Guitar Sessions

About the Program

Experience five days in the life of a Berklee guitar student in this musically diverse program. Designed to provide you with inspiring performance opportunities and technical training, this program will place you in ensembles with guitarists of similar experience, stylistic interest, and ability. Your faculty comprises 35 internationally recognized players from Berklee’s Guitar Department who are experts in a diverse range of styles.

How to Enroll

This program has limited capacity. Submission of registration materials alone does not guarantee participation. You will secure your spot by paying in full.

Step 1Submit your registration
Begin by submitting your registration online. If applicable, you may need to submit additional supporting materials.
Step 2Make your tuition payment
All programs have limited capacity, so be sure to complete your full tuition payment to reserve your space in the program.
Step 3Request housing
If you will be age 15 or older by the start of your Boston-based program and require on-campus accommodations, complete the Residence Hall Agreement in the Next Steps tab of your registration portal.
Step 4Complete your next steps
Visit the Next Steps section of your program to view and complete any additional requirements. Review the checklist to make sure you are on track.

Curriculum

Guitar Sessions offers ensembles, classes, and clinics in the styles of blues, metal, classical, jam band, funk/fusion, classic rock, contemporary rock, jazz, fingerstyle, and performing songwriter. You’ll select one style to study in your ensemble, with the ability to branch out in different styles through clinics and jams.

Every participant’s schedule will include a class in each of the following:

Fretboard Harmony: Learn music theory and how it applies to the guitar. The class includes scales, modes, chord voicings, and chord inversions.
Style: Focus on the specifics in the style of your choosing, and explore related concepts and applied theory.
Ensemble: Rehearse with other instrumentalists and perform in concert with your group on the last day of the program.
Visiting Artist Clinics: Guitar Sessions will host several visiting artists and clinicians during the week. Past programs have included John Abercrombie, Wayne Krantz, John Petrucci, Vernon Reid, and Tommy Emmanuel.

Schedule

Check out a typical day in the program. Schedules are subject to change.

Each Day

9 AM–10 AMBreakfast
10 AM–12 PMFretboard Harmony and Styles, or Ensemble
12 PM–1 PMClinic
1 PM– 2 PMLunch
2 PM–4 PMFretboard Harmony and Styles, or Ensemble
4 PM–5:30 PMClinic
5:30 PM–7:30 PMDinner
7:30 PM–9 PMConcert
9 PM–10:15 PMJam Sessions

Performance Opportunities

Students will have the ability to participate in open jam sessions each evening. Multiple jam sessions will often be happening simultaneously, focusing on different styles.

The program will culminate with masterclass performances on Friday. You will perform the repertoire you have been rehearsing in your ensembles and will receive feedback from faculty.

Requirements

All students who meet the minimum age requirement and older, with six months of playing experience on electric or acoustic bass are welcome to attend.
Participants must possess a proficient level of English to enroll in this program. We do not require proof of English language proficiency (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo) as part of the enrollment or application process; however, you are expected to have a sufficient command of the English language to understand class material and assignments.
Students should bring their guitars, quarter-inch cable, and tuners. We supply amplifiers for all participants to use in our ensembles during rehearsals and final performances. No amplifiers are provided for use in practice rooms, so you may choose to bring a set of practice headphones and a small practice amplifier. Additionally, students should bring a notebook and pens/pencils.

Program Directors

Class of 2022
Jane Miller
"I like my students to come away from my lessons and classes equipped to solve musical puzzles on the guitar."
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Class of 1993
Sal DiFusco
"Artistic development is important to me; I get a great amount of joy in developing people musically."
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Once You’ve Enrolled

The Berklee Summer Programs Team is excited that you’ve taken the first step! Now that you’re enrolled, here’s what you need to know to be prepared before check-in, and what to expect afterward.

Please regularly check the email you used to enroll in your program for important updates. A detailed check-in email, containing information about your assigned arrival location, housing assignment (if applicable), and program schedule, will be sent one to two weeks before your program's start date.
On-campus housing is limited, and spaces will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis based on the completion of the following steps:
1. Read, sign, and submit the residence hall agreement on the registration portal.
2. The Summer Programs team will review your signed residence hall agreement within 3-5 business days. After review, we will send you an email inviting you to return to the registration portal to view your on-campus housing decision letter.
3. If your request has been approved, secure your spot by accepting your offer and paying the housing fee in full.
Important Considerations
- For students enrolled in multiple programs, please complete a separate residence hall agreement (along with the accompanying housing fee payment) for each program.
- To be eligible to request on-campus housing, a student must be 15 years of age before the start of their program.
- If a student is under the age of 18, the request for on-campus housing must be filled out by a parent/guardian, and both the student and parent/guardian must agree to all the terms and conditions.
- Applicants for Musical Theater Acting Intensive (MTAI) and Vocal/Choral Intensive (VCI) must first be offered admission and accept their offer before their residence hall agreement submission will be considered.
- Since space in our residence halls is limited, a spot in our residence halls will only be guaranteed once a student has fully registered for their chosen program and paid the program tuition in full. Any housing requests or payments made before the completion of both these steps do not ensure a guaranteed place in on-campus housing.
Learn more about housing and campus life by exploring the Help Center.
Accommodations are provided for students with documented medical needs, offering services such as academic accommodations, academic coaching, special housing arrangements, dietary adjustments, and referrals to on-campus support, including adaptive technology and tutoring.
Accommodations are determined through an interactive process involving the student, faculty, the Office of Housing and Residential Education, a dietitian, and Accessibility Resources for Students staff. Requests for academic, housing, and dietary accommodations can be made by following the steps outlined in this Help Center article.