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This case study was originally written by Anna Wynn Roberts, Mentoring 4 Screen Facilitator, and is republished with permission from CULT Cymru.

A Welsh translation is also available below. 

Dan Sims has been performing live as a session musician, band leader and musical director since 2015, becoming self-employed in 2019, a year after graduating in Contemporary Music Performance. Since 2022, he’s combined performing and composing with a music lecturing job at Bath College four days a week.

Dan was keen to get guidance on how to progress in the music industry. “I’d been seeking a greater awareness of how I could pursue new revenue streams and make the most of my skillset.”

CULT Cymru were running a mentoring programme for creatives living or working in Wales and as member of the Musician’s Union, Dan was able to apply for 6 hours of free mentoring with a more experienced musician in his area of interest.

Carefully matched with the right mentor

On selection for the scheme, Dan was matched with composer, sound designer and producer Pete Bayliss. Pete loves experimenting and pushing boundaries, drawing inspiration from a diverse range of sources. His work has been featured on TF1 and TFX terrestrial channels in France, as well as in local television, advertising, corporate videos, and online media.

“I was matched with an ideal mentor for me who really helped to guide me towards my personal goals,” says Dan. “Every meeting was conducted at Pete’s studio which resulted in our meetings being more personal and made for an easier dialogue with demonstrations of compositional techniques.”

Using mentoring to reach personal and professional goals

Ultimately, Dan’s goal was to gain more personal control over his career: “From the start of the mentoring process I was open about wanting to reduce my teaching hours. That’s now a realistic and achievable goal for me and will allow me to increase my personal flexibility and work-life balance.”

Other goals Dan wanted to pursue were around building a music portfolio and an EPK – an electronic press kit – to showcase his music, career and his brand.

Mentor Pete feels that he brings a lot of his own personal development experience to the mentoring: “Everyone’s skillset is different. Some have had formal education, some are self taught, some – a mix of both – all equally valid. There will always be knowledge gaps. From my own experiences and approach, I have helped to bridge some of those gaps by focusing on three things: The value of having a concept, a strategy and a method by which to carry it out.”

He feels that Dan’s come a long way during their mentoring partnership: “He’s become more confident and forward-thinking regarding personal branding and he’s developed a more refined mindset and approach to compositional techniques.”

Lasting impact

“My plan following on from my mentoring,” says Dan, “is to establish a professional compositional portfolio to then present to the relevant publishers. This will take time but thanks to my mentoring sessions I am confident that I am in a comfortable position to achieve this.”

His mentor Pete says that mentoring has had a profound effect on how he perceives his own creative practice: “I’ve become more mindful in my own approach to work. I’ve made improvements to the systems I use and I continue to learn.”

 

Applications now open

CULT Cymru is a learning project led by Bectu, in partnership with Equity, the Musicians’ Union, and the Writers’ Guild. It works with creative professionals, employers, and industry organisations to deliver learning opportunities and networking events across Wales.

The Mentoring 4 Creatives programme is funded by the Welsh Government through the Wales Union Learning Fund. Mentors are paid for their time, and only members of Bectu, Equity, or the MU are eligible to apply for mentoring. Successful applicants receive six hours of one-to-one mentoring over six months.

This year's programme is now open for applications and will close at midnight on Wednesday 17 September 2025.

Find out more and apply

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Mentora i bobl Greadiogol: Ffurfio Dyfodol Llawryddion yng Nghymru

Darganfyddwch sut y defnyddiodd dau aelod o MU gynllun CULT Cymru Mentora i bobol Greadigol i archwilio cyfeiriadau newydd a datblygu eu gyrfaoedd creadigol. Mae'r rhaglen yn cefnogi llawryddion a gweithwyr achlysurol ledled diwydiannau creadigol Cymru - a mae ceisiadau ar agor tan fis Medi ar gyfer grwp eleni.

Mae'r astudiaeth achos hon yn wreiddiol wedi'i hysgrifennu gan Anna Wynn Roberts, Cydlynydd, Mentora I’r sgrîn , ac fe'i hailgyhoeddwyd gydag awdurdod gan CULT Cymru.

Mae Dan Sims wedi bod yn perfformio'n fyw fel cerddor sesiwn, arweinydd band a chyfarwyddwr cerdd ers 2015, ac yn hunangyflogedig ers 2019, blwyddyn wedi iddo raddio mewn Perfformio Cerddoriaeth Gyfoes. Ers 2022, mae wedi cyfuno perfformio a chyfansoddi gyda swydd darlithio cerddoriaeth.

Roedd Dan yn awyddus i gael arweiniad ar sut i ddatblygu ei yrfa yn y diwydiant cerddoriaeth. "Roeddwn i wedi am gael mwy o ymwybyddiaeth o sut y gallwn i ddilyn trywydd ffrydiau refeniw newydd, a gwneud y gorau o fy set sgiliau."

