Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip hop, reggae, salsa, and bluegrass.^[3] To date, 99 Berklee alumni have received 221 Grammy Awards, popular music's highest honor.^[4]

Accreditation[link]

Berklee College of Music is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). NEASC is the regional accreditation agency for schools and colleges located in the New England region of the United States.

History[link]

Schillinger House, 1945–1954[link]

In 1945, pianist-composer-arranger and MIT graduate Lawrence Berk founded Schillinger House, the precursor to the Berklee School of Music.^[5] Located at 284 Newbury St. in Boston’s Back Bay, the school specialized in the Schillinger System of harmony and composition^[6] developed by Joseph Schillinger. Berk had studied with Schillinger. Instrumental lessons and a few classes in traditional theory, harmony, and arranging were also offered.^[5] At the time of its founding, almost all music schools focused primarily on classical music, but Schillinger House offered training in jazz and commercial music for radio, theater, television, and dancing. At first, most students were working professional musicians. Many students were former World War II service members who attended under the G.I. Bill. Initial enrollment was fewer than 50 students,^[7] but by 1949 there were more than 500 students.^[8] In 1954, when the school’s curriculum had expanded to include music education classes and more traditional music theory, Berk changed the name to Berklee School of Music, after his son Lee Eliot Berk, to reflect the broader scope of instruction.^[9]

Berklee School of Music, 1954–1970[link]

Lawrence Berk placed great emphasis on learning from practitioners, as opposed to academics, and generally hired working musicians as faculty members. Several of the school’s best-known musician-educators arrived after the school’s name changed. In 1956, trumpeter Herb Pomeroy joined the faculty, remaining until his retirement in 1996.^[10] Drummer Alan Dawson and saxophonist Charlie Mariano became faculty members in 1957.^[11] Reed player John LaPorta began teaching in 1962.^[12] Like many of Berk’s ideas, this practice continues into the present. Although far more emphasis is placed on academic credentials among new faculty hires than in the past, experienced performers such as Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, Joe Lovano, and Danilo Perez have served as faculty over the years.

Another trend in the school’s history also began the mid-’50s. During this period, the school began to attract international students in greater numbers. For example, Japanese pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi arrived in 1956.^[13] Multiple Grammy-winning producer Arif Mardin came from Turkey to study at the school in 1958.^[14] The number of international students has grown steadily to 24.2 percent of total enrolment in 2010.^[1]

In 1957, Berklee initiated the first of many innovative applications of technology to music education with Jazz in the Classroom, a series of LP recordings of student work, accompanied by scores. These albums contain early examples of composing, arranging, and performing by students who went on to prominent jazz careers such as Gary Burton, John Abercrombie, John Scofield, Ernie Watts, Alan Broadbent, Sadao Watanabe, and many others. The series, which continued until 1980, is a precursor to subsequent Berklee-affiliated labels. These later releases provided learning experiences not only for student composers and performers, but also for students in newly created majors in music engineering and production and music business and management.^[15]

Berklee awarded its first bachelor of music degrees in 1966.^[16] Members of the first graduating class to receive degrees included Alf Clausen, Stephen Gould and Michael Rendish. Gould taught film scoring at Berklee and is currently the Program Director for the Educational Leadership PhD program at Lesley University. During the 1960s, the Berklee curriculum began to reflect new developments in popular music, such the rise of rock and roll, soul and funk, and jazz-rock fusion.^[16] In 1962, Berklee offered the first college-level instrumental major for guitar. The guitar department initially had nine students. Today it is the largest single instrumental major at the college. Trombonist Phil Wilson joined the faculty in 1965.^[17] His student ensemble, the Dues Band, helped introduce current popular music into the ensemble curriculum, and later as the Rainbow Band, performed world music and jazz fusions.^[17] In 1969, new courses in rock and popular music were added to the curriculum, the first ever offered at the college level.^[16] The first college course on jingle writing was also offered in 1969.^[18]

Berklee College of Music, 1970–present[link]

The school became Berklee College of Music in 1970^[19] and bestowed its first honorary doctorate on Duke Ellington in 1971.^[20] Vibraphonist Gary Burton joined the faculty in 1971, helping to solidify the place of jazz-rock fusion in the curriculum.^[21] As Dean of Curriculum from 1985 to 1996,^[22] Burton led the development of several new majors, including music synthesis and songwriting, and facilitated the school’s transition to technology-based education.^[23] Curriculum innovations during the 1970s included the first college-level instrumental major in electric bass guitar in 1973,^[24] and the first jazz-rock ensemble class in 1974.^[25] In 1979, Berklee founder Lawrence Berk stepped down as president.^[26] The board of trustees appointed his son, Lee Eliot Berk, to replace him.^[27]

