What is The Mentorship Program (MP)?
The MP is a legacy initiative unique in Canada for more than two decades. It allows us to provide opportunities for emerging composers starting out in the business to get some real, on-the-job training from real, working, professional composers.
The aim of the MP is to educate and advance the level of expertise of emerging film composer mentees (apprentices). Through one-on-one partnering with a veteran screen composer mentor, the select mentee is available to assist in many vital aspects of the mentor’s composing and business activities during high-production periods.
The mentor is able to select the timeline and duration of the placement to offer and benefit from this valuable skills exchange. Mentee candidates are selected on a competitive basis. The number of candidates that are accepted into the program vary from year to year, and from region to region, but we have accepted as many as 22 apprentices in previous years.
This program provides a unique educational advancement for media composers. The professional skills exchange between mentee and mentor is also important as it the real sense of community that it fosters.
To maintain a consistent standard of professionalism, both Mentors and Mentees must be current SCGC members in good standing at either the Associate or Professional level. Mentees shall have at least one (1) media credit (Film/TV, short, video, webisode, theatre etc). Mentors are veteran composers with their own studio & business for 3 or more years.
There is no cost to apply for the program.
Yes, in some instances there have been part-time and full-time work opportunities which continued between Mentee and Mentor long after the program term had finished. (sometimes years!) The MP is there to foster a relationship as well as a learning experience, and we gladly advocate for participants to work together after the program ends, without further involvement from the SCGC.
Each Fall, there is an official Call for Entries to both Mentees and Mentors in the SCGC membership. Specific terms commence after assessment and selection of candidates, usually between October and the following May 31st.
The MP Committee convenes each year to thoroughly review all applications and make final selections for both Mentee and Mentor candidates. The Committee members alternate each year and include 3-4 veteran composers nationally from the SCGC membership.
For applicants
To apply for the MP, applicants will need to submit the following materials:
- A completed online application form, and as part of this, you will need to post a resume, a 2 minute sample of your musical work and a Letter of Reference
- You can use services like Dropbox or Soundcloud to assist you with this task at no charge.
- You should provide us a non-expiring link via the application form directly to the file that you want us to see, and it should require no additional navigation on the jury’s part.
- An important note about your 2 minute music sample: this sample is used to gauge more your technical, rather than musical sensibilities. For this reason, it’s probably a better idea to include a synth sample than a live musician recording.
- Letter of Reference should be from an industry professional familiar with your music experience: i.e., teacher, filmmaker, director/producer, musician or colleague
Thank you for your interest.
Learn more
To learn more about the SCGC mentorship program, contact Alison Dowler, Mentorship Coordinator using the form.