Faculty Biography
Stephen Wark
Title: Assistant Professor *
Department: Harmony
"My best experience ever in school was being a student here at Berklee, so I try to take that sense of excitement and instill it in my own students. I remember how I felt going to classes if I really liked the course and the teacher. I like connecting with students, seeing their success, and having them show up. I take attendance seriously.
"Harmony and Ear Training are two of the most profound and fundamental courses in the school. Most everything branches off from those. I hope that by establishing students in different levels of harmony that we've built a foundation for them that will make them successful in anything they want to do in life.
"I approach teaching as not only teaching the students the material but also at the same time feeling that I have to entertain them. In my professional work I do a lot of stand-up vocalizing and gigging, and approach teaching almost as though I'm gigging and trying to reach the people in the audience. I bring a sense of humor in. I also like to connect with the students about how I use this personally in my own writing and in my own gigs. That may mean playing through eight bars of a tune, playing on the piano.
"We use material such as Cole Porter and the Beatles, stuff that will never be wiped off the slates. You'll be hearing this music forever. It's still contemporary compared to traditional forms. That's why Berklee is different. While a lot of schools are still based in traditional music and learning about the classical approach, we take a more modern approach. We're teaching the art of contemporary music."
- B.M., Berklee College of Music
- Experienced private instructor
- Active drummer and vocalist with bands in the Boston area
- Percussion studies with Fred Buda and Alan Dawson
- Arranging and composition studies with Ted Pease, John Bavicchi, and Bill Maloof
- Featured vocalist with the White Heat Swirl Orchestra
- Former instructor in Massachusetts public schools
Top Five Most Influential Vocalists
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Mel Tormé
Unbelievably perfect floating tenor sound and quality: intonation, pitch, and vibrato! It sounds so easy when Mel sings it: the flow! Also, he one of the truly great scat singers ever to hit the scene—a complete musician who wrote many arrangements and songs, and played drums, as well!
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Tony Bennett
Another of my dad's favorites I heard growing up. He sings a ballad perhaps more powerfully and expressively than anyone: "Once Upon a Time," "For Once in My Life," "Who Can I Turn To?" And he can swing too!
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Nat King Cole
The richest, purest, most beautiful voice of all to me! A great jazz pianist as well. I heard more of him growing up than any other (was my dad's favorite). Left us far too soon!
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Ella Fitzgerald
The true "Lady of Swing"! Much the same attributes as Frank and greatest scat vocalist perhaps ever!
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Frank Sinatra
Truly the "Chairman of the Board!" Sang every tune ever written out of the Great American Songbook. Great phrasing, perfect intonation and interpretation.
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