Under the leadership of Lee Eliot Berk, the school underwent further growth and diversification of its curriculum. The college offered the world’s first undergraduate degree program in film scoring starting 1980.^[28] Beginning in 1981, the string department curriculum expanded to include many idioms besides classical music.^[29] In 1986, the world’s first college-level major in music synthesis was offered,^[30] followed by the world’s first college songwriting major in 1987.^[31] Instrumental majors also expanded to include the first college hand-percussion major in 1988.^[32]

Berklee expanded its community outreach efforts in 1991 with the launch of City Music, a program designed to make music instruction available to underserved youth in the Boston area.^[33] On a more global scale, Berklee partnered with selected music schools around the world to form the Berklee International Network in 1993.^[34] Another new major, Music Therapy, was offered beginning in 1996. In 2002, the school began offering classes online through Berkleemusic.com.^[35] Other curriculum developments included the incorporation of a hip-hop course in 2004.^[36]

In 2004, Lee Eliot Berk stepped down as president of the school his father had founded and Roger H. Brown was installed as the college’s third president.^[37] Under Brown’s leadership the college's enrollment has grown and diversified, admission is now highly selective, while further expansion of the school’s academic offerings have continued. In 2006, mandolin and banjo were accepted as principal instruments for the first time. The college also initiated an Africana Studies program, the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, and an American Roots Music Program.^[38][39][40]

Academics[link]

Students at Berklee are exposed to a range of instruments, musical styles, and career options, so they can explore possibilities and find their own paths. Toward that end, Berklee offers student musicians courses of study toward a fully accredited four-year baccalaureate degree or professional diploma. Students may combine many of Berklee's 12 majors, depending on the nature of the program. The dual major program requires a five-year course of study and is available to both degree and diploma candidates.

Majors offered in Berklee are Composition, Contemporary Writing and Production, Electronic Production and Design, Film Scoring, Jazz Composition, Music Business/Management, Music Education (degree only), Music Production and Engineering, Music Therapy (degree only), Performance, Professional Music, and Songwriting.^[41]

Starting Spring 2012, Berklee offers Global Studies Program students currently enrolled in Berklee College of Music in Boston. The program takes Berklee students to Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain to study courses that range in 2 areas: International Music Business and Mediterranean Music.^[42]

Admission[link]

Berklee's admission process is holistic. It focuses primarily on the audition, the interview and the applicant's previous academic record.^[43]

As part of the application to the college, applicants are required to complete a live audition and interview. An integral part of selecting the entering class is the audition and interview experience, designed to show applicants' strengths while helping the school to assess applicants' talent and potential to succeed in Berklee's dynamic environment. Although there is a general format for the audition and interview, each experience is unique. Berklee considers all applicants for both admission and scholarship through the audition and interview process.^[44]

The acceptance rate for the entering class of 2010 was 30%.^[45]

Demographics[link]

As of the 2010–2011 academic year, total enrollment at Berklee was 4,270. Of students enrolled in degree programs, 29% are female, 11% are African American, and 10% are Hispanic. Students from 80 countries outside the U.S. account for approximately 25% of the student population. South Korea, Japan, Canada, Mexico, and Italy are the top five countries of origin. In addition to students attending the Berklee campus in Boston, in the 2009–2010 academic year, approximately 2,500 students took online courses through Berkleemusic.com.^[1]

Facilities[link]

Berklee classroom building at 130 Massachusetts Avenue

Berklee remained at its original location at 284 Newbury Street from its founding in 1945 to 1966, when it moved into the larger 1140 Boylston St. building, the former Hotel Bostonian.^[46] Beginning in 1972 an era of more rapid expansion began with the purchase of the Fenway Theatre and the adjoining Sherry Biltmore Hotel at 150 Massachusetts Avenue. The theater was renovated and opened as the 1,227-seat Berklee Performance Center in 1976.^[47] The former Biltmore Hotel provided additional classroom and practice room spaces and residence halls. It also houses the library, which was renamed the Stan Getz Library and Media Center in 1998.^[48] The 150 Massachusetts Avenue building is also the site of the Berklee Learning Center, which when it opened in 1993, was the world’s largest networked computer learning facility for music education.^[49]

The Genko Uchida Center at 921 Boylston Street opened in 1997 and houses the offices for enrollment, admissions, scholarships and student employment, the registrar, financial aid, bursar, rehearsal and classroom space, and the 200-seat David Friend Recital Hall.^[50] At 939 Boylston Street, Café 939, the nation’s only student-run, all-ages night club, hosts a full program of student performers, local and national acts, and community programs.