Roedd CULT Cymru yn cynnal cynllun mentora ar gyfer pobl greadigol sy'n byw neu'n gweithio yng Nghymru, ac fel aelod o Undeb y Cerddorion (MU) roedd Dan yn gallu ymgeisio am 6 awr o fentora am ddim gyda cherddor profiadol yn ei faes o ddiddordeb.

Matsio yn ofalus gyda’r mentor cywir

Ar ôl cael ei ddewis ar gyfer y cynllun, cafodd Dan ei baru â'r cyfansoddwr, dylunydd sain a chynhyrchydd Pete Bayliss. Mae Pete wrth ei fodd yn arbrofi a gwthio ffiniau, gan dynnu ysbrydoliaeth o ystod amrywiol o ffynonellau. Mae ei waith wedi ymddangos ar sianeli daearol TF1 a TFX yn Ffrainc, yn ogystal â theledu lleol, hysbysebion, fideos corfforaethol, a chyfryngau ar-lein. Mae Pete yn Gynrychiolydd Dysgu Undeb y Cerddorion ac felly’n angerddol am helpu eraill.

“Cefais fy mharu â mentor delfrydol i mi a oedd wedi fy nhywys at fy nodau personol," meddai Dan. "Cynhaliwyd pob cyfarfod yn stiwdio Pete yng Nghasnewydd, a arweiniodd at gyfarfodydd fwy personol; ac a oedd yn gwneud deialog yn haws gydag arddangosiadau o dechnegau cyfansoddi."

Defnyddio mentora i gyrraedd nodau personol a phroffesiynol

Yn y pen draw, nod Dan oedd cael mwy o reolaeth bersonol dros ei yrfa: "O ddechrau'r broses fentora roeddwn i'n agored i leihau fy oriau addysgu. Mae hynny bellach yn nod realistig a chyraeddadwy i mi a bydd yn caniatáu imi gynyddu fy hyblygrwydd personol a chydbwysedd bywyd a gwaith."

Nodau eraill roedd Dan eisiau eu dilyn oedd adeiladu portffolio cerddoriaeth ac EPK – sef pecyn i'r wasg electronig - i arddangos ei gerddoriaeth, ei yrfa a'i frand.

Mae Pete yn teimlo ei fod yn dod â llawer o'i brofiad datblygiad personol ei hun i'r mentora: "Mae set sgiliau pawb yn wahanol. Mae rhai wedi cael addysg ffurfiol, rhai yn hunan-ddysgedig, rhai wedi cael cymysgedd o'r ddau – maent i gyd yr un mor ddilys. Bydd bylchau gwybodaeth bob amser. O fy mhrofiadau a fy nulliau i, rydw i wedi helpu i bontio rhai o'r bylchau hynny trwy ganolbwyntio ar dri pheth: gwerth cysyniadau, strategaeth, a dull i'w cyflawni."

Mae'n teimlo bod Dan wedi cael cynnydd da yn ystod eu partneriaeth fentora: "Mae wedi dod yn fwy hyderus a blaengar o ran brandio personol, ac mae wedi datblygu meddylfryd a dull mwy mireinio o dechnegau cyfansoddi."

Dylanwad parhaol

“Fy nghynllun yn dilyn fy mentora," meddai Dan, "yw sefydlu portffolio cyfansoddi proffesiynol i'w gyflwyno i'r cyhoeddwyr perthnasol. Bydd hyn yn cymryd amser ond diolch i'm sesiynau mentora rwy'n hyderus fy mod mewn sefyllfa gyfforddus i gyflawni hyn."

Dywed Pete bod mentora wedi cael effaith ddofn ar sut mae'n gweld ei ymarfer creadigol ei hun: "Rydw i wedi dod yn fwy ymwybodol yn fy ymagwedd fy hun at weithio. Rydw i wedi gwneud gwelliannau i'r systemau rwy'n eu defnyddio ac rwy'n parhau i ddysgu."

Mae ceisiadau bellach ar agor

Mae CULT Cymru yn brosiect dysgu dan arweiniad Bectu, mewn partneriaeth â Equity, Undeb y Cerddorion, a'r Undeb yr Ysgrifennwyr, Mae'n gweithio gyda gweithwyr proffesiynol creadigol, cyflogwyr, a sefydliadau diwydiant i gynnig cyfleoedd dysgu a cyfleuoedd rhwydweithio ledled Cymru.

Mae'r rhaglen Mentoring 4 Creatives wedi'i chyllido gan Llywodraeth Cymru drwy Gronfa Dysgu Undeb Cymru. Mae mentoriaid yn cael eu talu am eu hamser, a dim ond aelodau o Bectu, Equity, neu'r MU sydd yn gymwys i wneud cais am fentora. Mae ceiswyr llwyddiannus yn derbyn chwe awr o fentora un-i-un dros chwe mis.

Mae rhaglen eleni bellach ar agor ar gyfer ceisiadau ac fe fydd yn cau am hanner nos Dydd Mercher 17 Medi 2025.

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