"I was definitely attracted to Yale's deeper commitment to music," says Jean L. Tom '96, who says she decided to attend Harvard anyway.

Undergraduates can take up to four semesters worth of lessons for credit at Yale's School of Music. A special fund, available by competitive auditions, also defrays the cost of lessons at the school for students who are not taking them for credit.

Yale students who do take lessons for credit do not pay anything beyond regular tuition fees. Harvard students, however, do not have this option, forcing them to seek expensive instruction from outside of the school.

While Harvard does offer subsidies for lessons through the Office of the Arts' Musical Lesson Subsidy Program (MLSP), the funds are limited and lesson prices are steep.

The program awards subsidies based on financial need and musical talent. Under the MLSP, students are given up to $200 for the cost of ten lessons per semester. Although the program funded lessons for 71 out of the 96 applicants, individual subsidies are not always sufficient.

One lesson from any professor at New England Conservatory, where many Harvard students take lessons, can cost upwards of $100, according to Jonathan L. Yates '97, pianist and conductor of the Bach Society Orchestra.

"A lot of this [fund] doesn't cover lessons," agrees James D. Yannatos, the conductor of HRO. "The financial crunch does come in here."

But the fund does work for some, like Sarita N. Cannon '98. "I probably wouldn't be able to take lessons without it," the singer says.

Lessons are not the only drain on a musician's wallet. Upkeep of musical instruments, renting recital space in Paine Hall or other areas and travelling expenses are also costly.

Because Harvard students must seek instruction outside of school, they are often forced to venture some distance for lessons.

Brown says she travels 45 minutes each way every time she takes a vocal lesson. Some students even travel to New York City a few times a month to train for professional careers.

Although Yale's nearby conservatory does makes it easier for undergraduates at Yale to perform, students say the separation between the school and the department does have some drawbacks.

"Yale's program is limiting in some respects for undergrads," Yates says. "[At Harvard] the people who get the performance opportunities are really the undergrads."

Shelemay says she sees the Music Department at Harvard as having a much more centrist approach than Yale in seeking to bring some performance and musical study together for undergraduates.

"We like to think that we incorporate the best of both worlds," she says.