Berkleemusic News

Online Student Justin Klump

Congratulations to online student Justin Klump on being selected to play at Berklee’s 7th Annual South by Southwest Party in Austin on March 16th. The Portland, OR-based singer/songwriter was chosen from dozens of submissions to represent Berkleemusic at SXSW.

“I’m very excited to be a part of this year’s Berklee party at SXSW!” say Justin. “It’s an absolute honor to be chosen to perform alongside many great acts.”

Justin is currently working towards a Master Certificate in Writing and Producing and has already completed six courses. “It has been invaluable in the development of my songwriting and producing,” he says. “Both the coursework and my instructors have helped me to hone my voice as a writer, and strengthen my skills as a producer.”

Watch the official music video for Justin’s single, “I Love You So,” below.

Read the full press release from Berklee College of Music below. (more…)

In December, Berkleemusic hosted an online Open House with instructor Dan Thompson, author/instructor of our online courses Critical Listening 1 and Advanced Audio Ear Training for Mix Engineers.

Dan is an independent writer/producer and recording engineer, his credits include work on records, feature films, and television series and movies, including ER, The Sopranos, Swimfan, The Sweetest Thing, Melrose Place, Malibu Shores, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Touched By An Angel, Soul Food and NCIS, to name just a few. Dan has authored articles on music technology for EQ and Electronic Musician, has been a presenter and clinician on music production topics in the U.S. and abroad, including at the Panama Jazz Festival, and his book Understanding Audio (Berklee Press, 2005) is a required textbook for Berklee College of Music’s own Music Production and Engineering classes, as well as for numerous other music production and engineering programs throughout the country and abroad. He is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), the Audio Engineering Society (AES), and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

Learn more about Dan and his online courses at Berkleemusic.com.

A few weeks back, we hosted a live Orchestration Clinic with Ben Newhouse, author/instructor of our online courses Orchestration 1, Orchestration 2: Writing Techniques for Full Orchestra, and Music Composition for Film and TV. Check out the archived video above.

Ben Newhouse has worked as a music supervisor and composer on dozens of television shows, films, and stage productions for media corporations including ABC, FOX, MTV, and Disney. He has arranged movie themes, sixties pop music, Broadway shows, and scored for several full-length feature films using Digital Performer.

Learn more about Ben and his online courses at Berkleemusic.com.

Pinar Toprak is a composer with an impressive number of credits (27 scores in the last five years), including the 2010 film “The Lightkeepers” (starring Richard Dreyfuss, Blythe Danner, and Bruce Der) for which she has been presented with the International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best Comedy Score in 2010. She is an instructor of Berkleemusic’s online course, Orchestration 1. We recently sat down with Pinar to talk about her background, the IFMCA award, and what it is like to teach orchestration online.

Tell us about your background.

I was born in Istanbul and began studying music at five years old. I got my degree in Classical Guitar from Istanbul State Conservatory but my main passions were always in composition and film. After several years of studying piano and jazz theory in Chicago, I applied to Berklee and moved to Boston at 17 years old.

At Berklee, I combined my two greatest passions: music and film, and finished my bachelor’s degree in film scoring within two years. After graduating Berklee, I finished my education with a Master of Music degree in composition and my thesis was commissioned by California State University and performed by the CSUN Symphony Orchestra.

My goal was always to intern with Hans Zimmer. For one month straight, I called his studio asking for an interview. My persistence paid off and I was finally given the opportunity to join the Media Ventures team as his programmer.

Although it was an incredible experience, I wanted to begin pursuing my own projects and so I made the decision to leave the studio. Following this transition, William Ross, a famous orchestrator, worked with me on five or six projects including video games and feature films. These eventually led to me being asked to compose music for the film “The Lightkeepers.”

You won the IFMCA Award for “The Lightkeepers.” What was the process like?

