Reviews provided by the Office of Institutional Resources and Assessment at the University of Alabama and are offered here, without revision.
About Applied Composition Lessons:
"Dr. Zaheri is a fantastic teacher, changing his style to fit one's needs in order to create an ideal learning environment."
"Dr. Zaheri is hands down one of the most important people at the school of music. He is an amazing and dedicated professor who will and has done everything for the students. My only hope is that there are more professors out there like Dr. Zaheri who will be there for students like myself through out the future. I cannot speak highly enough of Dr. Zaheri and I hope for the universities sake that he stays for a long time."
"The tits. Great and effective communicator."
"Dr. Zaheri constantly inspires me in lessons and points me in the right direction, making me think for myself and just giving me a sort of nudge in the way I should go. I have never met anyone who cares about students as much as he does. He is a true treasure and I am thankful and honored to have had the opportunity to study with him."
"The course is amazing as it is taught by a composer who I think is one of the best composers in the world. This is not just because of his composition skills but his ability to help students grow not only as composers but as people. I owe all of my success to this man and his abilities to teach me and help me grow."
"Great course that helps students define and reach their music goals and provides plenty of opportunities for exposure and growth."
"He is simply "the man". He puts his all into every endeavor, yet retains honest humanity about him. He cares about every student deeply and knows everyone he interacts with."
"Dr. Zaheri is simply the best."
“Dr. Zaheri truly made me feel completely at home my first semester on campus. I know if I ever need anything, I can rely on him. He is truly one of the best things about my UA Experience thus far.”
“The course was always challenging but never unmanageable. I thoroughly looked forward to and enjoyed my time in the course and I'm ready for round 2!”
“The course was always challenging but never unmanageable. I thoroughly looked forward to and enjoyed my time in the course and I'm ready for round 2!”
"Dr. Amir Zaheri's philosophy on composition is part of what makes the composition studio at the University of Alabama excellent. His philosophy is simple: write what you want to write and write it well. He is open to any style of music... He allows students to explore their musical language through composition and guides them along the way."
"One of the most genuine and nicest people I know. He will always do what he can to help you learn, if you pull your weight."
"How many times do I have to say this? Dr. Zaheri is the tits! He is a great communicator, reachable outside of class, and, above all, cares about his students. He is the most valuable professor in the School of Music, and possibly the university. The best way I can describe Dr. Zaheri is that he is a man of integrity. Because of him, my music has rapidly matured as well as me as a musician. I am not sure I could receive an education like this at any other institution. I am lucky that I have the opportunity to study with him."
"This man is gold. Keep him at UA for as long as you can."
"Again, he's the tits."
"Dr. Zaheri works very hard to the point of self sacrifice so that his students can have a quality experience. This is apparent when he makes time for his students outside of class."
"Dr. Zaheri strikes an excellent balance of encouraging hard work while allowing for freedom of exploration. He has the confidence to know when to let a student take the time to explore important ideas and how to push that student in pursuing those goals."
"Dr. Zaheri is by far one of the most attentive, knowledgeable, and caring professors on this campus. He is willing and able to share his intelligence with others, and he is able to do it well. He does not just teach to the star student of the class, he teaches to the student that needs extra practice as well. You cannot leave a classroom having gained nothing if Dr. Zaheri is the professor."
"Dr. Zaheri is a kind soul, who finds ways to help lead others to their artistic voice. He is excellent in his job, and excellent past it as well, always looking out for students, regardless of what is going on in his life."
"Composing is fun, even when it's not."
About the Contemporary Ensemble:
"Dr. Zaheri is honestly just plain inspiring to me. To be a part of his program just fills me with joy and it makes me love coming to school. He is such an intelligent human, I strive to be the level of excellence he is."
“Dr. Zaheri is an exceptionally personable and caring professor. These qualities are matched only by his passion for the subject of this course and his skill in teaching.”
“This course is fantastic. By making the contemporary music ensemble better, Dr. Zaheri is making the University of Alabama a much more competitive music school on the national level.”
“This course is fantastic. By making the contemporary music ensemble better, Dr. Zaheri is making the University of Alabama a much more competitive music school on the national level.”
"He is amazing. End of story."
