"Location...Location...Location" is something you may have heard in the world of Real Estate. It is a cheeky statement, which means the location of the property you are buying or selling matters to the value of the sale. In the world of Kansas Music Education, your "location" matters to us in the Mentoring program! We are constantly looking for ways to make your first year of teaching music an incredible year! Therefore, we want to match you with a great mentor teacher in your area of the state. A mentor can help with all kinds of questions and bring much support to your first year of teaching.

Did you know that there is a section of the KMEA website dedicated to New Music Teachers? It is called the New Teachers Handbook. AND... this year marks the start of some new strategies for locating and matching New Music Teachers to Mentoring Teachers in the state of Kansas. We are currently trying to locate all New Music Teachers, so that we can help. Our purposes are:

• to help new music teachers to make a Mentor connection
• to let new music teachers know that KMEA Mentoring programs is here for you
• to introduce new music teachers to KMEA and ALL it has to offer

In the last issue of the Kansas Music Review we spoke about the importance of connecting with a mentor teacher. We also understand that connecting with other professionals is important too! We are sincerely thankful to Craig Manteuffel, the assistant executive director of the Kansas High School Activities Association (KSHSAA). Craig helped us to contact more than 40 new teachers in Kansas by contacting all High School principals. Networking is so crucial to what we do, and through these connections we were able to find where many new teachers are "located." Most principals answered within the first week of the request! Currently, we are sending the information to each of the District Mentoring Chairpersons in the six districts of KMEA. Then, we will begin making connection to new teachers and mentoring teachers in their area of the state.

In September, Holly Taylor, KMEA Mentoring co-Chairperson, visited the KCOMTEPS (Kansas Consortium of Music Teacher Education Professors and Students) conference. If you don't know already, you can read on the KMEA website that... "KCOMTEPS is a state organization, unique to Kansas, providing a structured framework for faculty discussion on topics relevant to music teacher education. Membership includes music teacher education professors from public and private colleges and university as well as representatives from Kansas community colleges." Holly was able to meet several college students, who are future teachers. She made a connection with them and informed them of the KMEA Mentoring program.

As the year progresses, each new music teacher will want to attend the KMEA In-Service Workshop in February, 2016. The In-Service Workshop is a huge music-oriented weekend "located" in Wichita, Kansas. At this event, new music teachers and veterans alike have the opportunity to make connections, ask questions, enjoy conversation and relax to tons of performances and informative sessions covering the gamut from elementary to adult! Make sure to mark this weekend on your calendar!

As you become comfortable in your new "location" this year, take time to get to know your District Mentor Chairperson. They can help connect you to a Mentoring Teacher! And remember, Holly Taylor and Kelly Knedler are always standing at the ready, and we can be contacted at the email address shown at the top of this page.

The following is a list of District Mentor Chairs (please look on their respective district websites for contact information):

• NW District Mentor Chair: Bill Schick
• NC District Mentor Chair: Nancy Monical
• NE District Mentor Chair: Kim Harrison
• SW District Mentor Chair: Jodi Reese
• SC District Mentor Chair: Deborah Harris
• SE District Mentor Chair: Mary Jo Harper