Berklee College of Music facts for kids
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Former names
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Schillinger House Berklee School of Music |
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| Motto | Esse quam videri (Latin) |
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Motto in English
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To be, rather than to seem |
| Type | Private music college |
| Established | 1945 |
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Academic affiliations
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Professional Arts Consortium |
| Endowment | $338.8 million (2020) |
| President | David Bogen (acting) |
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Academic staff
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522 |
| Students | 6,000 |
| Location |
Boston, Massachusetts
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U.S.
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| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Red and gray |
| Mascot | Mingus the Jazz Cat |
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The Berklee College of Music is a special music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the biggest independent college in the world for studying modern music. Berklee is famous for teaching jazz and American music styles.
But it also offers classes in many other types of music. These include rock, hip hop, reggae, salsa, heavy metal, and bluegrass.
Since 2012, Berklee has another campus in Valencia, Spain. In 2015, Berklee College of Music joined with the Boston Conservatory. Now, the combined school is called Berklee. The conservatory part is now The Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Many famous musicians have studied at Berklee. Its former students have won over 310 Grammy Awards. This is more than any other college! They have also won 108 Latin Grammy Awards. Berklee alumni have also earned many Emmy Awards, Tony Awards, and Academy Awards.
Contents
History of Berklee
Starting as Schillinger House (1945–1954)
In 1945, a musician named Lawrence Berk started a school. He called it Schillinger House. It was the first version of Berklee College of Music. The school was in Boston.
At first, Schillinger House focused on a special music system. This system was created by Joseph Schillinger. Lawrence Berk had studied with him. Most music schools back then taught only classical music.
But Schillinger House was different. It taught jazz and music for radio, movies, and dancing. Many early students were professional musicians. Some were even soldiers who had returned from World War II.
When it first opened, fewer than 50 students attended. But by 1949, there were more than 500 students! In 1954, the school added more classes. These included music education and traditional music theory. Lawrence Berk then changed the name. He named it Berklee School of Music after his son, Lee Eliot Berk. This new name showed the school offered more types of music lessons.
Becoming Berklee School of Music (1954–1970)
Lawrence Berk believed in learning from real musicians. He hired working artists as teachers. Many famous musicians joined the school during this time. For example, trumpeter Herb Pomeroy started teaching in 1956.
Drummer Alan Dawson and saxophonist Charlie Mariano joined in 1957. This idea of hiring experienced performers continues today. Many well-known musicians have taught at Berklee.
In the mid-1950s, more students from other countries came to Berklee. For example, Japanese pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi arrived in 1956. Arif Mardin, a producer who won many Grammys, came from Turkey in 1958.
In 1957, Berklee started using technology for music education. They made LP records called Jazz in the Classroom. These records featured student music. They showed early works by students who became famous jazz artists. This series helped students learn about composing and performing. Later, it also helped students studying music engineering and music business.
Berklee gave its first bachelor's degrees in music in 1966. During the 1960s, Berklee's classes changed. They started to include new popular music styles. These included rock and roll, soul, funk, and jazz-rock fusion.
In 1962, Berklee offered the first college major for guitar. This department grew to be the largest at the college. In 1969, classes for rock and popular music were added. These were the first college-level courses of their kind.
Berklee College of Music (1970–present)
The school became Berklee College of Music in 1970. In 1971, it gave its first special award to Duke Ellington. Vibraphonist Gary Burton joined the teachers in 1971. He helped make jazz-rock fusion a key part of the classes.
From 1985 to 1996, Gary Burton helped create new majors. These included music synthesis and songwriting. He also helped the school use more technology in teaching. In 1973, Berklee offered the first college major for electric bass guitar. In 1974, it had the first jazz-rock ensemble class.
In 1979, Lawrence Berk, the founder, stepped down. His son, Lee Eliot Berk, became the new president. Under his leadership, the school grew even more. It added many new types of classes.
In 1980, Berklee offered the world's first college degree in film scoring. In 1986, it had the first college major in music synthesis. In 1987, it offered the first college songwriting major. The school also added the first college major for hand-percussion in 1988.
More and more students from other countries came to Berklee. By 2013, about 28% of students were from outside the U.S.
In 1991, Berklee started City Music. This program helps young people in Boston learn music. In 1993, Berklee also started working with music schools around the world. This was called the Berklee International Network. New majors like Music Business & Management and music therapy were added in the 1990s.
In 2003, Berklee started offering classes online. This program is called Berklee Online. In 2004, a hip-hop course was added.
In 2004, Lee Eliot Berk retired. Roger H. Brown became the third president. Under his leadership, more students joined Berklee. It became harder to get into the school. More students also stayed and graduated.
In 2006, mandolin and banjo became main instruments for study. Berklee also started programs for African studies and American Roots Music. In 2013, Berklee Online began offering online degrees. These included music production and music business. In 2014, Berklee started a center to help students create new music businesses.
