Making music in the college houses

College sophomore Riana Pahmer first picked up the violin in third grade and has yet to put it down. And now, with the help of the College House Music Lesson Program, she will not have to.

"It is a program to provide music lessons and chamber music coaching and music performances for students in college houses," Music Theory Professor Cristle Judd said. "Our goal is to encourage as much music-making of as high quality as possible on the campus."

Music-making is certainly what Pahmer, who was in the pilot music program last year, has been doing. As a member of the Penn Symphony, Pahmer said that last year she used the private lessons -- eight lessons at one-half hour each per semester -- to further support her violin endeavors and has nothing but praise for her teacher.

"She is strong in different points, and some of the things she has been helping me with and correcting me on are exactly what I need," Pahmer said. "The pilot program gives you a lot of freedom -- you can study solo works or you can bring up chamber pieces."

There is also freedom in the instrument and style selection, which run the gamut from oboe to cello to jazz drums. However, piano, voice, violin and flute comprise the principle lessons at all experience levels.

In addition to the diversity of musical options, Pahmer said that another benefit of the college house program is price.

Pahmer said that her private lessons with a graduate student from the renowned Curtis Music Institute cost $50 per session, but estimated that "normally, for a really good teacher, like Curtis level, you can go anywhere between $80 and $120."

And in offering good rates, Pahmer said that the college house program does not cut corners and its participants still receive standard perks -- including live performances.

"Last year, the teacher who was teaching in Harnwell did put together a recital for all her students, so I performed a concerto that I was working on with her, and I played a duet with her," Pahmer said. "It was crowded. All the couches were filled up, they had dessert from the Painted Parrot and we had a reception afterward."

Pahmer's teacher was not the only one with this idea. Fourth-year graduate student Daniel Party, who teaches classical guitar, said that he too arranged a recital for his students.

"Last semester, I organized a small recital with all of my students and that was a great moment," Party said. "To see them get on stage and play a piece that they had studied in front of an audience -- that was very fine."

Because of his success, Party said he plans to do a recital every semester henceforth, and Judd said she is not surprised in the least. In addition to hiring highly talented and renowned teachers, Judd said that the program searched for teachers whom they felt would mesh well with young Quakers.

"We looked carefully for people who we thought would be the right people working on Penn's campus with Penn students, and who are all active musicians in Philly," she said. "We wanted somebody who understands how talented Penn students are but also understand the demands on their time. We wanted somebody who was willing to work with students who were not necessarily going to become performers but who would still challenge the students, and we wanted somebody who would understand Penn undergraduates' intellectual curiosity."

Despite the qualifications of the program's teachers, acceptance is not limited to virtuosos.

"Most of the students I teach have no musical background -- they just want to learn an instrument," Party said. "Part of my job is to teach students to read music [and] how to perform music from different periods -- Baroque, Renaissance, the 19th century."

Judd said that students interested in the program should pick up an application in the Music Department. Lessons are set to begin the week of Sept. 30.

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