I had about two weeks and two days to compose over one hour of music that would be used for the film. Even though I faced a lot of pressure, I sincerely loved the entire experience; everything from working with the director, to the creative control I was given, to the music that resulted from the project. After I finished I felt instant gratification; I was extremely proud of the work I accomplished.

What is it like to study online?

Studying online makes the entire classroom experience so much better. Not only is it highly accessible, but it also is the most efficient way of studying. You customize your own learning experience down to when, where, and how you want to do it.

Students are able to learn from one another and interact freely; the exchange of music and conversation is incredible. It’s the quality yet the practicality of it all that makes it the best way to get a music education.

What is it like to teach Orchestration 1 online?

Since I live in LA and work directly in the film industry, I am able to share with my students the most up to date and relevant information out there. I prepare them in a realistic way for the industry they are up against, whether or not they are directly experiencing it. I want my students to connect with their education in a deep way and to do that you have to go above and beyond traditional classroom protocol.

I have the pleasure of teaching individuals from all over the world, from all walks of life, with all different talents that have one common thread of wanting to study music with a top-notch institution.

Who is Orchestration 1 designed for? How can someone use this course advance his/her career?

Really, anyone is suited to take Orchestration 1. I’ve taught students on all different levels, including those that knew nothing about orchestration and sequencing to those that were extremely well versed in both areas. I’ve even taught individuals looking to improve their writing and notation chops. That’s the beauty of teaching music online; I am able to work on a more private basis with my students to help them meet their personal goals, and not just meet the collective goals of the classroom.

There was one student who started my course with very little knowledge of the basics, but she had a great attitude and strong determination, which I appreciated. Through engaging in discussions, reaching out to me with questions, and learning from the work of her classmates, she was able to submit a very impressive final project that consisted of a fully orchestrated and well produced three minute piece that could be used in a feature film. Watching my students grow like this in their own way is a very special thing and probably one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching.

By the end of my course, students fully understand the process of orchestration and how to be successful in the field. I want them to take away both technical and practical information that will be valuable to them across any discipline they choose to pursue. Studying online with Berklee is worth every bit of the time and money that my students invest in it, and that’s something that isn’t true for all institutions.

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:

1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

Each term, Berkleemusic recognizes sixteen of our best and brightest online students for outstanding performance in our certificate programs. These students are awarded a $1,300 scholarship in the name of a renowned music education champion.

Congratulations to our Summer 2011 scholarship winners:

Herbie Hancock Scholarship Winners
• P. Lehti
• M. McDuffee
• B. Popkin
• J. Poyser-Blaize

Phil Ramone Scholarship Winners
• J. Bucsis
• T. Byrd
• A. Popp
• L. St Valentine

Tom Snow Scholarship Winners
• T. Berry
• V. Goldstein
• S. Gray
• G. Whitt

Steve Vai Scholarship Winners
• P. Glover
• V. Konstantinidis
• J. Leiser
• B. Massie

Learn more about Berkleemusic’s Celebrity Online Scholarship Program.

Find out more at berkleemusic.com or contact a Student Advisor:

1-866-BERKLEE (USA) | +1 617 747 2146 (Intl) | advisors@berkleemusic.com

Berklee, Midem, and Harvard hosted the first-ever Rethink Music conference here in Boston last week. Berkleemusic was behind the scenes, interviewing some music industry heavy-hitters to share with our community.

Check out some short video clips we’ve posted from pros at EMI, Topspin, Next Big Sound, and more. It’s useful content for any future-focused musician or music business professional.

* Peter Gotcher, Chairman of Dolby and Topspin
* Jim Eno, Producer and Drummer from Spoon
* Tod Machover, Professor of Music and Media, MIT Media Lab
* Ian Rogers, CEO Topspin
* Nancy Baym, Professor of Communications Studies at University of Kansas
* Maggie Martin, Manager EMI Publishing
* Alex White, Founder of Next Big Sound

We captured more than six hours of video from the conference. Stay tuned—there’s more to come.

