FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions:

Who & How?

Carlmont High School music students  volunteer to supervise the instrumental music practice of small groups of Belmont Redwood Shores elementary and middle school music students after school.  The sessions are over online Zoom meetings using Breakout Rooms for different instrument groups, and in person at Carlmont High School in the Music Room F20, upstairs adjacent to the Performing Arts Center (see map ).  

When?

TIMES: In-Person sessions will be from 4:15-5:00 pm (as soon as traffic clears after the 3:45 end-of-day at Carlmont).  Zoom sessions will be from 4:45-5:30 pm (to give Mentors time to get home after school).  

DAYS: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  Instruments covered on Zoom and In-Person will depend on sign ups.  Not all instruments or levels are every day.

Music Mentors meets on school days.  There is no mentoring during holidays or breaks for either school district.  Be aware that the Belmont Redwood Shores School District vacations do not always line up with Carlmont High School vacations. 

We run Music Mentors during the elementary school conference weeks in November and March.  Please check the Calendar and Announcements for updates.

Check the calendar to see if a special Minimum Day schedule (i.e. the day after Open House) affects mentoring sessions. 

Why?

Why isn't there instrument X on Tuesdays this year?  This program is entirely run by volunteers.  Mentors have commitments to academics and other extra-curricular activities, so for example, we may not have Tuesday Zoom saxophone mentors available until the second semester.

Where?

Music Mentoring is online in Zoom meetings (the link will be emailed after you sign up) AND in person at Carlmont High School in the Music Room F20, upstairs adjacent to the Performing Arts Center (see map ).   Parents can drop off and pick up students at the Student Drop Off loop on the driveway on the Belmont side of campus.

How much?

The practice sessions are free since all the Music Mentors are volunteers. 

Who runs Mentors?

Music Mentoring is not a school program.     Volunteer Alan Sarver started Music Mentors in 2003 to bolster the elementary music program, when budget cuts reduced the hours of the district music teachers.  Alan recruited high school instrumental music students to volunteer their time to provide after-school supervision of the elementary students' music practice.  Now, students who were 4th graders in the program are returning the favor as mentors when they reach high school.