On the Road Again

One of the best ways to introduce music students to the Berklee teaching methodology is to bring the classroom to them. This was the concept envisioned by Gary Burton and Larry Monroe in the Berklee on the Road education series, which is offered in various locations. Early on, the programs were based primarily on teaching the craft of performance. In recent years, though, Berklee has adapted these programs to suit a broader range of musical interests, including songwriting and stage performance, improvisation and music production.

In August, we produced two new programs in Los Angeles with the help of Chief of Staff Carl Beatty, director of the Berklee Center LA Peter Gordon, and alumni Tina Morris ’97 at the Village Studios and Tom Whaley ’87 at Santa Monica High School. The first of the “It’s All in the Song” programs focused on the craft of songwriting, stage performance and production. The second was for songwriters and producers. Both featured stellar faculty members, including Berklee professors Nancy Morris and Michael Farquharson, Berklee Online instructor Mark Cross, Makeba Riddick ’99 and Dawaun Parker ’05 (both are songwriters and producers), and Professor Livingston Taylor.

In 2014 we will build the Berklee on the Road brand with new programs in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, and return for a second year to São Paulo, Brazil. For information about these programs, visit www.berklee.edu/berkleeontheroad.