Dean Anderson, Professor

"Music is a reflection of all cultures. Berklee is a place for those cultures to coexist, mix, and blend together. Therefore, it was imperative for me, as chair of the Percussion Department, to organize a multicultural faculty, a stylistically diverse music curriculum, and an environment where all these elements could function in a positive atmosphere."

"I believe the diversity that we have in our department is the element that actually holds it together. The Percussion Department faculty have great respect for each other and recognize each other's strengths. We all literally 'feed' off of each other."

"As chair, I wanted to create the world's best educational opportunity for any type of percussionist by providing a talented and diverse faculty, curriculum, and state-of-the-art percussion facilities. Berklee-trained percussionists will have a far greater advantage over the competition in terms of performance opportunities, knowledge of many more styles, techniques, and technologies. Berklee percussionists have access to up to 40 different percussion faculty, whereas most other colleges have only one or two percussion faculty."

"In addition, Berklee grads will have more opportunity to enter the music profession because of the college's far-ranging reputation and resources that enable our students to get a foothold in the 'real' world."

My own real-world musical experiences are utilized every time that I teach. I can easily relate to most any musical, technical, logistical, or political situation in the music business."