Category Archives: Summer Programs

Berklee College of Music is home to nineteen summer programs, where students get their first taste of the Berklee experience. Read some of our stories and profiles that will give you an idea of what it’s like to study on campus at Berklee in the summer!

Laying the Groundwork in LA for 2013 Summer

Post by Jason Camelio, director of international programs.

If you look hard enough, you might see an ever-so-slight difference in the traffic patterns on the LA freeways during the week of SXSW. For alum and program consultant Tom Griesgraber and I, it really did not make a difference as we crisscrossed the city for meetings and scouting locations in preparation for the new Berklee in Los Angeles summer programs to be held this August. You heard correctly “p-r-o-g-r-a-m-S”.  Two to be specific. In what has become standard practice, we have reached out to some key Berklee alumni to help us prepare for two programs with that will have a detailed focus on the craft of songwriting, performance and production.  Continue reading →

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Summer at Berklee is ‘musician heaven’

Post authored by Erin Gernon, marketing assistant for Summer Programs.

Sometimes a simple search on the Internet can lead to the summer of a lifetime, which is exactly what happened to high school senior Dom Delore. He was looking up Berklee College of Music’s Summer Programs and “in a heartbeat” signed up for  the Guitar Sessions.

“The best musical experience I had ever been a part of,” Delore said of that first summer. “I learned so much in one week, theory-wise especially, but also in techniques and just music in general.”

Delore is senior from Agawam, MA who has been playing the guitar for eight years. Continue reading →

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BCMN’s First-Ever Bilingual Edition ¡Saludos!

Berklee City Music Network Site Feature & Interview with

Two Students from La Escuela de Bellas Artes de Carolina

Escuela de Bellas Artes de Carolina is dedicated to encouraging the children of Carolina, Puerto Rico who possess skill and interest in the arts to develop their talent to its fullest potential. In addition to programs in the fine arts, dance and theater, Bellas Artes offers students musical instruction, a variety of ensembles that explore jazz, classical, and bomba, and performance opportunities at local schools and community venues.

Under the stewardship of Director Luis Rodriguez and with music teacher Angel Vigo’s active and engaged collaboration with Berklee City Music, Bellas Artes continues to foster students’ engagement with the arts as well as their own community.
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La Escuela de Bellas Artes de Carolina se dedica a alentar a los niños de Carolina, Puerto Rico que poseen habilidades e interés en las artes, para desarrollar su talento en su máximo potencial.  Además de los programas de bellas artes, danza y teatro, se ofrece a los estudiantes instrucción musical, así como también se les otorga la oportunidad de formar parte de ensambles que exploran jazz, música clásica y bomba. Se les da oportunidades para que interpreten y/o ejecuten la música de sus ensambles en escuelas locales y en escenarios de la comunidad.

Bajo la administración del Director Luis Rodriguez y con la colaboración comprometida del maestro de música Angel Vigo y de Berklee City Music, la Escuela de Bellas Artes continuá fomentando el compromiso de los estudiantes con las artes, así como su propia comunidad.

-Each year the music program at Bellas Artes welcomes approximately 125 new students ages eight and older into the program, for a total of roughly 420 music students. That’s more than half of Bellas Artes’ total enrollment!
-Cada año, el programa de música de Bellas Artes da la bienvenida a aproximadamente 125 nuevos estudiantes mayores de siete años, albergando un total de aproximadamente 420 estudiantes de música.

-Music programs include band, orchestra, bell choir, jazz ensemble, string ensemble, choir, jazz workshop, and bomba workshop, as well as private lessons in a variety of instruments. Many students also concentrate on the cuatro, the traditional Puerto Rican lute.
-Los programas de música incluyen banda, orquesta, ensamble de jazz, “bell choir,” coro, ensamble de cuerdas, clínicas de jazz y clínicas de bomba, así como instrucción privada en una variedad muy amplia de instrumentos. Muchos estudiantes también se focalizan en el “cuatro,” el “laúd” tradicional de Puerto Rico.

-All students participate in choir and receive music theory instruction from the time they enroll at Bellas Artes.
-Todos los estudiantes forman parte del coro, y reciben educación en teoría musical desde que ingresan al programa de Bellas Artes.