As of 2011, Berklee occupies 21 buildings primarily in the Back Bay area of Boston, near the intersection of Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue.^[1] Within these buildings are 13 recording studios, 5 film/video scoring and editing facilities, and 9 music synthesis facilities.^[51] The studios of the five-channel, commercial-free Berklee Internet Radio Network (BIRN), which launched in 2007, are also housed on campus.^[52] A new Liberal Arts building at 7 Haviland Street was dedicated in 2010. It houses the Liberal Arts, Music Therapy, and Music Business Departments, as well as the Africana Studies program.^[53]

In early 2011, Berklee College of Music announced its master plan of building 3 new buildings along the Massachusetts Avenue. First expected to be completed by Fall 2013 is the 16-story mixed-use building at 160 Massachusetts Avenue. This building will include 370 dorm rooms, a two-story cafeteria, a performance center, recording studios, and retail space. The second building is going to be built at the top of existing 130–136 Massachusetts Avenue (The Berklee Performance Centre). The new building is expected to house additional 450 students, as well as a state-of-the-art performing center, in its 24-story tall building. The third building is planned to be in 161–171 Massachusetts Avenue, which is expected to contain more academic and administrative space for the Berklee College of Music.^[54]

Berklee Valencia[link]

Berklee in Valencia is the college’s first international campus, with a unique curriculum. With Valencia, the college offers a new way for musicians around the world to join the global music community—as performers, as practitioners, and as leaders.

The new campus is housed in the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, an iconic building designed for music and equipped with state-of-the-art technology, with an unparalleled faculty of inspiring educators and cutting-edge industry professionals. Students in Valencia also benefit from a city where music is essential to its history and its citizens, and that offers exposure to a panoply of cultures, audiences, and master musicians. Students are in direct connection to some of the richest musical cultures in the world—including South America, the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa.^[55]

Berklee Valencia campus will be housed in a 27-story "Music Tower", which includes an auditorium seating more than 1,000 people, lecture halls, recording and editing studios, library, conference areas, multimedia centre, commercial area music sales, and residential area. The residential area will comprise 104 apartments including duplexes with 20 to 25% of these for both students and teachers. At the base of the building there will be a large water feature which can be emptied to provide an outdoor concert venue. There will also be a rooftop solarium dubbed the "beach" as well as numerous terraces and squares throughout the building.^[56]

Master's Degree Programs[link]

Berklee Valencia campus focuses primarily on graduate programs in the following areas: Contemporary Studio Performance; Contemporary Writing and Production; Electronic Production and Design; Global Entertainment and Music Business; Symphonic Band Studies; and Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games.

Global Music Studies[link]

Berklee Boston undergraduates will have the opportunity to spend a semester in the new Valencia campus starting in spring 2012. A program in International Music Business Studies and a program in Mediterranean Music Studies will be offered to students who seek to specialize in the global music industry and who want to develop their skills, competences, and mindset to become leaders at an international level. In its first year, the opportunity will be offered to music business, professional music and performance majors. All credits earned will apply towards graduation. Following the semester, students may complete an internship in their field of study.

The International Career Center[link]

This center expands international opportunities for Berklee students through a variety of initiatives that include internships for those candidates with the most talent and qualifications, and networking opportunities in the Valencia signature areas of study.

Mediterranean Music Institute[link]

Students, experienced Berklee educators, visiting musicians, and new faculty from Spain and beyond meet in Valencia to explore the many fusions of global music prevalent in and around the Mediterranean rim. The institute will help make Berklee in Valencia a hub for the study, evolution, and proliferation of the many musical genres associated with the Mediterranean region, including flamenco. Javier Limón serves as the Artistic Director of the Berklee College of Music's Mediterranean Music Institute.^[57]

Special Programs and Professional Certificates[link]

Berklee’s campus in Valencia regularly offers unique programs in contemporary music. These include clinics, workshops, and seminars as well as short, concentrated sessions in areas such as performance, flamenco, film scoring, music business, technology and production, and education.

