central construct. Graphics, images, or tables may be included where appropriate; authors are responsible for securing necessary permissions. Detailed formatting and citation guidelines aligned with Emerald Publishing standards will be provided upon acceptance.

Tentative Schedule for Publication

• Abstract Submission Deadline: Friday, May 29, 2026
• Notification of Acceptance: Monday, June 15, 2026
• Commitment Confirmation: Monday, June 22, 2026
• Full Chapter Submission: Monday, September 28, 2026
• Revised Chapter Submission: Monday, November 23, 2026
• Final Manuscript Submission to Emerald: Monday, December 14, 2026
• Anticipated Publication: 2027

Submissions will be selected based on clarity of focus, scholarly rigor, and meaningful contribution to mentoring theory and practice within performing arts education.