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Teachers and students at last year’s spring recital. (Courtesy of the South Side Free Music Program)
Sixth-grader Eric Williams is learning to play the Super Mario Bros. theme song in the basement of the University’s Logan Center for the Arts. It may seem his attention wanders from his teacher’s hands at the piano, but he processes the musical information carefully, then plays back the tune fragment.
“It’s surprisingly hard,” said Eric of his selection. However, he is certain he will triumph by his spring recital.
His teacher, Sean Won, is a fourth-year student majoring in economics and data science and the president of the South Side Free Music Program (SSFMP). A student-run after-school program, SSFMP was founded by former undergraduate Noah Moskowitz (A.B. ’12) 15 years ago in response to budget cuts across Chicago public schools. Moskowitz said he formed the program to “jam” with the kids.
Before private lessons were held on campus, UChicago volunteers worked with students in South Side school classrooms. Won says his vision for the program aligns with Moskowitz’s original policy of prioritizing reach over exclusivity.
“The expectation isn’t to get your student to be the next Mozart. The goal is to inspire [a] love of music,” Won said.
Eric has professional aspirations: “I want to be a musician when I’m older—or an artist.”
“He’s a very artistic person, so I take inspiration from that,” said Won, a classically trained pianist. Many classical musicians don’t know how to improvise, but Eric, who enjoys hip-hop and jazz, updates Won on his improvisational progress on the piano, drums, and guitar.
SSFMP currently consists of about 75 student-teacher pairings. According to Won, another 50 children are on the waitlist, and the program is trying to recruit additional volunteers. It’s an effort to fill a small part of the music education gap on the South Side, exacerbated by budget cuts that have continually hampered arts education.
Nearly half of Chicago public schools have only one arts teacher position, some of which are not yet filled, according to WBEZ. Low enrollment in those schools, most of which serve fewer than 500 students, is also an obstacle to making an arts education more accessible.
Nurturing her son’s musical talent was a priority for Eric’s mother, Renye Owens. Owens said that teachers at Jane Addams Elementary in East Side can’t provide individualized attention in a large class, and Eric sometimes struggles to focus due to his ADHD.
“He’s musically inclined, so we just wanted to make sure that he was learning,” Owens said, adding that extracurricular music lessons can be expensive. The Music Teachers of Hyde Park (MTHP), an alliance of independent teachers who serve South Side neighborhoods, charges varying rates, according to flute teacher Irene Claude. Ethan Sellers, a working musician who has taught for decades, typically charges $60 for a one-hour piano lesson, while another teacher in the alliance, who asked to remain anonymous, charges $82.
Connections Beyond the Campus Practice Room
For David Richmond, his two daughters’ participation in the program is a full-circle moment.
“Both my older siblings played music, but I never had this when I was a kid, and I wish I would have had that opportunity,” said Richmond, who was born “just three blocks away” at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Musical connections forge bonds between teachers and South Side families that extend beyond the practice room. Each year, one of Won’s piano students sends him an invitation to his birthday party— “And I show up,” he said.
“I feel like I’m a meaningful part of their lives,” Won said. He attends events held by Eric’s grandmother, who runs Sacred Grounds Ministries, a local nonprofit anti-violence organization.
Many of the student volunteer staff begin as underclassmen at UChicago and remain with students until they graduate. “It can be disruptive when a student graduates, and we make a new pairing,” said Won. He added that parents inquire about graduated teachers to emphasize the emotional attachments that form.
Nine-year-old Elle Watson sings in a general music class at South Loop Elementary School, but since they don’t have a formal orchestra, she has been taking violin lessons with third-year student Ava Cho for two years through SSFMP.
“All the way from back then, looking at me now, it’s like, ‘Oh wow, I have so many more skills,’” Elle reflected.
“She’s very positive, and she brings that energy into the music,” Cho said. “I get to see her not only grow as a musician but her growing up and maturing.”
This year, Elle is considering playing Beyoncé’s “Halo” for the spring recital. The piece is difficult, but “if she puts in the work, she’ll be good,” Cho said.
While some students, such as Eric, dream of a music career, others said the weekly lessons are a rewarding hobby. Regardless, sharing music is a source of joy for both the students and the teachers.
“Music opens the pathway to relationships with people,” Cho said. “Even if after I graduate Elle doesn’t do violin, at least I formed that connection with her.”
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