Tag Archives: Gospel

Berklee City Music FIRSTS – Newport Folk Festival

This blog post was authored by Joanne Dill, Project Manager in the Berklee City Music office.

 

Back in July, the Berklee City Music Gospel Choir performed at the 2012 Newport Folk Festival.  It was a first for Berklee City Music and its students led by Choir Director, Nichelle Mungo.  The choir spent a full day performing “Pop-Up Performances” that inspired many who happened to catch these unannounced sets which took place near the entrance gate, the main stage, the Kid’s Tent, ending with a special performance at the artists’ gate.

 

They were also filmed by the SOPA production company for an upcoming documentary on the Newport Folk Festival.  They appear here in this series, Behind the Walls.  Check out the video.

It was a wonderful day at the Fortress and we hope to bring the kids back to the Festival this summer.

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Schooled in Groove

To many musicians, the groove is the basis of all that we do. It’s the feel; the groove moves us. As we wrapped up the last day of the Berklee Groove School program at the new campus in Valencia, the groove was in full effect.

2012 groove school dance

George Russell, Jr. wants you to feel the groove. So, get up and dance!

I do not think the students had any idea what pianist, composer and professor of harmony at Berklee George Russell, Jr. had in mind when he asked the group to get up out of their chairs and start to get their bodies in motion. The result put the icing on the cake of this 4-day program by making the students do what they had been studying over the long weekend. Shake it, baby!  Continue reading →

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The Life Of Utako at Berklee!

お久しぶりです！
休みの間はNYに２週間程滞在し、そのまま夏セメスターを始めたので、
なかなかブログを更新するタイミングを見つけられませんでした。
すみません。来週からはまた定期的に更新できると思います、
さて、今回はバークリーで5th Semesterになる生徒、
女性シンガーUtakoさんのインタビューをお届けします！
学校としても男性が圧倒的に多いこのBerkleeでの日本人女性は、
全体としてみるとかなり少数派であります 。
日本から来た人達は少なくは有りませんが、
数年前と比べると今日本人は 結構少数派になったみたいです。
アジア勢としては韓国やマレーシアから来る人が多い様に感じますね。
ちょっと逸れてしまいました。 話題を戻しましょう！  Continue reading →

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Faith and gospel leads teen to Boston from Robert Johnson Blues Showcase

Crystal Springs is more then 200 miles south of Clarksdale.  It is 10 miles north of Hazlehurst, where Robert Johnson was born.  A grandson of the most legendary Delta blues musician is Steven Johnson.  He and his family make their home here.  Steven’s father, Claude, Robert Johnson’s son, and his mother live close by.  At one time, Steven was a teacher at the Crystal Springs High School, where he also attended.  He is now vice president of the Robert Johnson Blues Museum and Foundation.  The storefront museum is in the Crystal Springs historic district.  Among its items is an upright piano that a local resident donated after a family member admitted seeing Robert Johnson play it.

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