Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive

This is a half-hour lesson each week on your principal instrument.

Three hours each week will be spent in instrument-specific small group courses to develop instrumental style, reading, and technique.

Instrumental/vocal departments will present a survey class, which examines various performance styles and techniques from a historical perspective.

Ensembles will run for two hours each week. When joining an instrumental or vocal group, you will have a wide range of contemporary styles to choose from, including jazz, pop/rock, pop/R&B, funk/fusion, bluegrass, salsa, and world music. Additional ensembles may be available to students in the college credit track depending on instrumental balance and need. Of the ensembles formed during the intensive, 23 will be selected to record in one of Berklee’s 10 state-of-the-art recording studios. All ensembles will perform a short set in an on-campus venue during the final week of the program.

You will spend four hours per week developing your musical ear, performance skills, and reading ability. This class level is determined by your entering musicianship assessment.

You will spend three hours per week studying the rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic elements of music as they relate to playing your instrument. This class level is determined by your entering theory assessment.

Performances/discussions are held two hours per week to expose you to valuable career insight from music professionals in every sector of the industry: performance, songwriting, film composition, music business, and more. Notable guest artists who have recently visited Berklee include Victor Wooten, Cory Henry, Crissy Collins, and Charlie Puth, among many others.

These lectures and demonstrations feature performers, songwriters, film composers, and music business experts with experience in the industry. They are open to all students.

Visiting artists are announced at the start of the program. Notable artists who have recently visited Berklee include Amanda Palmer, George Duke, Melissa Ferrick, and Dawaun Parker, among many others.

This class is an introduction to arranging in contemporary styles with a focus on creating clear and professional lead sheets. Topics include music form, chord symbol notation. articulations and dynamics, repeat bar notation, lyric notation, slash and rhythmic notation, and basic music notation software.

Ableton Live is a powerful software tool that allows musicians to develop musical ideas in a unique, nonlinear environment and presents a way of working that is fundamentally different from other software used in music production. In this workshop, you will learn to create new musical ideas and produce electronic arrangements using software instruments and effects that come with Ableton Live. Emphasis will be placed on developing the basic skills that can be used to write and produce new works, as well as to create remixes and prepare songs for electronic performance.

This lecture class will introduce you to composing and arranging techniques used by important jazz artists. Topics include orchestration, song and arrangement form, music analysis, and the process of creating and harmonizing melodies.

This course will provide you with an introduction to the music business. You will gain an understanding of how your creative works are protected by US copyright law and promoted by publishers. You will also review the contractual relationship between artists and record labels, with discussions on how to set up and manage a small business (business formation, band agreements, etc.). This course will also explore artists’ managers, their work, and their relationship with artists. You will learn why touring is a profitable component of the music business, showing how artists and promoters budget for a successful outcome.

This course is designed to provide a basic overview of the profession of music therapy. This includes the neurological basis for music as therapy, a brief history of the profession, and current advances in professional practice. You will explore personal connections with music, the education and training requirements for music therapists, clinical populations and settings music therapists work with, and the treatment planning process in music therapy.

This course will provide an introduction to the exciting world of scoring for today’s visual media. Using a wide variety of examples from film, video games, television, and commercials, this class will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the process of composing and producing a musical underscore, from traditional linear scoring to the cutting-edge, nonlinear techniques used in current-generation video games and interactive media.

This lecture class will examine song form, strategies for creating melodies, and effective use of harmony to create forward motion in songs. With the instructor and guest lecturers, you will explore lyric writing and tips to help the creative process.

Because technology allows the easy exchange of ideas and files, strategies and tools for improving both songwriting and production through collaboration will be demonstrated. Lastly, we will discuss an overview of how songs are currently used in film, TV, and other visual media, along with the tools needed to place your songs and start earning royalties.

This course will explore how a modern song is taken from inception to full mix. It includes discussion of song form, songwriting, and techniques to invoke the best performances from players on the spot. This course also addresses the creative use of modern microphone and recording techniques; the use of outboard and computer processing, such as reverb, equalizers, and compressors; and basic mixing techniques. Strong interpersonal skills are needed. An open mind and active participation are required.

This ensemble will focus on large and small ensemble musical theater literature. Strong emphasis will be placed on vocal technique, ensemble singing, and lyric delivery. You will prepare, rehearse, and perform Broadway-style selections from a variety of productions, leading to a performance at the end of the program.

Drum circles are available to percussionists and non-percussionists alike. This weekly workshop provides an opportunity to develop skills using various percussion instruments from around the world.

This circle singing course provides Aspire students with a participatory music-making experience rooted in creativity, connection, and community. Although music has evolved over time into a form of entertainment and business, its power to help people express themselves and connect with others remains deeply human.

In this course, students will explore circle singing in a supportive, pressure-free environment. Through collaborative vocal improvisation, they will discover new ways to express their creativity, build confidence, and strengthen their craft.

This class will provide singer/songwriters an opportunity to write and perform their own songs, and learn the tools of the trade. The class will focus on the song: how it’s created and how it is used to express and communicate the songwriter's feelings and stories to the audience. You will develop the tools and techniques used by songwriters today and participate in facilitated song critiques with your classmates. The class will culminate in a live performance.

You will learn to practice meditation approaches and breathing techniques, play using healthy posture and technique, get more out of your practice through improved focus, use your breath to improve phrasing and ease performance anxiety, and play with deeper expression through inspiration. These concepts, exercises, and practice routines present yoga from the musician's perspective, focusing on direct relationships between using yoga and creating music.

Details coming soon.

This course provides high-energy, Latin-inspired dance fitness that invites students to connect with rhythm, joy, and community through movement. Students will explore foundational elements of cumbia, merengue, salsa, and reggaeton while building cardiovascular endurance, muscle conditioning, and dynamic coordination. Through interval-style choreography set to international music, we will cultivate both physical stamina and mental release. Among its goals: To energize the body and liberate the spirit, offering an effective stress reliever that supports students' overall well-being and artistic practice.

Have fun, meet people, and sing rock, pop, and R&B. This non-audition chorus is for everyone, regardless of experience. (Not just for voice majors.) Learn great songs and perform on stage at Berklee!

You can choose to study the following styles:

• Jazz: The repertoire will focus on music drawn from jazz standards, the Great American Songbook, blues, Latin, and modal jazz compositions by a wide range of important jazz artists, including Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, and others.

• Pop/rock: The repertoire will focus on music drawn from important performers, including Adele, the Beatles, Carrie Underwood, the Black Keys, and more.

• Funk/fusion (instrumentalists only): The repertoire will focus on music drawn from important performers and groups such as Herbie Hancock, the Chick Corea Elektric Band, the Pat Metheny Group, and others.

• Pop/R&B (vocalists only): The repertoire will focus on music drawn from important performers such as Beyoncé, Robert Glasper Experiment, John Legend, Aretha Franklin, and others.

• Singer-songwriter: Designed for aspiring songwriters and artists, this track explores five core areas of Berklee’s songwriting curriculum: prosody, lyric writing, melody, harmony, and arrangement. You’ll learn the foundations of crafting compelling, commercially viable songs while developing your own artistic voice. Throughout the program, you’ll write original music, collaborate with fellow musicians, and perform your songs in a creative and supportive environment.