Fast-Growing Audio Platform To Power Berklee’s New Online Community

Berkleemusic, the online continuing education division of Boston’s renowned Berklee College of Music, and SoundCloud, the fast-growing audio platform, have joined forces to provide over 75,000 Berkleemusic members with an easy way to upload, share, and solicit feedback on their music.

“This relationship with SoundCloud is part of Berkleemusic’s continuing efforts to identify and integrate the most current technologies into our online school and associated online community,” said Berkleemusic CEO Dave Kusek. “Many of our online courses cover the best practices associated with using best-in-breed music and marketing software, and it’s a natural fit to integrate SoundCloud’s forward-leaning audio technology into our growing online community.”

SoundCloud, with its unique waveform player, is a leading tool for artists to share original content online. The platform allows artists, labels, music professionals and other audio creators to upload, record, promote and share sound across the web. It also enables user feedback, download and play counts, and can enable sharing between friends, classmates or the whole world. With over three and a half million registered users, artists from every genre—including house, electronica, classical and jazz—use SoundCloud to preview and share music with fans and peers on a daily basis.

Alexander Ljung, SoundCloud’s founder and CEO, says: “We’ve been working hard to create the best possible platform for sound creators, and that includes helping third-party developers build amazing integrations using our API. Through this partnership, Berkleemusic.com is demonstrating its leadership in understanding and employing new technologies to benefit people in education. We’re also excited to offer our premium members special access to Berkleemusic’s extensive online music courses and certificate programs.”

Berkleemusic continues to be at the crossroads of technology and education in music. Most recently, Berkleemusic teamed with Grammy®-award winning guitar virtuoso Steve Vai to set the Guinness® World Record for the world’s largest online guitar lesson; 4455 students were certified as taking part in the lesson. Berkleemusic also announced a donation of $7000 — one dollar for each student who signed on for the lesson — to the Steve Vai Online Scholarship Fund at Berkleemusic.

Berkleemusic’s spring term is enrolling throughout the week of April 4th.

It’s Official! Guinness Certifies Berkleemusic and Vai Following Live Online Event For Worldwide Guitar-Playing Audience

March 3, 2011—Steve Vai and the Berkleemusic Team at Livestream’s Studios in New York (L-to-R: Video Producer Jesse Borkowski, CMO Stefanie Henning, Steve Vai, Director of Marketing Mike King, and Web Software Developer Niall Burkley.) Photo credit: Andy Alt

After several weeks of careful tabulation, it’s now official: Berkleemusic, the online continuing education division of Boston’s renowned Berklee College of Music, and Grammy®-award winning guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, have set the Guinness® World Record for the World’s Largest Online Guitar Lesson. This first-of-its-kind initiative, held at leading streaming media platform Livestream Studios in New York City on March 3rd, brought together almost seven thousand members of the international guitar community in a celebration of online music education. Guinness certified the world record based on Berklee having recruited 4,455 students over the first 15 minutes to the lesson. Berkleemusic also announced a donation of $7000—one dollar for each student certified as taking part in the lesson—to the Steve Vai Online Scholarship Fund at Berkleemusic. The fund rewards and assists outstanding students studying in Berkleemusic’s multi-course certificate programs.

“I am very happy and proud to announce that Berklee College of Music was officially awarded the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest online guitar lesson,” said Berkleemusic Chief Marketing Officer Stefanie Henning. “This was an amazing collaboration of all the teams here at Berkleemusic with tremendous support from Berklee College of Music President Roger Brown, the College faculty and students, and, of course, the day’s guest of honor, Steve Vai.”

Berkleemusic and Steve Vai have also co-authored a new twelve-week online course: Steve Vai Guitar Techniques. This online course, nearing the end of its first session, presents students with the chance to gain a deep understanding of Vai’s death-defying playing styles, repertoire, techniques, and musical concepts from anywhere in the world, and to incorporate their learnings into their own playing.

