Music department seeks to expand private lessons to keep up with student demand

March 23, 2026

by Alexander Rony

UC Berkeley’s music program is booming, with the fastest-growing major on campus. Thanks to a newly retooled curriculum, students' modern interests are reflected in new songwriting classes, expanded performance ensembles, more digital music creation, and an easier way to double major.

However, this groundswell of interest has created a pressing challenge: how to meet the surging demand for private, one-on-one lessons.

The Department of Music provides complimentary lessons to every music major in a performance ensemble. This semester, the department had to reduce private lessons to 10 weeks per student (down from 12) to accommodate a modest and long-overdue raise for instructors. If it can’t fund a permanent $4 million endowment (or cover $150,000 a year), it will have to make difficult decisions around who it can afford to teach — and who will be asked to pay for private tutors.

“The number of students who desire those lessons has ballooned,” said David Milnes, the department chair and conductor of the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. “We want to teach them all. We feel that music is good for everybody at all levels of ability, but we don't have the budget to serve them all, and they may not have the wherewithal to hire private music teachers. We want to raise the money to make this work.”

Closing the gap

For students who grew up without the resources for private tutors, these university-funded lessons are their best opportunity for elite music education.

Stephanie Zavala knows the transformative power of that access. Fifteen years ago, her elementary school was on the brink of closure until a violin program saved it.

“I wouldn’t have been able to learn music if it wasn't for that program,” said Zavala, who is now in her third year at UC Berkeley. “A lot of kids wouldn’t have. Their parents wouldn’t have been able to buy them an instrument, and private lessons are so expensive.”

Two photos of a woman playing violin, one in a blue sweater and one in a mariachi outfit

STEPHANIE ZAVALA PRACTICING FOR THE UC BERKELEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (LEFT) AND PLAYING IN MARIACHI LUZ DE ORO DE BERKELEY (RIGHT)

Orchestra photo by Grant Kerber; mariachi photo courtesy of Stephanie Zavala

UC Berkeley provides instruction for both instrumentalists and vocalists. Zavala earned her spot through her membership in the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra.

“I will never take music lessons for granted,” said Zavala, who also co-directs the student-run Mariachi Luz de Oro de Berkeley. “It forces you to improve upon yourself as a musician. It's just you and the instructor, so you receive a type of attention that you don't get anywhere else on campus, because that is a one-on-one hour that you share with a professional musician.”

“The hour I spend in private lessons with my instructor is the hour I feel most enriched technically as a musician,” continued Zavala. “I spend all week playing in rehearsals or performances, but that hour is when I can reflect on the progress that I am making, because it's with someone who sees me every week and gives feedback.”

A man conducts an orchestra with his hands; A woman holds a flute and smiles

DAVID MILNES (LEFT) AND STACEY PELINKA (RIGHT)

Photos courtesy of David Milnes and Stacey Pelinka

The hour I spend in private lessons with my instructor is the hour I feel most enriched technically as a musician.

Stephanie Zavala

Mentoring students to be their best selves

Private instructors are able to provide a personalized experience often lacking at a sprawling campus like UC Berkeley.

“In a large lecture class, they're teaching the same thing to a bunch of different students,” said Stacey Pelinka, a flute teacher. “I have students with all kinds of learning styles. Some just want to plug away at the repertoire. Some want to think about fundamentals. Some need to overcome imposter syndrome. I can address each of these students individually.”

Instructors are all accomplished musicians — but they are much more than technical experts. The personal nature of private lessons allows students to open up about the obstacles preventing them from breaking through difficult pieces — and not all of those challenges are musical in nature. Instructors often serve as informal academic advisors, wellness coaches, and career counselors.

Milnes, the department chair, champions music’s restorative nature. It’s no secret that many college students experience high degrees of stress. In UC Berkeley’s most recent Student Pulse Survey, 70 percent of students reported feeling nervous, anxious, or “on edge” in the previous two weeks. Fifty-seven percent were unable to stop or control their worrying.

Milnes sees many students come from a long day of classes and studying, sit down with their instrument, and visibly relax. They clear their heads while practicing a skill they love. For double and triple majors, music is often a necessary creative outlet.

