Guidelines for mentees:

If you are a new AMS member (or still feel "new") or are attending your first (or perhaps second) annual meeting, the American Musicological Society would like to extend a special welcome to you by giving you the opportunity to participate in the AMS Conference Buddy Program. If you are interested in participating in this program, please fill in the requested information on your paper registration form or directly submit this online AMS Buddy Program registration form no later than Saturday, 30 October 2010. You will be matched with another AMS member who would like to help welcome you to the meeting as your "conference buddy."

1. The limit for participation in the Conference Buddy Program is twice for mentees (two different annual meetings). If there are insufficient mentors to match with second-time mentees, priority will be given to first-time participants.
2. Please alert the Conference Buddy Coordinator if you change your plans after signing for the Conference Buddy Program, or if you change your contact information (particularly e-mail address).
3. Please take the conference buddy connection seriously. Mentors usually have busy schedules at the Annual Meeting. Mentees should be accommodating when provding available times and show up for any appointments made. Be prompt for any arranged meetings, and if you cannot make a connection, be sure to contact your mentor. If you cannot connect, please alert Conference Buddy Coordinator by e-mail or cell phone or the AMS registration desk as soon as possible.
4. Please make a prompt connection with your mentor upon receipt of the mentor-mentee pairings early in the week of 1 November from the Conference Buddy Coordinator.
5. At the Annual Meeting, you are expected to connect with your mentor on Thursday evening at the match-up meeting at 5:15 and/or during the opening, no-host reception (5:30–8:00)–or as early as possible on Friday during the conference (unless you both make other specific arrangements). One key point of the buddy program is for your mentor to familiarize you with the conference culture near the beginning of the meeting – not on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning.
6. Remember that this is an informal link to enhance your experience at the Annual Meeting, and it should be an enjoyable experience for mentor and mentee. Please do not present your mentor with resumés or work in progress, and do not expect formal career guidance, introductions to specific scholars, or lasting links beyond the Indianapolis meeting (although it often happens that many mentors and mentees stay connected long after the conference has ended and enjoy reconnecting at subsequent meetings).

Guidelines for Mentors:

If you are a regular or sustaining member of AMS and would like to be a "conference buddy" (i.e., mentor) for someone who is relatively new to AMS at the national meeting, please fill in the requested information on your registration form (either electronic or paper) or directly submit the online AMS Buddy Program registration form no later than Saturday, 30 October 2010. You will be matched with a "newer" AMS member who has requested to have a "conference buddy."

1. Please make a prompt connection with your mentee upon receipt of the mentor-mentee pairings early in the week of November 1 from the Conference Buddy Coordinator. Mentees are asked to make quick connections with their mentors, but sometimes they require a goad or two.
2. The best time to connect with your mentee at the Annual Meeting is on Thursday evening at the match-up meeting at 5:15 and/or during the opening reception (5:30–8:00) – or as early as possible on Friday during the conference (unless you both make other specific arrangements). One key point of the buddy program is for you to familiarize your mentee with the conference culture near the beginning of the meeting.
3. Please alert the Conference Buddy Coordinator if you change your plans after signing up to be a mentor, or if you change your contact information (particularly e-mail address).
4. Nearly all of the mentees are grateful for the opportunity to meet experienced musicologists who can often introduce them to important colleagues and provide many useful tips and various levels of informal guidance (often governed by the level of interest shown by the mentee). The connections may vary from a quick chat to a happy repartee that continues throughout the meeting (even occasionally after). Every now and then a mentee may misunderstand the purpose of the Conference Buddy Program, and mentors should be mindful of the guidelines given to all mentees (listed above).