Building on the renowned guitar curriculum that Berklee has offered to students for decades, the course is now open for enrollment for the school’s spring term which begins on April 4th, 2011. For more information regarding the course, registration information, and to sample an online guitar course, visit Berkleemusic.com.

Vai, who is currently finishing a new solo album and preparing for an extensive world tour to coincide with its fall release, is a Berklee alumnus with a devoted fan base in over seventy countries. He is a passionate advocate for music education and exploration. “I hope this record encourages players to continue to cultivate their own unique style and spirit on the guitar,” Vai says. “I think this record really showcases the interest that exists in guitar education worldwide. It was a true pleasure working with an institution like Berkleemusic, who share my interest in helping to bring more skilled musicians into the world.”

Fans can view the archived online lesson, chat and question transcripts, as well as Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel’s pre-lesson promotional videos, at berkleemusic.com/vai-live.

March 3, 2011—Steve Vai warms up for the World’s Largest Online Guitar Lesson at Livestream Studios in New York. Photo credit: Andy Alt

BERKLEEMUSIC AND VAI HOST A LIVE ONLINE EVENT FOR GUITAR PLAYERS OF ALL LEVELS WORLDWIDE

Berkleemusic, the online continuing education division of Boston’s renowned Berklee College of Music, along with Grammy®-award winning guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, today announced a call to action for guitarists around the world to join forces and set the Guinness® World Record for the largest online guitar lesson on March 3rd, 2011. This first-of-its-kind initiative will bring together the worldwide community of guitarists in an unprecedented online celebration of music education.

Vai, who is currently recording a new album and preparing for an extensive world tour, is a Berklee alumnus with a devoted fan base in over seventy countries. Although he is not a guitar instructor, Vai is a passionate advocate for music exploration and hopes the event will encourage players to continue to cultivate their own unique style and spirit on the instrument. “This online event, and the larger efforts Berkleemusic is making to teach students around world, is a great example of the collaboration that happens at Berklee,” says Vai. “Whether you’re in Boston, Bombay, or Brussels, we’ll all be together on March 3rd.”

The World’s Largest Online Guitar Lesson is a one-time event that takes place Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 at 1:30PM EST. Berkleemusic has partnered with Livestream, the pre-eminent live streaming video platform, to host this event in their New York City studio. Participants can learn more about the online lesson at www.berkleemusic.com/vai-live.

Vai’s free online lesson will last 30 minutes, and will provide a look into Steve’s technique with a focus on how guitarists can develop and gain insight into their own playing. In order to further engage with his fans, Steve is also encouraging participants to submit questions to him online, which he will answer onstage at the conclusion of his online lesson. Interested participants can submit questions to Steve on the event’s web page, located at www.berkleemusic.com/vai-live.

As a gesture of its commitment to music education, Berkleemusic will donate one dollar for every person that joins the online lesson to the Steve Vai Online Scholarship Fund at Berkleemusic, which is designed to reward and assist outstanding students studying in Berkleemusic’s multi-course certificate programs.

“Steve Vai is one of the most popular guitarists on the planet, and deservedly so,” says Dave Kusek, CEO of Berkleemusic. “We’re thrilled and honored to partner with Steve for this unique online guitar lesson, and excited to play a part in exposing a record-setting number of guitarists from around the world to his ‘otherworldly’ techniques.”

Berkleemusic and Steve Vai have also partnered to author a brand new 12-week online course: Steve Vai Guitar Techniques. This online course presents students with the chance to gain a deep understanding of Vai’s death-defying playing styles, repertoire, techniques, and musical concepts from anywhere in the world, and incorporate their learnings into their own playing. The Steve Vai Guitar Techniques online course builds upon the renowned guitar curriculum that Berklee has been providing to students for decades. The course is now open for enrollment for the school’s spring term which begins on April 4th, 2011. For more information regarding the course, registration information, and to sample an online guitar course, visit Berkleemusic.com.