Ensembles
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Herman Hampton, Associate Professor
DEPARTMENT : Ensemble Department"I've learned so much since I finished school and college. Though they both supplied the tools of learning, the real teacher was life itself. That shapes how I teach my ensembles at Berklee."
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Neal Itzler, Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT : Ensemble Department- B.M., Berklee College of Music
- Full-time performer in metropolitan Boston and New York City areas
- Appearances with Phil Collins, the Drifters, Noel Redding, Neil Sedaka, Najee, Roy Hargrove, Antonio Hart, and Layla Hathaway
- Recently released After Hours, a CD with band Myanna
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Larry Watson, Professor
DEPARTMENT : Ensemble Department"As a veteran performer, I am able to simulate for students what is expected of them as professional musicians. My success, and the success of those I have taught, is based more on strong organizational skills, effective conflict resolution skills, and prudence and intelligence about the manner in which you display your musical and creative talents."
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Bruce Nifong, Professor
DEPARTMENT : Ensemble Department"Every student has this gift within them, but they may have difficulty expressing their gift. So, starting with the idea that students need help finding that mode of expression, we help them connect with teachers who really have a passion for helping the students find their inner voice."
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Dave Samuels, Associate Professor
DEPARTMENT : Ensemble Department"My teaching style is based on the needs of the students. It covers more than just the obvious. In private instruction, I'm not just talking about how to play vibes or marimba. I'm talking about how to compose and improvise and express feelings through the music. A musician who doesn't know how to write and arrange doesn't have the scope of a musician who does have those attributes."
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Ron Savage, Chair
DEPARTMENT : Ensemble Department"To prepare for the current music scene, where boundaries are constantly being crossed and new music created, it is important that we expose our students to as many different musical perspectives as possible. That's why the Ensemble Department is so stylistically diverse."
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Ken Zambello, Professor
DEPARTMENT : Ensemble Department"In our ensembles, I have two hours to work with students, then meet with them again one week later. One of the things I've tried to stress with them is, 'Are we retaining what we learned last week, and improving upon it, or are we relearning it?' In the real world, somebody may give you something to learn in a day. So I work on being able to learn things fast, retain them, and present them in a professional manner in any performance situation."
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Mark Kohler, Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT : Ensemble Department"I build my classes on a foundation of mutual trust and respect, a space where fear is kept at bay and every student is expected to work hard, take chances, and make mistakes and then grow from them—but most importantly, to explore and discover, or rediscover, for themselves that unique voice. Because it takes high standards, discipline, and hard work to have a successful music career, these elements are integral to all of my classes. Watching students grow in this discover-trust-develop continuum is a constant wellspring of inspiration for me. Being a catalyst in the process is one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching."
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"Music lifts me up. It is emotionally based. It helps people be healthy in their emotional well-being. As a player, it's how I express everything that I'm feeling. It is the voice that I speak from. I know how to create textures and colors with it."
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Sean K. Skeete, Assistant Chair
DEPARTMENT : Ensemble Department"I've been mentoring with City Music since I started teaching here, five years ago. It really just lines up with my life philosophy, which is engaging and inspiring the next generation. Whether or not I'm doing it at Berklee I'm doing it somewhere, because it's part of the way I was raised. I was one of those City Music students at one point, involved in the five-week program. Now I go back and help out the students that are coming behind me and help the program to expand and grow."
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