The orchestra and private lessons are separate programs at Pomona College and are handled differently. This page has information specific to lessons. The information here has a strong overlap with the Private Music Lessons page on the Music Department website, which you can also consult.
Signing up for music lessons
If you are interested in taking private lessons, sign up through the department’s portal, called “Liszto.” To access Liszto, you must be using a computer that is registered on the campus network. It is not open for lesson sign-ups until shortly before the start of each semester.
Respond to all of the prompts in Liszto, including those that ask about your past experience on the instrument and, if you are requesting multiple instruments, what your priorities are in case there is not room for you right away in multiple studios.
Be in contact with your teacher!
Many studios are at capacity, and it is essential that your teacher knows who does or does not want lessons in any given semester. You can find your teacher’s email address under the Music Department faculty directory. Use email to start, although some teachers may later indicate a preference for texting.
For any orchestral instrument other than violin, the department has only one teacher, and you can be in contact with that person right away. If you are a violinist, sign up through Liszto now, but then you will have to wait until you are assigned to one of the department’s two violin teachers, a decision that is usually made based on schedule compatibility.
For information about piano or voice lessons, contact Prof. Genevieve Lee (piano) or Prof. Melissa Givens (voice).
The final step of your lessons registration will be handled by the department
You cannot register directly for any private lessons course. After you go through the process with Liszto, it is likely (although not guaranteed) that you will be placed into a studio. Be sure to confirm that you want to claim the spot! The department’s Academic Coordinator will get the appropriate course added to your schedule by around the end of the third week of the semester.
Lesson length and the Qualifying Examination
By default, lessons are 30 minutes per week. More experienced players can request 60-minute lessons by playing a Qualifying Examination (QE) on the second Friday of the semester. If your QE is successful, you will be advanced to Level II lessons, which include the option of 60 minutes per week.
Sign up for a QE via the Qualifying Examination Application on Formstack.
The requirements for the QE are different from those for the orchestra audition.
The QE requires two pieces
The two pieces must represent contrasting historical styles. If you aren’t sure what that means, ask your prospective teacher or the orchestra conductor.
The QE must be accompanied
The rule for QE accompaniment is potentially confusing. If a piece you are playing calls for accompaniment, you must have the accompaniment. One of your pieces (e.g. solo Bach) may be unaccompanied by design, meaning that no accompaniment exists: the piece was conceived by its composer to be unaccompanied. But if both pieces should have accompaniment, then you need accompaniment for both pieces.
The department will provide a collaborative pianist, and you will provide the music for the pianist by uploading it through the online application. You will get an opportunity to rehearse briefly with them; check your email!
You get to choose your scales for the QE
Choose one major and one minor scale. The minor scale should be melodic or harmonic. The major and minor scale can have the same tonic or different tonics. Choose scales that fully cover the normal range of the instrument; check with your prospective teacher or the orchestra conductor if you are not sure. Scales should be performed moderately quickly and should demonstrate good accuracy in tone and pitch.
The QE does not have any sight-reading
Sight-reading is part of the orchestra audition.