“We believe that embodiment and mixing of the brain, body, and the spirit is a very healthy, human way to develop,” said Milnes.

“Lessons are not stressful,” said Zavala, who is double-majoring in Chicanx studies. “If anything, it's freeing to forget about your week and get down to working on these tangible things to create change in your music. I’m exercising a different part of my brain, and that in itself is good for my mental health.”

Zavala hopes to return to San Diego’s schools after graduating to enrich children’s lives through music — just like her teacher did for her 15 years ago.

The stakes for maintaining these private lessons are high; without them, the department risks losing prospective talent to other institutions. For fourth-year music major Sarah Kave, the caliber of one-on-one coaching was the deciding factor in her enrollment.

As a prospective applicant, Kave reached out to instructor Jonathan Koh for a trial lesson. Kave described herself at that age as an intuitive cello player who rarely considered her technical foundation. She said Koh was discerning and honest in pointing out exactly what she could do to improve her playing. Kave said it was one of the best lessons she had ever received.

“The lessons are the reason why I picked Berkeley over any other school,” said Kave. “The teacher is the most fundamental aspect of improving as a musician, especially at this stage in your life. You get that one-on-one coaching, and that's how you’re able to learn how to communicate what you want to say with music.”

Berkeley students who benefited from private lessons are currently at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Washington National Opera, and many other venerable institutions.

“If we don't have those lessons to offer, then incredible musicians aren't going to want to come,” said Kave.

Training well-rounded musicians

A woman plays cello with some violinists behind her. A man facing away from the camera conducts.

DAVID MILNES (RIGHT) CONDUCTS THE UC BERKELEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, INCLUDING SARAH KAVE (LEFT) ON CELLO.

Photo by Grant Kerber

If we don't have those lessons to offer, then incredible musicians aren't going to want to come.

Sarah Kave

Kave aims to play in a major orchestra. She is on the right path as a member of the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra who maintains her own cello studio and intends to enroll in graduate school. Some musicians in her shoes would apply to conservatories, but Kave also appreciated that UC Berkeley offers a broader education. Pelinka, the flute teacher, generally recommends a liberal arts education for students considering college.

“Part of being a musician isn't just learning how to play the instrument, it's learning how to say something with it,” said Pelinka, “If you don't have any broader education or experience of the world, you don’t have as much to offer.”

Back to its Roots: The Lim Fantasy of Companionship for Piano and Orchestra / Live at UC Berkeley

"THE LIM FANTASY OF COMPANIONSHIP FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA," PERFORMED BY THE UC BERKELEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Many student musicians are attracted to the department’s newly diversified offerings. Instructors now teach a wider variety of genres. The Latin American and Caribbean Music Ensemble launched just over a year ago and is already wildly successful, according to Milnes. However, the department’s traditional offerings are also flourishing. Milnes said that the classical and jazz wings have grown enormously. Campus orchestras, choruses, and gamelan groups have hundreds of student-performers.

The department hosts more than 100 concerts a year. These are open to the public, and many are free. Milnes plans to offer more public recitals if the department raises more funds. Right now, all music majors have a capstone recital, but the few campus venues are already overbooked. That includes the new Wu Performance Hall, a room in Morrison Hall built specifically for smaller audiences’ enjoyment.

Beyond providing a platform for creative young minds, the Department of Music hopes to foster the foundational discipline required to master skills. Learning an instrument teaches the importance of routine, persistence, goal-setting, and non-verbal expression — traits that help musicians succeed in their professional and personal lives, regardless of their specific pursuits.

“You have to be extremely disciplined when you practice, which carries over into every field,” said Kave. “You need to set the bar really high for yourself. Music shapes people in a way that they will never forget and will carry over into whatever they decide to pursue with their lives.”

“I've seen students come into the UC system without having had any lessons and without having an instrument that works well, and because of the resources they are provided with, they go on to careers in music,” said Pelinka. “College is not too late.”

Both newcomers and seasoned performers need dedicated practice time. Even students who are more interested in the academic side of musicology need direct experience creating music to understand the art form.

“Music is experiential,” said Pelinka. “In order to study it, you need to participate in it.”