-Classes at Bellas Artes are free, and students are only responsible for the registration fee.
-Las clases en Bellas Artes son gratis; los estudiantes son responsables por la cuota de inscripción solamente.

Willian J. Suarez Pereira (left), was born in Venezuela, but he lives in Puerto Rico and his main focus is the guitar, and plays a little bit of piano and drums. Enrique Serrano Cruz (right), born in Puerto Rico, plays the percussion, the congas, timbales, bongos and a little bit of vibraphone.

Willian J. Suarez Pereira nació en Venezuela pero vive en Puerto Rico y se enfoca principalmente en la guitarra, y toca un poco de piano y batería. Enrique Serrano Cruz nació en Puerto Rico; toca las percusiones, las congas, timbales, bongós y un poco de vibráfono.

How was your experience at Five-Week?
It was more than what we imagined, it was about learning so much in so short a time. The body and the blood are asking us to stay a little bit longer.

Fue mucho más de lo que esperabamos, fue aprender mucho en muy poco tiempo. El cuerpo y la sangre nos piden quedarnos un poco más.

Tell us what you learned?
Willian learned to work with other musicians from around the world, improved his guitar technique, increased his knowledge of theory and also his musicality while Enrique says he he learned a lot about new percussion styles, learned how to play drums, and also the “Moveable Do.”

Willian nos comenta que lo que más aprendió fue el trabajar con otros músicos así como el haber mejorado su técnica, aumentado su conocimiento de teoría, así como su musicalidad. Enrique nos dice que aprendió mucho al conocer otros estilos de percusión, pudo aprender un poco de batería, así como acerca del “Do movible.”

Tell us your thoughts on Boston
Enrique doesn’t want to leave Boston. Emilio says that in this city there is always something happening, you can’t stay in your house all the time. “We love Boston, we would love to live here”

Enrique no quiere irse de Boston. Mientras Emilio afirma que lo que más le gusta de Boston es que siempre hay algo que hacer, siempre hay algo sucediendo, no puedes quedarte en tu casa todo el tiempo. “Nos encanta Boston, nos encantaría vivir aquí” afirman los estudiantes de Puerto Rico.

What do you want to tell your network site and family and friends back home?
Enrique says that if there was another word to say ‘Thank you”, he would say it. “Thank You!” to all my friends and relatives that support me.  I owe everything to GOD, he gave me this talent. Willian suggests to his friends from his network to apply to the 5 week, at least just audition for it.  He says there is a lot of talent at their site. About Berklee City Music both of them confess that City music is a joyful experience.

“City Music is a Blessing.  City Music is full of blessings.”

Enrique nos comenta que si hubiera otra palabra para decir Gracias, la diría. ¡Gracias!  a todos nuestros amigos y familiars que nos dieron el apoyo. Todo se lo debo a Dios, El fue quien nos dió este talento. Willian les recomienda a sus amigos de su red, quienes son muy buenos músicos, que probaran el 5-week, o que por lo menos audicionaran para ir al 5 week. Acerca de Berklee City Music, City Music es una experiencia gratificante.

“City Music es una bendición, City Music son bendiciones.”
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Five-Week Vocal Night 2012

 

The finest singers of the 2012 Five Week came together this past Monday evening to present a Vocal Showcase at the Berklee Performance Center. Christiane Karam’s Middle Eastern ensemble kicked off the evening in style, dressed in brightly colored Balkan outfits. The ensemble was comprised of a small group of vocalists with a Western rhythm section, supplemented by traditional Middle Eastern instruments. They performed their repertoire, which is notably complex in rhythm and harmony, with extraordinary confidence and musicality.

The next group to take the stage was the Five Week Chorus, directed by Lucy Holstedt. The lively group performed two original tunes by Ms. Holstedt, as well as Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move.” Their rousing performance thoroughly engaged the audience, who clapped along with all of the songs.

Next, the audience was transported to Broadway by the Musical Theater ensemble. Their performance filled up the entire theater, as the actors, not confined to the stage, performed walking through the aisles of the hall. Powerhouse vocals paired with compelling acting skills made this an enthralling performance.