Alumni[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Small, Mark, "All the Right Moves – Lee Eliot Berk", Berklee Today, Vol. 15, Issue 3, Spring 2004. Interview with Lawrence Berk's son, Lee Eliot Berk, the then retiring second president of Berklee College of Music.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Berklee College of Music

• Berklee College of Music official site
• The Music Business Journal at Berklee College of Music

Coordinates: 42°20′48″N 71°05′19″W / 42.34669°N 71.088705°W / 42.34669; -71.088705

The term music school refers to an educational institution specialized in the study, training and research of music. Different terms refer to this concept such as school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger institution) or conservatory.

Music instruction can be provided within the compulsory general education system, or within specialized children's music schools such as the Purcell School. Elementary school children can access music instruction also in after-school institutions such as music academies or music schools. In Venezuela El Sistema of youth orchestras provides free after-school instrumental instruction through music schools called núcleos. The term “music school” can be also applied to institutions of higher education under names such as school of music, such as the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University, music academy, like the Sibelius Academy, music faculty as the Don Wright Faculty of Music of the University of Western Ontario, college of music, characterized by the Royal College of Music and the Berklee College of Music, music department, like the Department of Music at the University of California, Berkeley or the term conservatory, exemplified by the Conservatoire de Paris and the term higher school of music or university of music such as the Cologne University of Music known as Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln in German. Instruction includes training in the performance of musical instruments, singing, musical composition, conducting, musicianship, as well as academic and research fields such as musicology, music history and music theory.

Graduates of Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg Conservatory include Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergey Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, and George Balanchine.

History[link]

Notre Dame Cathedral. Notre Dame School was an important centre of polyphonic music.

Although music and music education may have been in existence for thousands of years, the earliest history is speculative.^[1] Even when history starts to be recorded, music is mentioned more frequently than music education. Within the biblical tradition, Hebrew litany was accompanied with rich music, but the Torah or Pentateuch was silent on the practice and instruction of music in the early life of Israel. However, by I Samuel 10, Alfred Sendrey suggests that we find “a sudden and unexplained upsurge of large choirs and orchestras, consisting of thoroughly organized and trained musical groups, which would be virtually inconceivable without lengthy, methodical preparation.” This has led some scholars to believe that the prophet Samuel was the patriarch of a school which taught not only prophets and holy men, but also sacred-rite musicians.^[2]

The Schola cantorum (papal choir), may be the first recorded music school in history, when Gregory the Great (590–604) made permanent an existing guild dating from the 4th century ('schola' originally referred more to a guild rather than school). The school consisted of monks, secular clergy, and boys.^[3] Wells Cathedral School, England founded as a Cathedral School in 909 a.d. to educate choristers, continues today to educate choristers and teaches instrumentalists. However the school appears to have been refounded at least once.^[4]

Saint Martial school, 10th to 12th century, was an important school of composition at the Abbey of Saint Martial, Limoges. It is known for the composition of tropes, sequences, and early organum. In this respect, it was an important precursor to the Notre Dame School.^[5] It was the Notre Dame school (late 12th and early 13th century) which was the earliest repertory of polyphonic (multipart) music to gain international prestige and circulation. The school was a group of composers and singers working under the patronage of the great Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris.^[6]

The term Conservatory derives from Renaissance (16th century) Italy where orphanages were attached to hospitals. The Orphans (conservati) were given a musical education and the term gradually applied to music schools.^[7] The Conservatories have been the first secular institutions equipped for practical training in music. By the 18th century, Italian conservatories were already playing a major role in the training of artists and composers.^[8]

The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (English: National Academy of St Cecilia) is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, based in Italy. It is based at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, and was founded by the papal bull, Ratione congruit, issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western musical history: Gregory the Great, for whom the Gregorian chant is named, and Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. It was founded as a "congregation" or "confraternity" – a religious guild, so to speak – and over the centuries, has grown from a forum for local musicians and composers to an internationally acclaimed academy active in music scholarship (with 100 prominent music scholars forming the body of the Accademia) to music education (in its role as a conservatory) to performance (with an active choir and symphony orchestra).

It is in the city of Naples where the term “conservatorio” was strictly associated with a secular place for teaching and learning specializing in music education. In Naples, there were four conservatoires already active in the 17th and 18th century: "I poveri di Gesù Cristo", founded in 1599 by Marcello Fossataro and already including in their official record a “magister musicae” and “magister lyrae” in 1633 ; "Santa Maria di Loreto" where the composer Giovan Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736) studied; "La pietà dei turchini" was founded in 1583 and the earliest findings suggest musical activity around the year 1615; "Sant'Onofrio a porta Capuana", where the composer Giovanni Paisiello (1740–1816) studied and then thought, started teaching music in the mid-1600 and in the following decades will give more priority to the “opera buffa”; plus one only for girls called "dell'Annunziata"^[9] It is in these very institutions that the so called Scuola Musicale Napoletana was developed thanks to the work of musicians and educators like Alessandro Scarlatti (1660–1725) and Francesco Durante (1684–1755), who was also Pergolesi’s and Paisiello’s teacher.