"I've learned so much from Dr. Zaheri, and I'm very impressed by how much he has turned around and improved this course. It's so much more efficient, and everyone in the class has a chance to be a part of something regardless of the level of playing. I'm very excited to see what else Dr. Zaheri has in store for the group in the future!!!"
"Dr. Zaheri is a wonderful teacher and inspiring person. His passion for music and caring attitude for students is very much appreciated."
About Multidisciplinary and Collaborative Composition
"Keep it going! This is an invaluable course for both dancers and musicians, maybe even any kind of artist."
"Very professional and ready to teach. Loved his commitment"
About 16th-Century Counterpoint:
"Dr. Zaheri is a great professor who has the utmost respect for his students and their overall success. He embodies the true essence of what faculty at a top-tier research university should be-- successful professionals or researchers who have a passion for teaching."
"He's awesome. He's the best teacher I've had at UA. Not only is he incredibly brilliant and well-informed about many subjects (even outside of music), but he is also a very caring and empathetic person. He is a real mentor - not simply a teacher."
"Dr. Zaheri is the tits."
About 18th-Century Counterpoint:
"Dr. Zaheri is absolutely wonderful in every single way! He obviously loves the topics he talks about, and is extremely knowledgable. This makes it very easy to understand what he is teaching. He is also very open to questions and feedback, to make sure we are getting the most out of the course. He obviously cares for his students, which is a rarity overall. I would take any class if he was the teacher."
"Dr. Zaheri is the best teacher I've had at UA. He takes a difficult and not so interesting subject and creates an entertaining and enjoyable learning environment. Dr. Zaheri is a compositional and pedagogical genius, but he is also kind and respectful to his students, which makes me respect him infinitely more (if that's possible). My only complaint is I wish he could teach all my classes!"
“Awesome content knowledge. Able to effectively teach anything theory related.”
“He is great a great teacher and a great person. He was very helpful with all of the assignments, really understanding when all of the class was still half asleep, and he has the best sense of humor! I think he's one of the two best teachers I've had here in 5 semesters.”
“Great communicator, extremely helpful to his students. Always available and gives good, quality feedback on assignments.”
“I really enjoyed it, even though I didn't really like counterpoint when I learned it in theory 1-4.”
“He is great a great teacher and a great person. He was very helpful with all of the assignments, really understanding when all of the class was still half asleep, and he has the best sense of humor! I think he's one of the two best teachers I've had here in 5 semesters.”
“Great communicator, extremely helpful to his students. Always available and gives good, quality feedback on assignments.”
“I really enjoyed it, even though I didn't really like counterpoint when I learned it in theory 1-4.”
"His musical background and knowledge of a wide range of music is phenomenal. It's really cool that he is a composer and leads the contemporary ensemble, and he also loves Baroque counterpoint. I like that the course is very hands-on. There's a lot of active discussion in class, and he assigns compositions."
"How would you rate your instructor?" I wish there was an "above Excellent." Dr. Zaheri was extremely helpful and encouraging. I enjoyed this class immensely and would take it again, or any class with him."
"Dr. Zaheri authentically cares about each of his students. He gives everyone a fair chance in the class and treats everyone with the utmost respect. Most classes he even checked in with the entire class to see how we were all doing. A couple times he even delayed a test when we were all not prepared because we had so much other work in our other courses. Despite all this, we stayed well on schedule and the coursework was rigorous."
"This course has given me a lot of knowledge about the structure of music, as a whole. When I play music outside of the class, I feel as though I am using the information from this class to reach my musical destinations."
About Advanced 18th-Century Counterpoint:
“Dr. Zaheri is an inspiring and engaging instructor. It is an incredible privilege to study with such an illustrious composer, and he uses his immeasurable talents in a profoundly constructive fashion that elevates students’ abilities and wellbeing at the same time. The Music Department should offer him a tenuretrack position TODAY.”
“He's great. He has a unique teaching style that disguises the vast amount of material we learned. Class is always fun!”
“All of the quizzes and tests were completely applicable to the homework and projects we were doing. We covered such a lot of material!”
“He's great. He has a unique teaching style that disguises the vast amount of material we learned. Class is always fun!”
“All of the quizzes and tests were completely applicable to the homework and projects we were doing. We covered such a lot of material!”
About the Analysis of Post-Tonal Music:
“The best teacher I had here.”