Ken Zambello’s Singers’ Showcase closed out the show. The best contemporary vocalists of the program, chosen by a competitive audition process, rocked the BPC. They were accompanied by an all-star rhythm section and background vocalists, and performed in styles including R&B , pop, and jazz.

This incredible show was a testament to the diverse and high-level talent that the Five Week program attracts. We look forward to watching the careers of these musicians take off!

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X Factor Milan. A Factor of Life. Not Just a Coincidence.

By: Christine Typadis and Cristina Vaira

Cristina Vaira, a fifth semester student majoring in songwriting and originally from Milan Italy received a call from X Factor Milan asking her to participate in the audition of a TV show in Milan, Italy. X Factor is an Italian television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner receives a € 300,000 recording contract with Sony Music.

Cristina received an email from a representative of the Magnolia Production, a tv company that produces a TV program called X Factor.  She states, “The team said they found a couple of videos of mine in YouTube where she was singing her original songs. Because he liked my performance, he asked if I was interested in doing the audition for X Factor 2012.” She completed an initial audition and then wanted her to take a second one. They shot several videos of her singing and took some interviews as well. The tv shows production company called to say they were very impressed by her performances and that they wanted her back for the next phase of TV, where she’d be asked to audition in front of four judges and an audience.

Cristina had mixed emotions about the incredible news.  She was excited about this opportunity, but sad in the same moment because she knew that her parents wouldn’t have a way to afford an unscheduled trip back to Italy. Feeling a bit discouraged, a friend told Cristina she should ask Berklee for help. Brilliant! Cristina then contacted the Office of International Programs with her proposal. To her surprise what she thought was a phone call turned into an opportunity, something she couldn’t see materialize in that one phone call. Within days, her flights were booked and she was off to Milan for unexpected but fruitful journey.

Bright and excited about the opportunity, she was thrilled at her chance for the X-factor audition. Then, all factors from the moment leaving Boston to arriving in Milan went wrong. Flights were canceled; sickness; tired from 18 hours of travel; overbooking and lost baggage. Eventually she made it – one day later. Each factor affected the next course of events.

Cristina remarks that they asked her to sing “If It Makes You Happy” by Sheryl Crow.  The song is challenging — starting very low and rising in the chorus.  “After I did the sound-check, I asked to the engineer to raise the volume for the beginning, but he said that the rules of the show doesn’t allow to change to level of the mic! Cristina states. “I couldn’t believe that he said that, but in that moment I didn’t say anything to him and that was a huge mistake for me because he really compromised my performance later,” continues Vaira. “I’ve learnt that a good sound-check can make the difference in a performance and that I shouldn’t be condescending with people just to not bother them if I don’t get the sound that can increase the value of my performance!”

Cristina explains, “For those who are performers, in my opinion, if you’re looking to check out television, the main point I’d like to emphasize is that TV rules can be highly dramatic and exaggerated. You need to know a lot about television, whether that is X Factor, American Idol, shows like this.  If you don’t know this show and how they act and what they are looking for, it’s pretty hard to enter this area.  You can be a victim in this environment if you don’t know the rules.  This is what I learned about this type of competition.” Cristina adds, “I saw Miss Italy be in this audition and she was the first performer of the day. I was the only one who came from another continent and while I was there I could barely stay awake and they call me to perform at 10 pm — after 12 hours I waited in the same room without any possibilities to go out!! After me there was just 2 people and we were 50!”

What Cristina realized that maybe this call wasn’t her debut or hit song, but this opportunity made her grow as a musician and helped her to learn about herself. Even if the competition did not go her way. Cristina states, “Maybe my destiny was not to go in the show, but probably to finish Berklee.  That, so far, is the most concrete thing that is leading me to build a career in the music field.”  Cristina goes on to say” “…when I put together the factors that I experienced, I came up with a few things to pass on to my fellow travelling musicians. Make the call back and go for it. When someone or something finds you, find the courage to believe in that.”

Take the good with the bad. Check

Book a day earlier. Check

Good sound check. Check

Be prepared. Check

Rest. Check

Expect the worst, do your best. Check

 

 

 

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