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	Five-Week Summer Performance Program • Application • Introduction • Performance Opportunities • Program Information

At the Five-Week Summer Performance Program, you will be immersed in all aspects of performance. Your classes, workshops, and rehearsals will focus on this important side of your musicianship. You will play in ensembles, develop improvisational and reading skills, improve your technique in weekly private lessons, and enjoy lectures/demonstrations by well-known faculty and visiting artists.

The Five-Week Summer Performance Program emphasizes the mastery of playing or singing skills in your chosen style of contemporary music: jazz, pop/rock, funk/fusion, or pop/r&b. You will learn through your individual studies and through your work with other musicians of similar training and ability. Whether you are an experienced performer or someone who has never been in front of an audience, you can improve your performance skills by attending the Five-Week Summer Performance Program. The focus is on you and what you want to say with your music, in an environment that is pure performance.

You can choose one of the following tracks:

Jazz — Study and perform a variety of jazz instrumental and vocal styles. The repertoire focuses on jazz standards, blues, and modal jazz compositions by a wide range of important jazz artists including  John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Parker, Joshua Redman, Sarah Vaughan, and others.

Pop/Rock — Study and perform a wide range of popular and rock music styles including alternative rock, blues, rock 'n' roll, and more. The repertoire focuses on the music of important performers including Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, U2, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and more.

Funk/Fusion (Instrumentalists only) — Study and perform many instrumental music styles including funk, fusion, world beat, and more. The repertoire is drawn from the music of important performers and groups such as the Chick Corea Elektric Band, Herbie Hancock, Medeski, Martin & Wood, the Pat Metheny Group, John Scofield, Joe Zawinul, and others.

Pop/R&B (Vocalists only) — Study and perform a wide range of popular vocal music styles including hip-hop, rhythm and blues, soul, and Motown. The repertoire is drawn from the music of important performers such as Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, and others.

In all styles, ensemble performance will be driven by the specific interests of the students involved.

Your education, provided by Berklee's talented and experienced faculty members, will include:

Private Instruction — A half-hour lesson each week on your principal instrument.

Instrumental Labs — Three hours each week in instrument-specific courses to develop instrumental craft, style, and technique.

Ensembles — Two hours each week, including instrumental and vocal groups playing jazz, pop/rock, funk/fusion, pop/r&b, and other contemporary styles.

Musicianship — Four hours per week to develop your musical ear and your performance and reading skills.

Theory in Performance — Four hours per week studying the rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic elements of music as they relate to playing your instrument or singing.

Performance Perspectives — Performances/discussions held two hours per week to expose you to valuable career insight from some of the finest performers and songwriters in the music industry. Notable artists who have recently visited the Five-Week Summer Performance Program include John Blackwell, Larry Carlton, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ron Carter, Larry Coryell, Richie Havens, Patty Larkin, Christian McBride, Lewis Nash, Patrice Rushen, John Scofield, T.M. Stevens, Susan Tedeschi, and many more.

Final Week Concerts — Scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 10 and conclude at 6:00 p.m. on August 15. More than 200 student ensembles, each led by one of Berklee's faculty members, perform in concerts held during the final Blowout Week. Every student performs during the final week. Students will know where and when they will be performing by the second week of the program. All of these concerts are open to the public. We strongly encourage family and friends to attend.

Blowout Concerts — This evening concert series will showcase selected ensembles featuring many of the program's best instrumentalists and vocalists, in the 1,220-seat, world-class Berklee Performance Center. This year's concerts are scheduled for the evenings of August 11, 12, and 13.

Visiting Artists — Lecture/demonstrations by performers, songwriters, film composers, music business experts, and music professionals from every sector of the industry. Notable artists who have recently visited Berklee include Jane Ira Bloom, George Duke, Will Kennedy, Dave Liebman, Bob Mintzer, and Noel Redding. Visiting artist clinics are open to all students. The visiting artists will be announced at the start of the program.

Electives — You will be asked to choose one of the following two-hour lecture classes:

Composition and Arranging — This seminar will introduce you to composing and arranging techniques that are commonly used to score music for motion pictures, television, and advertising (jingles and music spots for radio and television). Topics include the process of creating and harmonizing melodies, orchestration of ideas, song and arrangement form, and music analysis. Great Performers — A discussion of influential performers in the jazz and rock idioms, augmented by audio and video recordings. Music Business: This course will provide an introduction to the music business. Students will gain an understanding of how their creative works are protected by U.S. copyright law and promoted by publishers, the contractual relationship between artists and record labels, tour promotion and planning, and artist management. Music Synthesis: A class on the operation of, and differences between, synthesizers. Basic programming techniques, use of synthesizers in today's industry, use of MIDI, sampling, etc., will be discussed. Songwriting: Topics discussed will include song forms, lyric writing, publishing agreements, recording contracts, analysis of styles, and how to get your songs recorded. Recordings and videos are presented for class discussion. Survey of Recording Styles: An introduction to studio equipment, technical aspects of recording (logarithms, decibels, etc.), and various studio procedures.

Classes generally take place between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Other activities follow in the evening. All participants will be given an individual student schedule during the first week of the program.

Tuition and Fee Information

Tuition information, along with Payment Information, may be found on the Program Information page.