About the Program

Dive into an intensive, curriculum-based workshop designed to enhance your skills on piano, keyboard, and Hammond organ. You’ll build expertise in improvisation, performance, chord theory, ensemble playing, and synthesizer performance. The program includes hands-on performance workshops and ensemble sessions with live rhythms sections, where you’ll work towards mastery of style-specific techniques, rhythmic studies, and chart reading. Throughout the week, you’ll also explore electives like non-tonal improvisation, synthesizer performance, jazz comping and improvisation master classes, and Hammond organ techniques, giving you a comprehensive experience across styles such as jazz, hip-hop, rock, R&B, pop, funk, Afro-Latin, and fusion.

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

At the workshop, you will participate in several core classes throughout the week.

Performance workshop: Learn style-specific chord voicings, rhythmic studies, technique, and chart reading, among other topics.
Ensembles: This will be an instructor-guided forum for students to play with an ensemble.

You will also attend additional electives throughout the week. The following list of previously offered electives will give you a sense of what to expect:

Contemporary Styles Workshop
Contemporary Keyboard History
Synthesizer Performance and Technology
Jazz Improvisation Master Class
Hammond Master Class
New Age Music Improvisation

Schedule

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

Each Day

8 AM–8:50 AMBreakfast
9 AM–10:50 AMElectives
11 AM–12:50 PMElectives
1 PM–1:50 PMLunch
2 PM–3:50 PMPerformance Workshop or Ensemble
5 PM–6:50 PMDinner
7 PM–8:45 PMJam Sessions

Performance Opportunities

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

The program will culminate with students performing the repertoire they have been rehearsing in their ensembles.

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.
All necessary musical equipment will be provided throughout the program.

Program Directors

Dave Limina
"Students in the Piano Department will experience a wide range of musical and cultural influences by our faculty from around the globe."
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John McGee
"The Latin transliteration of the English word 'educate' is 'educare,' which means to draw out of. I believe that everything that a student needs to succeed is already inside of them, as an educator I become a curator of human and musical potential, helping the students to locate the excellence that is already within. I want every student who engages me as a chair or an instructor to know that in every meeting they have come closer to the realization of their limitless potential as a musician and scholar."
"Several years ago, I devised 'gospejazzical' as the original term to describe my unique improvisatory style of piano performance. Gospejazzical is an improvisatory fusion of the gospel, jazz, and classical musical idioms that I've developed over my many years as a professional in the three individual fields that I've fused. At one point, I felt as if I had to choose one of these three genres that I was highly proficient in to have a focused career; however, each of these fields make me the musician that I am. As an instructor, I aim to lead pianists into the understanding of the power of interconnectedness in musical styles and approaches to learning. There is no need for compartmentalization, but the educational process ought always to be one of exploration that allows students to emerge in the fullness of their unique selves."
"The Berklee Piano Department is the largest in the world for a reason. The exemplary caste of faculty that are skilled in nearly every known genre of pianism creates a magnetically energetic and diverse environment that allows students to discover and deepen their relationship with the piano, keyboard, and organ as instruments and their ever-evolving and emerging role in global music making."
"Berklee is the preeminent institution for the study of contemporary music of the African diaspora. Consequently, I find no better place for students to discover their place in the world as a human being who makes music. Historically, music of the African diaspora has been connected to hope and healing. I believe that any musician who desires to use music as a resource to help, heal, and bring hope to the world should study at Berklee College of Music."
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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.

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Piano/Keyboard Workshop