Welcome! I'm Olivia Koo '26, hailing from Los Alamos, New Mexico. I am studying biological chemistry on the pre-med track, and I'm excited to be supplementing it with music, as a classical pianist and singer-songwriter! Some of my favorite things to do are watching YouTube videos about video games, singing and playing my guitar, and reading New York Times op-eds. Look through my page for information about Dartmouth's pre-med track, STEM research, acapella/music, and study abroad opportunities!
Unsure whether I would enjoy the biology-heavy pre-health track, I took an intro biology class. I surprisingly found myself so invested each class—I didn’t think I’d ever be excited trying to determine if the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) had DNA or RNA, but here we are! I found it a great introduction to thinking processes at Dartmouth.
I loved coming to this class with its supportive environment! The professor's feedback really helped me improve in my writing. This course guided us through personal narratives and organizational writing while discussing what it really means to be authentic. It also introduced me to the library’s resources for writing and research!
This class was definitely not easy! The accelerated version of general chemistry, it was my first class at Dartmouth that used a textbook, and I had to adapt and learn how to use a textbook for a class properly. But that didn't mean I didn't have a good time! The classes were full of physical demonstrations, and I felt very supported in the lab and beyond.
This was the first group music class I took, and I loved it! Each class we'd move a little forward in time; one day we'd talk about medieval chants, and by the next couple weeks, we talked about Baroque music. We even got to observe original medieval music scores from the Rauner Library, and attend a performance of Baroque music by the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra!
Songwriting 1 was the first time I was able to work on something creative/in the arts at Dartmouth, and I really loved it! I got to learn how to improve my songwriting and get to know a community of fellow songwriters on campus. The class was both supportive and constructive, and I pushed myself to my creative limit with the assignment of writing one new song a week. This class inspired me to continue writing and being expressive, whether in an academic setting or not.
For one of my classes on the London Music FSP, I got to attend a myriad of musical performances in London and discuss them with my class! It was a once-in-a-life-time experience–getting to watch multiple operas, ballets, jazz sets, and a musical, as well as seeing beautiful performances from the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, and more, helped me grow my ear so much and my inspirations as a musician.
I took this class to learn a little more about the social landscape around medicine, and this class delivered that by a mile. From environmental exposure to racial inequities in medicine/health to the discussion of medicine itself as a manipulative tool in colonialist social structures, this class helped me rethink medicine and my role within it.
Before I started college, I assumed that my college experience would not have much music. Even though I loved music, a huge part of my life, I convinced myself that I wouldn't have much access to musical spaces in college, and that I would have to choose academics over music, especially because I wouldn't have an instrument teacher. But at Dartmouth, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that sacrificing one for the other is not the case at all! There are so many different ensembles and opportunities available for students, from the Coast Jazz Orchestra to the Marching Band to the many acapella groups on campus.
But what if you would rather create music on your own? Or improve your instrumental technique on a personal level? Or learn a new instrument entirely? Today, I want to talk about the Individual Instruction Program, or the IIP for short!
The entrance to the Music Department! It's at the bottom of the Hop this term.
The IIP is a set of courses offered by Dartmouth College that are essentially music lessons for an instrument. You reach out to the professor of the instrument that you are interested in learning. You don't even have to know how to play the instrument beforehand! You usually do an audition if you have some experience and arrange weekly lessons with the professor. The best part is, if you take lessons for three terms in a row (that you're on campus), you get a course credit. You can see who teaches each instrument here!
I am currently in the IIP for classical piano with Professor Sally Pinkas. I have lessons with her on Thursdays, and I try to make the time to practice every day in the practice rooms at the bottom of the Hop. Different IIP instructors will expect different amounts of practice outside of the lesson. For piano, I try to practice at least an hour every day, or at least touch the keys. There will be days where I can't, and that's okay too. The amount of work all depends on how much one wants to improve. As someone who has played a lot of music in the past, I appreciate the amount of agency given to me in what I want to play and how I want to play it. I see practice a little as a reprieve in the day from the fast-paced rigor of Dartmouth to focus on improving something little by little and appreciate how far I've come. At the end of the term, the piano students get to meet up and listen to each other's pieces that they have been working on over the term—it sounds very fun!
One of my favorite spots on campus so far, the practice room--I like the privacy and focus!
I hope I can continue making time to practice in the next few terms, maybe even try out other IIPs! Will I stick to piano, or try out voice/guitar, or something completely new? I look forward to finding out myself.
Through Dartmouth's Guarini Institute for International Study, I am getting to take classes and experience life at Wellesley College, an all-women's school!
Academics can be challenging at Dartmouth. But there are lots of groups across campus here to support you through your academic journey. Read on for my experience asking for help and a few organizations that might be helpful to you!
