LUKE VILLAVICENCIO
Staff Writer
The inside of a Mason Hall classroom
Photo by REBEKAH GERACE | Staff Photographer
On Jan. 30, at 9:50 a.m., a public email was sent to all music majors at SUNY Fredonia by the Dean of the music, theatre and dance programs, Dr. David Stringham. The email announced a new directive requiring the cessation of non-curricular private lessons on campus.
“Through a written memorandum, Provost Starrett has directed us to comply with an immediate cessation of faculty, staff, students and community members offering non-curricular private lessons on our campus,” the email stated.
This announcement took many music students by surprise as it entails the cancellation of a rather helpful source of income for some.
There has been long-standing encouragement for music students to exercise their craft by offering lessons to fellow students as well as local Dunkirk and Fredonia residents, so this declaration seemingly came out of nowhere for many.
Students seem to be the main people that this directive affects due to private lessons offering financial help and job experience, though it relates to all staff and faculty as well.
Many faculty members often use private, non-curricular lessons to allow prospective students to prepare for an audition into their studio, aiding in program growth and the quality of studio members. According to the memo sent to faculty and staff, “the exception to this directive is for a ‘one-off’ private lesson for recruitment purposes for which the teacher receives no compensation.” This exception provides at least one avenue to allow these recruitment lessons to continue.
Recognizing the importance of this staple of Mason Hall, Dean Stringham has begun to work out a solution. “Dr. Avni, Ms. Darrell-Sterbak, Prof. Mai, and Dr. Reese have accepted my invitation to serve on a Community Music Task Force.
This group is representative of all three of our music departments as well as our staff colleagues, and will work expeditiously … to develop and implement a solution that allows us to resume these offerings,” he wrote.
The email clarifies the understanding of the values of reinstating non-curricular lessons, though for the time being, Mason Hall staff and students will need to grapple and adjust with this memorandum.
The inside of a Mason Hall practice room
Photo by REBEKAH GERACE | Staff Photographer
While the Community Music Task Force works to allow members of the music department to teach outside of classes, what can these students and faculty do in the meantime?
Some simple solutions lie between the lines of the Dean’s email; these individuals are not allowed to teach on campus.
There is, of course, nothing against the maintenance of lessons outside of campus. If you happen to live off-campus and teach from your residence, this memorandum would not affect you.
Music students who have taught locals in Dunkirk or Fredonia are always free to travel to students’ houses for in-home private instruction. This is unfortunately not an option for those without a reliable mode of transportation, so another option may be the rather limited medium of lessons via video conferencing.
Many teachers in our modern, post-pandemic world have become accustomed to and proficient at teaching through Zoom or Google Meet. This method, while potentially lacking in quality, provides a certain ease of scheduling. Within Mason Hall, there is, of course, nothing wrong with giving fellow Fredonia music students tips on their secondary instruments, sans any form of transaction.
For the time being, these seem to be the few options music students and faculty have within the given guidelines.
While the memorandum may seem inconvenient, the operation of non-curricular lessons on campus unfortunately creates some vulnerabilities for the university.
This precautionary measure prevents the unsupervised education of students as well as the unregulated commerce from private lessons from getting out of hand. The best music students and faculty can do is work with these constraints and come up with methods by which lessons can be returned to Mason Hall in a safe and beneficial manner.
“I can understand that this directive is inconvenient; however, it ultimately protects you, our faculty and staff, and other colleagues at the university,” Dean Stringham concluded. For now, the music community at Fredonia must work within these constraints while awaiting a resolution that preserves the benefits of non-curricular private lessons in a safe and regulated manner.