Two years ago the Pennsylvania Academy of Music was poised to embark on an exciting period of productivity and growth. As the June 11th Founder’s Day passed by this year with the reality of having the Academy’s building being stripped of it’s namesake, questions and concerns abound regarding PAM’s future
Last night at the majestic Theater in Gettysburg, the NPR series “From the Top” presented a performance to be aired in September that included PAM student Kathryn Westerlund. Her performance was brilliant. She closed the show to a resounding standing ovation.
The nationwide group of performers for that evening were carefully selected through a highly competitive audition process. One performer gave credit to a program in Atlanta that provides opportunities for the underprivileged. Another group of performers brought the fine art of chamber music to the stage, exhibiting a command rarely observed amongst students that age. The level of excellence throughout the evening was astounding. It was obvious the students were products of a nurturing environment to achieve such a level. The “From the Top” performance was not unlike the “Rising Stars” concert that took place at PAM a month ago. The level of performance and diversity found within the “Rising Stars” was equally impressive and inspiring.
The selection process for the “Rising Stars” concert was strictly amongst the students at the Pennsylvania Academy of Music in Lancaster, PA. Among those selected was a student from the Academy’s “Bravo” program- a program that provides lessons at PAM for the underprivileged. This is an impressive testimony to a school in a locale the size of Lancaster to draw such a comparison. PAM is a microcosm of the programs of excellence and opportunity that are presented at “From the Top”.
Most of the students participating in the “Rising Stars” concert enrolled at PAM long before the opening of the 42 N. Prince St. 32 million dollar structure on June 11th of 2008. The exciting period of growth and productivity started prior to “the building”. We are constantly learning-learning from the past, looking toward the future and living in the present.
Imagine…with an incredible faculty dedicated to the community and beyond, with students that yearn to learn, with programs that foster growth, creativity and inspiration, with a clearly outlined business plan and mission statement supporting these assets …as we enter a new era of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music what the potential benefits will be to our future generations.
Michael T. Jamanis, D.M.A.
Dean of Faculty
Pennsylvania Academy of Music
I have never read anything that has put into question PAM,s students, programs or faculty. We all know why the institution is in trouble. The question is; do we devote the already limited resources available to the arts to give PAM a second chance? Or do we give those responsibly run organizations who were told to wait until PAM’s new facilty was built, the assistance they so desperately need and deserve?
As yet, PAM has not put forth a credible and transparent plan for the future. They do however continue to ask, and somehow receive, more and more dollars. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice…..
Your parents poisoned the well, unfortunately, and the kids and teachers suffer as a result. Jamanis Sr.’s vitriol toward anyone who disagreed with him made it worse; the complete lack of financials almost guaranteed failure. But hopefully you’ll salvage something here; it’s an opportunity if you can figure out a plan that works.
There have been many “puff” pieces written about PAM, but this one is really “over the top”. As is customary with any publicity coming out of PAM, there is no acknowledgement at all of the fine work being done by the music departments of Millersville University, Elizabethtown College, F&M, Lancaster Bible College, the Lancaster Conservatory of Music and the Lancaster Music Teachers Association, to name a few.
Many people are justifiably skeptical of pronouncements about PAM’s value to the community. They’ve heard that tale before. What they need to hear instead is how PAM will construct realistic budgets based primarily on tuition revenues, how it will recruit students to provide those tuition revenues, and how it will use donor gifts to supplement those revenues. So far, that kind of planning has been absent from the various statements and publicity efforts, ever since the institution faced difficulty. Saying “we’re wonderful, trust us,” isn’t a mission statement or a goal-oriented plan.
If PAM is to revive, it will need to construct a plan that is sensitive to budget and market pressures. Budgets should be constructed that reflect realistic estimates of revenues, thus forcing leaders to adequately prioritize. And a realistic evaluation of the precollegiate music education market will help PAM recognize what distinguishes its offerings from what’s currently available in the region — if anything really does. Lancaster residents are lucky to have so much access to terrific music programs.
PAM’s resurrection, unfortunately for those who depend on it for employment, is not critical to Lancaster’s success. But resolving PAM’s financial issues might be. The sooner the various guarantees are sorted out, the sooner two fine local foundations can begin assessing the damage done to their financial resources. Once that is done, then one hopes they’ll be able to continue their philanthropy, helping deserving organizations and individuals in the region.
Recouping some of the money the foundations guaranteed by liquidating PAM assets seems only just — and fair to those well-run organizations that depend on these foundations for help. The former PAM board chair, Paul Ware, deserves thanks from this community for his investment in its people and organizations. The various newspaper articles do not point to him as the one who was in charge of PAM. As has been noted in articles, PAM’s founders were in control, even, as one board member said, if it meant letting the boat sink rather than giving control over to someone who could steer it to safety.
No one wishes those at PAM ill. But more PR isn’t the answer to its woes. Sound planning is.