The Impact of Music Mentorship

In ArtSmart’s longitudinal study, both the ArtSmart students and the control group auditioned for the ArtSmart program. As a result, the study showed ArtSmart influenced students’ plans to attend college. ArtSmart helps students in under-resourced communities get excited about attending school and going to college, sending young people on a path towards economic mobility, financial stability, and access to resources for lifelong success.

A 2023 study from MENTOR National found that one in three young people do not have a mentor, or someone outside of family to turn to for support and guidance. Specific, targeted mentoring programs like ArtSmart are shown to have larger effect sizes globally on outcomes than mentoring programs generally designed to support youth.

ArtSmart promotes positive social attitudes and relationships with mentors, while targeting specific artistic skills that benefit the lives of youth.

Consistent mentoring makes a difference. Students who learn from the same mentor for two or more years have meaningfully higher scores for “having a productive outlet to deal with emotions,” “having an adult to talk to when stressed,” and “having a good relationship with mentor.”

ArtSmart students experienced an increase in excitement to attend school compared to non-ArtSmart students, who experienced a decline.

When students are excited to come to class, they are more likely to be engaged in their learning. Not only does this encourage participation and critical thinking, it also creates a more positive learning environment.