“There is a very bright future ahead for this man.”
“Dr. Zaheri is such a caring professor. He treats students as human beings with respect. THE BEST PROFESSOR EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Dr. Zaheri is very passionate about teaching, the subject of this course, and the general well being of the students. I have never come across a teacher that has cared so deeply about me as an individual, and it is such a blessing. I am confident students will register for classes taught by Dr. Zaheri regardless of the subject matter.”
“This course is a fantastic resource that composition/theory students and performers interested in contemporary music should take. It is easily the best class I've attended so far at the University of Alabama and I believe it should be offered regularly.”
“Funny and creative way to put together our knowledge. I loved it.”
“The course was fantastic. I left with a better respect/appreciation for avant grade music than I had in the past. I think I have learned that I don't have to enjoy listening to the music to respect the creative process of the composer. Also, not all composers mean for their music to be "enjoyed" anyway.”
“There is a very bright future ahead for this man.”
“Dr. Zaheri is such a caring professor. He treats students as human beings with respect. THE BEST PROFESSOR EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Dr. Zaheri is very passionate about teaching, the subject of this course, and the general well being of the students. I have never come across a teacher that has cared so deeply about me as an individual, and it is such a blessing. I am confident students will register for classes taught by Dr. Zaheri regardless of the subject matter.”
“This course is a fantastic resource that composition/theory students and performers interested in contemporary music should take. It is easily the best class I've attended so far at the University of Alabama and I believe it should be offered regularly.”
“Funny and creative way to put together our knowledge. I loved it.”
“The course was fantastic. I left with a better respect/appreciation for avant grade music than I had in the past. I think I have learned that I don't have to enjoy listening to the music to respect the creative process of the composer. Also, not all composers mean for their music to be "enjoyed" anyway.”
"Dr. Zaheri organized this class in a way that was helpful to all of us. He was knowledgeable in the content that was provided and showed empathy and understanding for those who didn’t immediately catch onto the subject matter. His efforts to engage every single member of the class was another highlight of the course."
"I was told before I took the class that Dr. Zaheri was the best teacher on campus. Although my classes have been limited to the Music building, I would agree! He is VERY knowledgeable, and very interested that EVERYONE in the class understands the material."
About Introduction to Listening:
“Mr. Zaheri was the nicest and most passionate professor I've yet to have on this campus. He was very fair, and it was obvious that he wanted his students to succeed in the course.”
“Dr. Zaheri was an amazing teacher. I was a little timid towards the subject because it really is not my forte but he always made it interesting and worth the time. I learned a great deal in the course and he has all my respect as not only a professor, but also a person in general.”
“Great teacher, knows his stuff. Very funny and makes a 300+ person class personable and intimate.”
“Mr. Zaheri was a terrific instructor! I could take this class over and over!”
“One of the best instructor's at Alabama.”
“He is fantastic! He always made the class interesting and gave the information some flare. I loved the class and how he approached the material! If I had any time to take it again I would!”
“Mr. Zaheri was the nicest and most passionate professor I've yet to have on this campus. He was very fair, and it was obvious that he wanted his students to succeed in the course.”
“He was an excellent teacher. Everything we did outside class was relative to in class and assessments. He is an awesome music teacher because he is active in that field, and is a very talented musician and composer. Makes class very entertaining and enjoyable to go to, even at 8 am on a Friday.”
“Dr. Zaheri was an amazing teacher. I was a little timid towards the subject because it really is not my forte but he always made it interesting and worth the time. I learned a great deal in the course and he has all my respect as not only a professor, but also a person in general.”
“Great teacher, knows his stuff. Very funny and makes a 300+ person class personable and intimate.”
“Mr. Zaheri was a terrific instructor! I could take this class over and over!”
“One of the best instructor's at Alabama.”
“He is fantastic! He always made the class interesting and gave the information some flare. I loved the class and how he approached the material! If I had any time to take it again I would!”
“Mr. Zaheri was the nicest and most passionate professor I've yet to have on this campus. He was very fair, and it was obvious that he wanted his students to succeed in the course.”
“He was an excellent teacher. Everything we did outside class was relative to in class and assessments. He is an awesome music teacher because he is active in that field, and is a very talented musician and composer. Makes class very entertaining and enjoyable to go to, even at 8 am on a Friday.”