Arlene was one of those professors who you could come to with anything, at anytime. In fact, if she were here, she would probably tell us not to cry over her passing, but celebrate that we were able to meet and create such great memories and music together.
Arlene was one of the first people in the music department to welcome me to Brown and made me feel that I had something of my own to contribute, both in and out of her class. No matter how many times I stumbled through chord progressions, or stressed over my lack of formal training, or doubted my decisions to pursue music alongside everything else, Arlene was always there to guide and reassure me (even with all the ideas – ranging from K-pop to anime music to jazz – I bombarded her with). She always kept her students in consideration, and would send us little songs and snippets of stuff she thought we would enjoy. Even when she thought we could do better, or wanted to push us harder, she did it in a way that never brought us down and always had a smile on her face.
Her memory and presence will live on in the hearts of all the students she has lifted up. ❤️
Thank you for doing this for her.
Best,
Dana Lee