It was the example set in Naples, where admission was by competitive examination and tuition was free, that was then copied, with modifications, in many European cities, including Paris (1795), Bologna (1804), Milan (1807), Florence and Prague (1811), Warsaw and Vienna (1821), London (1822), the Hague (1826), and Liege (1827). The second half of the 19th century saw the network expanding to the Americas, Rio de Janeiro (1847), Boston (1853), Baltimore and Chicago (1868), Havana (1885), and Buenos Aires (1893). Establishments for advanced training in music were organized in the 1940s in several Asian and African countries, including Iraq, Lebanon, and Kenya.^[8]

To this extent, projects like El Sistema are more in line with the tradition set in Italy (where tuition at conservatoires are still free) than English speaking country where there is a tendency to charge students with very little access to bursaries (see the Royal Academy of Music or the Royal College of Music in the UK).

Primary and secondary education[link]

Specialist music schools[link]

Musikgymnasium Schloss Belvedere is a specialist music school in Germany

Specialist music schools exist in many countries and whose purpose is to identify, and assist, children with exceptional potential, to benefit from world-class specialist training as part of a broad and balanced education, which will enable them, if they choose, to proceed towards self-sustaining careers in music.^[10] These schools may be formally^[11] or informally attached to a Conservatory. Entry is typically between the ages of ages 8 and 18 and admission is through competitive audition. Schools may be public or independent, where schools are independent pupils may be in receipt of governmental^[12] or private scholorships. Typically as students progress through the school the time spent on music increases and on academic subjects decrease. These schools usually wholly comprise of instrumentalists but may also include choristers. Some schools (like conservatories) are broader and may cover the performing arts; music, drama, dance.^[13]

Music schools within schools[link]

Many music schools are located within existing schools. The pattern is quite diverse and may include;

Specialist music units (Scotland) where students are drawn from an area wider than the host schools catchment. Students will receive specialist music tuition within the music school but are fully integrated within the host school for other lessons. Entry to the specialist music unit or school is by competitive audition, which also effectively gives entry to the host school.^[14]

Many public or independent schools contain music departments, some of which achieve high standards. These are sometimes referred to as Music schools. Music Colleges in England are schools that get additional private and governmental money to specialise in music. Entry is to the host school and musical ability is not a criteria.^[15] Schools which perform highly may specialise in an additional area for example sports or technology.

300 children attend the Royal College of Music's Junior Department

Pre-college divisions[link]

Many Conservatoires or other tertiary level institutions have pre-college divisions or junior departments for children of school age.^[16] Typically the curriculum may includes individual lesson(s), orchestra, chamber music, theory, musicianship, composition and music technology. Classes are usually held on a Saturday and children attend normal schools during the week.

Music schools outwith the general education system[link]

Non-governmental^[17] or Private Schools^[18] of Music offers music education outside the general education system for students aged 4 to 20 + years. In general, students attend these schools, weekend or evening. These schools are typically provided by individuals, charitable or commercial organizations.

Tertiary education[link]

Conservatoire[link]

The Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP). Georges Bizet and Claude Debussy studied at the 'Conservatoire de Paris'

Jacobs School of Music, is part of Indiana University and has more than 1,600 students

A conservatoire of music may also be called a conservatory, conservatorium, academy or college. Some schools or conservatories are exclusively focused on music.^[19] Others have a wider focus, for example covering music, drama and dance.^[20] Conservatoires are suitable for students who wish to develop their performance, conducting, or composition to a professional standard. Typically, they offer a high percentage of practical training combined with academic study and professional development for those considering a career in the creative arts. Individual teaching is the strength of most components.

Students have the opportunity to perform, conduct or have their music played on a regular basis, both informally and in public. This may be solo or as part of an orchestra, ensemble or band. Typically, conservatoires focus on Western classical music. However, some schools focus on traditional instruments for example Chinese instruments.^[21] Others may have departments for traditional music which includes both traditional and classical instruments for example bagpipes alongside the fiddle.^[22] Alternatively, students can focus on jazz, world music or pop music.^[23]

The time required to complete music degrees is generally not much different from degrees in other fields, i.e. 3–4 years for a Bachelor of Music degree, 1–2 years for a Master of Music degree, and 3–5 years for a Doctor of Musical Arts or Doctor of Music Degree. A PhD degree can be gained for areas such as musicology, music theory, music composition, or music education. Some schools may offer a non-academic degree that is solely performance based, such as the (United States) A.D. or Artist Diploma; this may be offered at the undergraduate and/or graduate level.

