14 Full Scholarships Awarded at Berklee City Music Concert

It was a life-changing night for 14 talented youth, who could not afford to come to Berklee on their own.

August 12, 2010

14 young musicians from urban Boston neighborhoods and Berklee City Music Network sites around the country accepted full scholarships to attend Berklee starting this fall at an emotional presentation at the Berklee Performance Center on Tuesday, August 10. 

The Berklee City Music Continuing Scholarships were handed out at the 17th annual Berklee City Music Scholarship Concert by Berklee president Roger H. Brown; J. Curtis Warner, associate vice president for education outreach/executive director of Berklee City Music; Krystal Banfield, director of City Music Boston; and Lynette Gittens, associate director of City Music.

The students all participated in Berklee City Music—a scholarship, tutorial, and mentoring program that grants teens from Greater Boston and other urban areas across the country access to music education at no cost to them or their families. If all 14 students complete four years of study at the college, the collective value of the scholarships awarded will be $2 million.

The 14 recipients were among 82 teens who were enrolled in Berklee's Five-Week Summer Performance Program on City Music Summer Scholarships, another scholarship component of City Music.  

City Music Boston Recipients of 2010 Berklee City Music Continuing Scholarships

  • Juliana Davis, 18, vocalist, Lynn, MA
  • Lauren Fuller, 17, pianist and vocalist, Framingham, MA
  • Matthew Hull, 18, trumpet, Boston, MA
  • Terrell James, 18, vocalist, Chelsea, MA
  • Bianelys Javier, 19, vocalist, Lawrence, MA
  • Alexander Macrides, 17, saxophonist and drummer, Roslindale, MA
  • Franchesca Phillip, 19, vocalist, Roxbury, MA
  • Kadeem Roberts, 19, guitarist, Roxbury, MA
  • Joseph Santiago, 19, guitarist, Revere, MA

City Music Network Recipients of 2010 Berklee City Music Continuing Scholarships

  • Tasmine Ballentine, 18, vocalist, Memphis, TN
  • Brielle Blount, 17, drummer, Valley Village, CA
  • Austin DeVries, 18, drummer, Edmonds, WA
  • Reginald Mitchell, 18, bassist, Memphis, TN
  • Laura Padilla, 19, vocalist, Long Beach, CA

Under the direction of Krystal Banfield, Berklee City Music has provided educational and mentoring opportunities to underserved teens from Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Dorchester, Chelsea, Lynn, and other urban areas since its inception since 1991. Berklee's City Music Network—launched in 2001—has expanded to include partnerships with community organizations nationwide that actively share the goal of changing teenage lives with contemporary music education. In September, 27 national network sites will be operational in addition to the sites in Greater Boston.