contact pmmp
Penn Music Mentoring Program
To get in touch with the Penn Music Mentoring Program, email PennMusicMentoringProgram@gmail.com
For more information about donating to PMMP, please see our support page.
- Why should I join?
- What kinds of instruments do you teach?
- Do you teach voice?
- I'd like to be a tutor, but I play the <insert really weird/foreign/unknown instrument here>. What should I do?
- How good do you have to be to be a
tutor?
- What exactly do your tutors do?
- What if I've never tutored before?
- What is the time commitment?
- What other opportunities are there in PMMP besides tutoring?
- I want to join. What should I do next?
There are lots of reasons to join PMMP--to have fun, to keep up your playing during college, to do some community service, and to force yourself to practice your scales and technical exercises so your student doesn't show you up--but the most important one is that teaching music to somebody is one of the most fulfilling ways to spend a few hours a week. You don't realize the improvements that students undergo during the year, but when you're sitting in the audience of the end-of-year recital and listening to a trombonist play a fairly difficult solo all the way through (when he couldn't even find 5th position on his horn 8 months ago), or to a pianist who composed his own piece to play, there's no greater feeling. It's something you have to experience for yourself.
What kinds of instruments do you teach?
All of them. That is, we'd like to teach all of them. In the past, we've taught piano, violin, viola, cello, percussion, trumpet, trombone, baritone/euphonium, flute, clarinet, alto sax, and tenor sax. If your instrument is not on that list, we'd love for you to join so we can add it on.
I'd like to be a tutor, but I play the <insert really weird/foreign/unknown instrument here>. What should I do?
Tell us about your instrument. Chances are that somebody in one of the schools we teach in would like to learn it.
We do now. Vocalists should definitely contact us.
How good do you have to be to be a tutor?
Good players don't always make good teachers, and we're looking for good teachers. Some of our tutors were all-state musicians back in high school. A lot weren't. The bottom line is that you have to be a "competent" musician, which we define as "you know what a student should be doing, even if you can't do it really well yourself." You'll find that your dedication, commitment, compassion, and ability to communicate effectively are far greater assets while tutoring a student than your playing ability. We don't have any audition or resume requirements for our tutors.
Tutors give private lessons to groups of 1-3 students on a weekly basis during the school day. The rest is really up to you and the individual needs and desires of the student. Some students begin learning jazz improvisation; others like to work on classical concertos, while others need more rudimentary instruction. We are a "mentoring" program, so students will oftentimes ask their tutors questions about anything from pursuing music in college, general college life, and career goals, to whether or not you're going to ask out the other piano tutor who comes in with you every week.
What if I've never tutored before?
Don't worry. Every year, members of Penn's faculty offer our tutors seminars on teaching music. For 2002-2003, we're also planning a more extensive training session with the music teachers at West Philadelphia High School.
That's up to you. Anywhere from 30 mins to 3 hours a week, plus transportation time, depending on how many students you want to take on. The schools we teach at are either within walking distance of campus, or are a 5 minute drive away on a private van service provided to us by the Center for Community Partnerships.
What other opportunities are there in PMMP besides tutoring?
Read about our plans for the coming year on our about page, and you'll see that we're going to need all the organizational help that we can get. We'll be pursuing corporate and foundational funding and putting on a Gala Concert, among other things, so if you're interested in grant writing or just about anything else, we'd love your help. Members are also eligible to run for positions on the Executive Board, which is elected every year in April.
I want to join. What should I do next?
Contact the PMMP Exec Board at PennMusicMentoringProgram@gmail.com, and tell us the instrument you play. Also, watch your inbox or check back at this site for information regarding our new member orientation meetings.
© 2011 Penn Music Mentoring Program