University schools of music[link]

University music departments, originally placed more emphasis on academic study of music, rather than performance. However, today, the division may not be so rigid with many often placing greater emphasis on performance now than they did in the past. The specific balance of vocational training and academic study varyies from one institution to another, and from one country to another Some countries separately define their institutions between university status and vocational university status, whilst other countries do not define such a rigid division. In addition to offering degrees similar to those offered at Conservatoires, some universities offer non-professional music-related degrees such as a Bachelor of Arts in Music or a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education. A number of previously independent Conservatoires have become affiliated to Universities ^[24]

See also[link]

St Mary's Music School, Edinburgh, has 70 instrumentalists and choristors aged 9–18

Country specific pages

• Music schools in India
• Music schools in Germany
• Music schools in Scotland
• Music schools in Serbia
• Music schools in the United States

Lists

• List of colleges and university schools of music
• List of pre-college music schools

National and International Organisations

• Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music
• Conservatoires UK
• European Association of Conservatoires
• (United States) National Association of Schools of Music

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Music schools

1. ^ The origins of music Nils Lennart Wallin, Steven Brown, Björn Merker ISBN 0-262-73143-6 retrieved 9 November 2010
2. ^ Lee Krähenbühl: A Theatre Before the World: Performance History at the Intersection of Hebrew, Greek, and Roman Religious Processional retrieved 9 November 2010
3. ^ Original Catholic Encyclopedia: Sistine Choir retrieved 9 November 2010
4. ^ Wells Cathedral School retrieved 9 November 2010
5. ^ Harvard Dictionary of Music: St Martial school retrieved 9 November 2010
6. ^ Britannica Encyclopedia: Notre-Dame school retrieved 9 November 2010
7. ^ Britannica Encyclopedia Retrieved 16 November 2010
8. ^ ^{a b} The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979)
9. ^ A. Della Corte, G. M. Gatti, Dizionario di musica, Paravia, 1956.
10. ^ Chethams Music School retrieved 14 November 2010
11. ^ Sächsisches Landesgymnasium für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber retrieved 14 November 2010
12. ^ English Aided Pupil Scheme retrieved 14 November 2010
13. ^ Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts retrieved 14 November 2010
14. ^ Sgoil Chiùil na Gàidhealtachd retrieved 14 November 2010
15. ^ Guildford County School retrieved 14 November 2010
16. ^ Manhattan School of Music Pre-college Division retrieved 14 November 2010
17. ^ Musik Fröhlich retrieved 14 November 2010
18. ^ Yamaha Music Schools retrieved 14 November 2010
19. ^ Royal Academy of Music retrieved 9 November 2010
20. ^ Juilliard retrieved 9 November 2010
21. ^ China Conservatory retrieved 14 November 2010
22. ^ Royal Scottish Academy for Music and Drama retrieved 9 November 2010
23. ^ Conservatorium van Amsterdam retrieved 14 November 2010
24. ^ Peabody Institute Retrieved 15 November 2010

Robert Glasper
Photo by Ed Newman
Background information
Born	(1978-04-05) April 5, 1978 (age 34)
Origin	Houston, Texas, United States
Genres	Jazz, hip hop, soul
Occupations	Musician, Producer
Instruments	Piano
Years active	2003 - present
Labels	Blue Note Records
Associated acts	Bilal, Mos Def, Q-Tip, RCDC J Dilla, Erykah Badu, Common Talib Kweli, Maxwell Meshell Ndegeocello Lalah Hathaway Musiq Soulchild Stokley Williams Hindi Zahra

Robert Glasper (born April 5, 1978 in Houston, Texas) is an American jazz pianist and record producer.

Career[link]

Glasper’s earliest musical influence was his mother, Kim Yvette Glasper, who sang jazz and blues professionally. She would bring him with her to club dates rather than leave her son with babysitters. She also performed in church where the young Glasper began playing piano, and performed during services at three separate churches: Baptist, Catholic and Seventh-day Adventist. Glasper has said that he first developed his sound in church, where he learned his own way to hear harmony, and was inspired to mix church and gospel harmonies with jazz harmonies.