In 2015, Berklee College of Music and The Boston Conservatory decided to join together. The merger happened in 2016. The combined school is now called Berklee. The conservatory part is called The Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
In 2020, Erica Muhl was chosen as the new president. She started her role after President Brown retired. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Berklee taught classes online. In 2021, they started a mix of online and in-person classes.
In 2021, Berklee announced a new Bachelor of Arts program. It will focus on Music Industry Leadership and Innovation. This will be the first Bachelor of Arts degree offered by the college.
What Students Learn (Academics)
Berklee College of Music is officially recognized by a group called the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). This means its degrees are valid and respected.
Berklee says it was the first school to offer college degrees online in 2002. It also started offering master's degrees online in 2018. These first graduate programs were in music production and music business.
How to Get In (Admission)
Getting into Berklee is a special process. It mainly looks at three things:
- An audition where you play music.
- An interview where you talk about yourself.
- Your school grades and academic history.
For the 2017–2018 school year, about 33.8% of students who applied to Berklee College of Music in Boston were accepted. For the Boston Conservatory, it was 38%. For Berklee Online, it was 66%.
Berklee offers three times to start classes: fall, spring, and summer. Students can choose which semester they want to begin.
The audition and interview are very important. They help Berklee see your musical talent and potential. Everyone who auditions is also considered for scholarships. Since 2014, some students can even audition online using high-speed internet.
Berklee can be expensive. However, the school offers scholarships to help students pay for their education. It's important for students and families to plan for the costs.
Who Studies at Berklee (Demographics)
In the 2021–2022 school year, about 7,943 students were at Berklee. This included both undergraduate (first degree) and graduate (advanced degree) students.
About 42% of undergraduate students were female, and 58% were male. For graduate students, 46% were female and 54% were male.
Students from 97 different countries study at Berklee. About 25% of all students are from outside the U.S. The top countries students come from are China, Canada, India, Brazil, and Colombia.
Besides students on campus in Boston, 1,895 students took classes online through Berklee Online.
Campus Buildings (Facilities)
Berklee started in a small building in 1945. In 1966, it moved to a larger building at 1140 Boylston Street. This building used to be a hotel.
In 1972, Berklee started growing faster. It bought the Fenway Theatre and a hotel next to it. The theater was fixed up and became the 1,227-seat Berklee Performance Center in 1976. The old hotel became classrooms, practice rooms, and student housing. It also has the library, which is now called the Stan Getz Library and Media Center.
The 150 Massachusetts Avenue building also has the Berklee Learning Center. When it opened in 1993, it was the biggest computer learning center for music in the world.
The Genko Uchida Center opened in 1997. It has offices for admissions, scholarships, and financial aid. It also has rehearsal rooms and a 200-seat concert hall. At 939 Boylston Street, there is Café 939. This is a special club run by students. It hosts student performers and other music acts.
As of 2014, Berklee had 25 buildings in Boston. These buildings have 40 recording studios. They also have facilities for film scoring and music synthesis. The college also has its own online radio station called BIRN.
In 2010, a new Liberal Arts building opened. It houses departments like Liberal Arts, Music Therapy, and Music Business.
In 2011, Berklee announced plans for three new buildings. The first one opened in 2014. It's a 16-story building with 370 dorm rooms, a cafeteria, and recording studios. It even won an award for its design! More buildings are planned for the future to house more students and academic spaces.
Berklee València Campus
Berklee València is Berklee's first campus outside the U.S. It is located in the beautiful Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía building in València, Spain. This building is part of a grand "City of Arts and Sciences" area.
Special Programs in València
The Berklee campus in València offers unique music programs. These include short workshops and seminars. They cover areas like performance, flamenco music, film scoring, music business, and music technology.
It also has a two-week summer performance program. This is in addition to the five-week program in Boston.
BerkleeNYC Campus
BerkleeNYC is the college's campus in New York City. It is located in the famous Power Station recording studios. At this campus, students can earn a Master of Arts degree in Creative Technology.
Boston Conservatory at Berklee
As mentioned, Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory joined together. This happened on January 19, 2016. Now, they are part of one big institution called Berklee. This includes Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Berklee College of Music, Berklee Online, and Berklee Valencia.
Berklee Online
Berklee Online is the online school of Berklee College of Music. It lets students from all over the world access Berklee's classes.
Berklee Online offers music courses, certificate programs, and online degree programs. These are taught by Berklee teachers and music experts. The school also provides free music resources. It offers online courses through platforms like Coursera and EdX.
Berklee Online has won awards for its online courses. Since it started, more than 30,000 students from 144 countries have taken classes.
Some famous musicians have taken classes through Berklee Online. These include members of Nine Inch Nails, Dave Matthews Band, and Train.
Online Degree Programs
In October 2013, Berklee Online started offering online bachelor's degrees. These first degrees were in Music Production and Music Business.
In November 2014, they added more online degrees. These included Electronic Music Production and Sound Design, and Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games. Students can also create their own custom music studies degree. Since then, more online bachelor's degrees have been added, like Guitar and Songwriting. Berklee is one of the first music schools to offer these types of accredited online degrees.
Famous Former Students (Alumni)
See also
- Real Book
