The Impact of a Mentor

In the Creative Arts, having an amazing mentor can make all the difference in the world. Whether it be writing, dance, graphic design, film production, or music. The greatest mentors are on call twenty-four seven. They return text messages in the middle of the night, provide a guiding hand over the years to help us make the wisest decisions, and have a passion for their art that touches us in such a way, that we can only hope to one day pass that same gift onto someone else.

In my first official year of full-time writing, I was lucky to have my work critiqued by an amazing author who recognized something special in my words. She gave me the confidence to follow my heart and share my stories with others.  I can only dream where I might be today if my path had crossed with hers or another who took an interest in my words when I was younger. So you can image how thrilled I was when my eldest son, Zakaria, met his mentor early in life.

I am fortunate to have the Osceola County School of the Arts  in my county and was ecstatic when Zakaria got accepted into their program. It's renowned for its excellence in academics and for nourishing the creative arts. The only worry I had is that my then sixth grader would be attending the same school as juniors and seniors. I quickly found out how foolish I was for being concerned. Anytime I was at the school, these students were by far the nicest group of kids I'd run into. So when Zakaria asked to take guitar lessons from an older student, I agreed. But never did I foresee the transformation that was to follow. 

Over the next few months, my son went from listening to Top 40 Pop to American Jazz Greats like Charlie Parker, Wynton Marsalis, Charlie Christian, and Louis Armstrong. He'd shed morning, noon, and night. You see he'd met his mentor, James Zito, and a new life path--one that without James he probably would never have taken--was formed. 

Zakaria and James playing downtown

When I first watched James play, I immediately understood why my son fell in love with jazz. His mentor didn't just play the guitar, he became an extension of it. Think spontaneous conviction spurred by passion, channeled through self-expression and then translated into music. Yep, that about describes James' playing. My son was very lucky to find such a talented teacher, but was blessed when that teacher became his mentor.

James' talent has not went unrecognized. Recently, he was accepted into the Manhattan School of Music. A premier international conservatory, this college is only for the highly talented. Check out the GoFundMe link to learn more about James and to hear him play. Even if you are unable to donate, please RT on Twitter and spread the word. You never know whose path that tweet might cross.