Glasper attended Elkins High School in Houston, TX and the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and went on to attend the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City. At the New School, Glasper met neo-soul singer Bilal Oliver. They began performing and recording together, which led to associations with a variety of hip-hop and R&B artists parallel to Glasper’s emerging jazz career. He has worked with Bilal and Mos Def as musical director, Q-Tip (The Renaissance), Kanye West (Late Registration), Meshell Ndegeocello (The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams), J Dilla, Erykah Badu, Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Common, Slum Village and Maxwell, with whom he toured extensively on 2009’s BLACKsummers'night tour.

Glasper’s first album, Mood, was released by Fresh Sound New Talent in 2004, after the pianist’s stints playing in bands with guitarists Russell Malone and Mark Whitfield, bassist Christian McBride, and trumpeters Terence Blanchard (Bounce) and Roy Hargrove. The album features six original compositions by Glasper alongside versions of “Blue Skies,” “Alone Together,” and Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage,” featuring guest vocalist Bilal. Glasper has said that his arrangement of the Hancock tune was inspired by the Radiohead song “Everything in Its Right Place.”

Blue Note Records released Canvas, Glasper’s major-label debut, in 2005. The album features nine original songs and a version of Hancock’s “Riot.” Glasper plays the Fender Rhodes on three tracks, and Bilal sings on two. In My Element, released in 2006, includes songs written in honor of Glasper’s mother (“Tribute”) and hip-hop producer J Dilla (“J Dillalude”). The pianist also revisits Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage,” which segues into a version of “Everything in Its Right Place,” and quotes Duke Ellington’s “Fleurette Africaine.”

Glasper's 2009 album Double-Booked is divided between songs performed by Glasper in an acoustic piano trio and funk-influenced tracks played on electric instruments, such as the Fender Rhodes electric piano and the vocoder (used on a version of Herbie Hancock’s “Butterfly”). The album features voice mail recordings from Blanchard and Roots drummer Questlove, and guest vocals and spoken word appearances by Bilal and Mos Def. Bilal received a 2010 Grammy Award nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track “All Matter.”

Glasper has performed at jazz festivals throughout the world, and his trio performed at the 2007 Bonnaroo Music Festival as part of Blue Note's "Somethin' Else" jazz tent. In addition to his working trio (Chris Dave, drums; Vicente Archer, bass), he also leads the Robert Glasper Experiment (Derrick Hodge, Chris Dave, and Casey Benjamin), in which he explores fusions of jazz and hip hop.

In 2012, Glasper released "Black Radio", which featured performances by many neo-soul and hip hop artists including Lupe Fiasco. This synthesis of hip hop and jazz is supposedly Glasper's attempt to correct what he sees as a lack of new energy in the jazz genre. In the April, 2012 issue of Downbeat, Glasper stated that "I've gotten bored with jazz to the point where I wouldn't mind something bad happening. Slapping hurts, but at some point it'll wake you up. I feel like jazz needs a big-ass slap." Glasper is currently represented by Addeo Music International (AMI).

Musical Style[link]

Glasper's music can be described as "experiments with space, rhythm and chord textures", creating a vast array of sound. He has said that he tries to make the music flow in a way more like a hip-hop beat, trying to always leave the music open for someone to rap over.

Discography[link]

• Mood (2003)
• Canvas (2005)
• In My Element (2007)
• Double-Booked (2009)
• Black Radio (2012)^[1] #15 US 200, #4 US R&B, #1 US Jazz, #81 UK, #59 CAN

References[link]

• Robert Glasper: The pianist whose jazz is filled with soul, Telegraph
• Robert Glasper Video Interview, The Jazz Line
• In Conversaton with Robert Glasper, Jazz.com
• Charlie Parker Jazz Festival: Cool Jazz in Harlem, New York The Sun
• Review of Canvas, The Guardian
• Robert Glasper, Jazz Times
• In My Element by Robert Glasper, New York Magazine
• Review of Robert Glasper's Canvas, allaboutjazzcom

External links[link]

• Official home page
• Artist's page at Blue Note Records
• Robert Glasper Facebook fan page
• Robert Glasper performs at NPR Music
• Obnoxious Listeners: Robert Glasper Trio
• Progressing Under the Radar with Precision and Daring, New York Times

Jojo Mayer
Background information
Birth name	Serge Mayer [1]
Born	(1963-01-18) 18 January 1963 (age 49) Zurich, Switzerland
Genres	Drum and bass, jazz, jungle, fusion
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Drums
Years active	1981–present
Associated acts	Nerve, Screaming Headless Torsos, Intergalactic Maiden Ballet, John Medeski, Meshell Ndegeocello, Dizzy Gillespie, Nina Simone
Website	www.jojomayer.com
Notable instruments
Sonor Drum kit, Sabian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Vic Firth Drumsticks

Jojo Mayer (born 18 January 1963) is a highly acclaimed Swiss drummer born in Zurich and currently residing in New York City.

