Letter of Intent to private teachers in the Ann Arbor area:
Dear private teachers,
It has been brought to our attention that many are concerned about the role of Peer Private Lessons in Ann Arbor's music community. Some believe that because we offer instruction for free, we exist in direct--and unfair--competition with private teachers in the Ann Arbor area. Because some teachers struggle to find enough students to sustain themselves, some argue that we have begun to directly affect people's livelihoods.
Since we are fundamentally a community service organization, the welfare of all people is our first concern. We greatly respect all private teachers and the work they do, which, like most teachers, often extends beyond their pay. PPL was inspired by the impact that individual attention can have on a musicians's growth; we do not wish in any way to step on teachers' toes or exist in direct competition with them.
That being said, the fact remains that lessons can be prohibitively expensive. Financial barriers aside, lessons frequently require a family commitment to transportation and priority of spending. In-school practice clubs and charity workshops do not cover the need, while lesson subsidies provided through the public schools are limited and require a student to demonstrate--often a sensitive subject--that they are in need financially.
To mitigate these barriers, Peer Private Lessons offers free musical instruction at a place of the student's convenience, without requiring demonstration of an income category and with the highest quality we can provide. We will continue to expand our coverage until all students in Ann Arbor have the opportunity to have musical experiences like those we are grateful to have had. Thus, PPL exists only to make music education more equitable. Our students would not have been private teachers' students to begin with and we do not represent a competitor in the market, but an expansion of the market.
It has also been said that students who would have taken private lessons will take with us instead because they are ignorant of the quality gap. The difference between our instruction and that of private teachers with music degrees is, we hope, very large despite our best efforts. After all, we don't exist to train virtuosos but to empower skilled amateurs to express themselves through music. With such a large quality gap, any who could afford actual private lessons will quickly switch as the market self-corrects. If the quality gap is not large, it is an indication that private instruction was overvalued to begin with.
We at Peer Private Lessons hope to work closely with the private teacher community in resolving conflicts and coming up with solutions for reducing target audience overlap. Ultimately, all of our goals are to provide musical experiences, and collaboration in that regard is entirely possible. We hope that we have allayed some of your concerns through this letter. If you have additional questions or wish to be involved in the conversation, please do contact us at peerprivatelessons@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
The combined team of Peer Private Lessons, 5/10/18
It has been brought to our attention that many are concerned about the role of Peer Private Lessons in Ann Arbor's music community. Some believe that because we offer instruction for free, we exist in direct--and unfair--competition with private teachers in the Ann Arbor area. Because some teachers struggle to find enough students to sustain themselves, some argue that we have begun to directly affect people's livelihoods.
Since we are fundamentally a community service organization, the welfare of all people is our first concern. We greatly respect all private teachers and the work they do, which, like most teachers, often extends beyond their pay. PPL was inspired by the impact that individual attention can have on a musicians's growth; we do not wish in any way to step on teachers' toes or exist in direct competition with them.
That being said, the fact remains that lessons can be prohibitively expensive. Financial barriers aside, lessons frequently require a family commitment to transportation and priority of spending. In-school practice clubs and charity workshops do not cover the need, while lesson subsidies provided through the public schools are limited and require a student to demonstrate--often a sensitive subject--that they are in need financially.
To mitigate these barriers, Peer Private Lessons offers free musical instruction at a place of the student's convenience, without requiring demonstration of an income category and with the highest quality we can provide. We will continue to expand our coverage until all students in Ann Arbor have the opportunity to have musical experiences like those we are grateful to have had. Thus, PPL exists only to make music education more equitable. Our students would not have been private teachers' students to begin with and we do not represent a competitor in the market, but an expansion of the market.
It has also been said that students who would have taken private lessons will take with us instead because they are ignorant of the quality gap. The difference between our instruction and that of private teachers with music degrees is, we hope, very large despite our best efforts. After all, we don't exist to train virtuosos but to empower skilled amateurs to express themselves through music. With such a large quality gap, any who could afford actual private lessons will quickly switch as the market self-corrects. If the quality gap is not large, it is an indication that private instruction was overvalued to begin with.
We at Peer Private Lessons hope to work closely with the private teacher community in resolving conflicts and coming up with solutions for reducing target audience overlap. Ultimately, all of our goals are to provide musical experiences, and collaboration in that regard is entirely possible. We hope that we have allayed some of your concerns through this letter. If you have additional questions or wish to be involved in the conversation, please do contact us at peerprivatelessons@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
The combined team of Peer Private Lessons, 5/10/18
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Christopher Zou, Director
Bertrand Chu, Operating Officer Sieun Kim, Operating Officer Gina Liu, Operating Officer Vallan Roan, Curriculum Director Yoav Hayut, Pioneer Liaison Osip Surdutovich, Outreach Director Katie Joo, Outreach Director Young Seo Lee, Violin Lief Lin, Violin Joanna Sheng, Violin Hana Kim, Cello Ayaka Inoki, Bassoon Young-Bin Kim, Oboe Peter Kalemkerian, Trombone |
Kristine Zheng, Viola
Austin Aldrich, Bass Arthur Su, Viola Benny Wang, Viola and Outreach Team Afua Nkansah-Andoh, Violin Amritha Anupindi, Clarinet John Kalemkerian, Alto Saxophone Dawson Hartman, French Horn James Xiu, Clarinet Dane Hubers, Oboe Daniel Hou, Alto Saxophone Benjamin Zhang, Trumpet Arthur Zhang, Flute Johnson He, Trombone |
