Berklee's Helping Hands

The U.S. Department of Education recently named Berklee the recipient of a grant of $173,449 through its Plugged In: The Technology Tool for Music Education project. This capacity building grant will help Berklee develop a comprehensive, technology-based teacher preparation initiative this fall and devise strategies that prepare future teachers in the effective use of technology to enhance learning.

Berklee will use the funds to revamp its music education curriculum to fully integrate technology into the learning process, utilize technology in practice teaching, and work with the Boston Arts Academy to implement target programs. Second-stage funding, which Berklee will seek in March 2000, will provide resources for implementation.

Marjorie O'Malley, assistant vice president for institutional advancement, observed, "This grant will enable Berklee to have a real and positive impact. Our music education graduates will leave the college with the technical proficiency to change the way their students can embrace music through the use of technology. It is an exciting opportunity for all involved."

Oliver A.D. Wagmann Scholarship Fund

The Car-Freshner^© Corporation made a gift in the amount of $100,000 to establish the Oliver A.D. Wagmann Scholarship Fund in honor of Oliver Wagmann, a 24-year-old who never got to fulfill his dream of studying at Berklee due to a fatal accident on his way home from a vacation in the Caribbean.

Wagmann was born in Switzerland into a musical family. Wagmann began with classical violin and piano studies but later developed a taste for contemporary music. He started playing guitar and percussion instruments and wrote songs for a band in Zurich.

While his education had been oriented toward a business career, his heart was in music. Shortly before his death, he had applied to Berklee. His dream was to combine his business education and musical knowledge and publish his own music. This scholarship is meant to help others achieve the goals Wagmann hoped to reach.

Newbury Comics Builds upon the Nancy Brusger Memorial Scholarship Fund

Newbury Comics made a $20,000 donation to the Nancy Brusger Memorial Scholarship Fund. This brings the total in the endowed fund to $76,000.

Established by Newbury Comics in 1997 as a permanent endowed fund, it provides scholarship support to an outstanding Music Education or Music Therapy major at Berklee College of Music. A public school teacher for many years, Brusger is the deceased mother of John Brusger, Newbury Comics cofounder and chief technology officer.

In establishing the fund, Newbury Comics CEO and Berklee trustee Mike Dreese stated, "Our original store is two blocks from Berklee. We had many Berklee students as customers in the early years and it really helped us. Providing a good musician with some scholarship aid has a very nice feel to it."

Mary Jane Earnhart Ellison Endowed Scholarship Fund

Shortly before she passed away, Mary Jane Earnhart Ellison made a generous donation to establish the Mary Jane Earnhart Ellison Endowed Scholarship Fund for pianists at Berklee. Ellison, formerly a professional musician in Chicago, established the fund to ensure that the highest standards of excellence are nurtured at Berklee now and in the future.

Although she never attended Berklee, Ellison chose to make her gift because throughout her own career she had been impressed with the number of highly talented musicians she had met from Berklee. Her hope was that her gift would assist outstanding pianists to become prepared for careers in music.

Interval Research Grant

Berklee recently received a research grant award of $15,000 from Interval. It will provide resources to investigate how commercial and pop-oriented musicians work with alternate synthesizer controllers such as the radio baton. Music Synthesis Department Professor Richard Boulanger will supervise the project, which will explore the areas of software synthesis and design, algorithms and music for alternate controllers, and the computer-mediated ensemble.

Zildjian's Terri Lyne Carrington Fund

Berklee trustee Craigie Zildjian is representative of a new generation of women playing leading roles in the music industry. She is chief executive officer of the 375-year-old Avedis Zildjian Company. A strong advocate for women entering the music industry, she made a gift establishing the Terri Lyne Carrington Fund at Berklee. This is the first endowed fund specifically designated to support outstanding female students.

The move was motivated by Zildjian's desire to help women and her admiration for Terri Lyne Carrington '83. Carrington is known as one of the first female drummers to reach a high level of musical excellence and professional achievement. She was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for producing That Day for vocalist Dianne Reeves. Carrington has recorded and performed with a long roster of major artists and has been touring with Herbie Hancock.

"I have been inspired by Terri Lyne, who was awarded a full scholarship at Berklee when she was just 11 years old," said Zildjian. "She has gone on to an incredibly successful career. I established this fund to encourage other young female musicians to reach their full potential at Berklee."