Mayer is the son of a touring musician and began his career as a drummer at an early age, receiving his first drum set at the age of two. Having taught himself throughout his childhood, he broke out into the professional music scene at the age of 18, joining the Monty Alexander group. Touring with the group launched him into the major jazz music scene, and he has played at the North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreux, Nice, and Athens etc., which culminated with his gigging with jazz-greats such as Dizzy Gillespie and Nina Simone. Eventually, after playing with a great variety of artists, Mayer moved away from jazz and into Drum 'n' Bass.^[2]

Jojo Mayer is known for bringing together jazz, drum and bass, jungle, and other influences. He is also famous for his ability to play the rhythms of programmed jungle drum 'n' bass music on acoustic drums, terming this technique "reverse engineering", a phrase borrowed from computing.^[2] He executes this approach using various methods such as the heel-toe bass drum technique, the Moeller stroke, and the "pull-out" or "push-pull" accent which takes the beat on the rebound. Using these techniques, he can play beats at astonishing speeds. A few of his main influences are Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette and Buddy Rich.

He is the leader of live electronica trio Nerve, which he founded in 1997.

He played with the guitarist David Fiuczynski in the avant-garde pop rock band Screaming Headless Torsos and in the fusion jazz band, Intergalactic Maiden Ballet.

He ran the popular Prohibited Beatz live electronica party in NYC from 1996-2001.

Discography[link]

With Intergalactic Maiden Ballet:

• 1992 - Square Dance
• 1994 - Gulf

With John Medeski:

• 1994 - Lunar Crush

With Screaming Headless Torsos:

• 1995 - Screaming Headless Torsos

With Harry Sokal:

• 1996 - Rave the Jazz! :live:

Sulfur:

• 1998 - Delirium Tremens

With Janek Gwizdala:

• 2004 - Mystery To Me - Live in New York
• 2010 - The Space In Between
• 2011 - Live at the Jamboree June 17th 2011 1st set
• 2011 - Live at the Jamboree June 17th 2011 2nd set
• 2011 - Live at the Jamboree June 18th 2011 1st set
• 2011 - Live at the Jamboree June 18th 2011 2nd set

With Depart

• 2006 - Reloaded
• 2008 - Mountain Messenger

Jojo Mayer & Nerve:

• 2007 - Prohibited Beats
• 2010 - EP1
• 2010 - EP2
• 2011 - EP3
• 2011 - The Distance Between Zero And One

Media[link]

He was featured as the cover story of the January 2008 issue of Modern Drummer magazine. His DVD, Secret Weapons for the Modern Drummer, is a bestseller worldwide.

Jojo Mayer was interviewed by DrummerConnection.com - May 2010 - Jojo Mayer Interview by DrummerConnection.com

Jojo Mayer was interviewed by Linus Wyrsch on "The Jazz Hole" for breakthruradio.com in July 2010 - Jojo Mayer Interview by breakthruradio.com

Gear[link]

Mayer is a long-time Sonor endorser who also uses Sabian cymbals and Vic Firth sticks. He helped Sonor design the Jungle kit and snare. He has also collaborated with Sabian to create two lines of cymbals, the Vault "Fierce" series, and the AAX "Omni" series. His Vault Fierce cymbals feature a raw, unlathed finish, and extensive hand hammering, while the Omnis are designed to function as both rides and crashes. Mayer usually uses birch Sonor drums in the following sizes:

14" and 13" Snare Drum

10" Tom Tom

14" Floor Tom

8" Tom to the right of the Floor Tom

20" or 18" Bass Drum

Sizes may vary primarily based on local drum availability.

For drumheads (all Evans):

14" Hybrid Coated

14" Hazy 300

12" G Plus Clear

12" G Plus Coated

12" Hydraulic Black

12" Hydraulic Glass

For cymbals, he's recently been using (all Sabian):

22" AAX Omni

18" Fierce Crash

18" AAX Omni

13" El Sabor Splash

13" HHX Evolution Top Hi Hat over 14" HHX Evolution Mini-China

10" Fierce Hi Hats

13" Fierce Hi Hats

10" Chopper

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jojo Mayer’s homepage
• Jojo Mayer's Nerve Info at Basitours
• Myspace Page
• JoJo Mayer Interview by DrummerConnection.com - 5 May 2010