I wait patiently for my Music Buddy to finish up his scale as his stiff bow movements send small clouds of rosin dust into the air. “You’re not producing a full sound,” I share . “Try to make sure your bow stays in contact with the string as you move along. Put some pressure on the string; not enough to produce a squeaky sound, but enough so you’re audible.” His face lights up with joy as his next scale comes out much cleaner, a sense of accomplishment washing over him.
The Music Buddies program pairs South High musicians with younger students. It fosters cooperation between high school students wishing to share their knowledge and elementary and middle school students wanting to improve their musical skills. The program, run by Alvin Li, Michael Sun, and Ashley Zheng, is overseen by the South High music department and cooperates with music departments in other Great Neck schools.
High school musicians apply to the program by submitting information about their musical experience. By December, South High mentors are paired with Lakeville and South Middle students. Mentors and their students often meet once or twice a week either in-person or over Zoom, working together on NYSSMA pieces, private lesson materials, or recital scores.
For the first few lessons, icebreakers are implemented so buddies can get to know each other better. Junior Ashley Zheng, one of the program coordinators, said, “I helped [my buddy] prepare for her NYSSMA solo. We worked on it for a couple weeks and made sure she had all her techniques down. I also taught her techniques and gave her exercises to do as I saw fit.” After successful preparation, mentors and their students perform in the Music Buddies concert, showcasing the skills they’ve developed during the program.
Both the mentors and mentees benefit from these evolving relationships. As the year progresses, young students may actively seek out their mentors not only for musical advice but also for their mentors’ high-school perspectives. Junior Skylar Lu developed a relationship with her buddy that expanded beyond musical guidance. “In the beginning, we were focused on her NYSSMA piece…we would start with warm ups and then move onto her song. After she sang, I would give her some tips to keep in mind when singing as well as techniques that would help produce the sound that she wanted. After that was out of the way, we sang pop songs together and shared our favorite artists and music. We talk a lot about our extracurricular activities, interests, anime, food, college, and future plans.”
Lu’s buddy loves their bonding sessions. “A typical lesson is about [Skylar] helping me with the things I have trouble with. Recently, we started working on a duet together. We usually have conversations about our hobbies, like anime and food! I would say I improved over the course of the year. Skylar also helped me get 98/100 on my NYSSMA Level 6 exam! The program is really fun because you can get tutored and maybe make a friend as well!”
The program broadened Lu’s musical horizons and shaped her approach to music. “This program allowed me to experience music from a completely different perspective: as a teacher. I learned to adapt to what my buddy needed. I’ve always been used to structured, scripted approaches when it came to showing what I knew about music, so needing to think of the right warm-ups and techniques for my buddy was nerve-racking. As time went on I got more comfortable with the unpredictability and let each session kind of flow.”
The budding program continues to blossom. “This year, we had almost 60 different students, so almost 30 pairings, which is the most we’ve ever had,” shared Zheng. “It’s really great that we see a lot more kids interested in taking advantage of this program.”
Nevertheless, the program faces its fair share of challenges. Scheduling conflicts may arise as the schedules of buddies and their mentors conflict. However, Zheng sees this as an upside. “I think it’s a pretty real-world simulation of what things might happen when you work in partnerships.”
Additionally, Zheng notes that the program’s services are currently insufficient to meet demand. “There are a lot more younger elementary-school and middle-school buddies signing up, and we don’t have enough high-school buddies. We’re looking forward to trying to get more high-school buddies involved in the program.” In a similar vein, the program coordinators are also attempting to export the Music Buddies program and its methodology to other schools, encouraging them to foster relationships between high school students and younger mentees.
Lu appreciated how the program strengthened her as a musician. “It completely opened my eyes and helped me realize that being a Music Buddy doesn’t require you to be perfect at the instrument you play. You just need to be brave enough to share what you think.”
