September 28, 2006

Berklee student and Roxbury resident Rick Aggeler has founded a music program at the Blue Hill George Robert White Youth Center in Dorchester, MA, a first for the club. Drummer Aggeler and co-founder Paul Vitolins, a Berklee alumnus, started the program to give kids an opportunity they might not otherwise have to learn to play an instrument, and also gain skills in recording, engineering, and the use of production software. Only months old, the program already has more applicants than seats in its classroom.

The program had its beginnings in the spring of 2006 after Vitolins, who had recently graduated with a degree in Film Scoring and Music Production and Engineering, was brought in by the club's director to work as a technology specialist. Aggeler soon started volunteering with his friend, and when the two noticed that the club had some musical instruments that weren't being used, they began teaching the kids casually. The response was very positive and it soon occurred to them that the club should have a real music program. It quickly became so popular that they had to turn away kids due to lack of funding and manpower.

In the summer, Aggeler and Vitolins expanded the music program to a six-week after-camp course accommodating 20 students - out of 40 that had applied - primarily ages 6 to 12. Considering that most of the kids had little or no experience playing an instrument, the students were asked to write a half-page paper about why they wanted to be in the program. Aggeler and Vitolins used the papers to find out more about the kids. Says Aggeler, "Some kids wrote more than a half-page [with themes like], 'I want to be able to learn music to express myself.' If they have a hard time at home, they want to have something fun in their lives. We had twins that we took in, and they were amazing. By the end of the program they could solo on afro-Cuban percussion."

Press: to inquire about photo availability and usage, please e-mail us. Rick Aggeler Photo by Paul Vitolins

Currently Aggeler and Vitolins are teaching at the club part-time, in anticipation of the program becoming fully operational in early October. The founders are modeling the Blue Hill George Robert White Youth Center Music Program after Berklee. The students learn harmony, ear training, and ensemble playing, and will perform in a year-end concert to showcase what they have learned. The program has also been able to include music production in the curriculum, thanks to a $5,000 grant enabling them to fully equip a recording studio with a G5 Mac computer, 8-track mixing board, microphones, and recording software programs Pro Tools and Reason 3.0. Aggeler is planning field trips to Berklee as well, so the students can attend clinics and concerts.

The program is still seeking additional grants and other funding. Toward that end, Aggeler has written a business plan that he was able to use as his final project for Associate Professor Kevin McCluskey's Entrepreneurship class. Aggeler sees the program expanding quickly and hopes to serve 50 students this year, with an eye on someday getting the best students admitted into Berklee's City Music Program – a scholarship and mentoring initiative that gives underserved inner-city teens access to free music education. Says Aggeler, "If we can take one of these kids from not having much, to having the possibility of going to Berklee, that's the dream."

Related Links

• Student Plays It Forward (Boston Globe, October 23, 2006)
  
• Student Shares his Time and Music Talent (Eureka Reporter, November 6, 2006)

For editorial information or digital photos, the media may contact:

Margot Edwards
Office of Public Information
(617) 747-2004
medwards@berklee.edu