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Alum

Sam Spear

Assistant Professor

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Sam Spear is a woodwind instrumentalist, composer, and music educator based in Boston, MA. As a performer, she is at home in a variety of musical settings including swinging jazz quintets, modern jazz orchestras, and chamber ensembles. Spear also leads an active life as a composer and arranger with works being performed by the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble, Imagine Orchestra under the direction of Bill Banfield, Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra, and the New England Jazz Collaborative. Spear has experience teaching students from elementary through undergraduate levels in topics including music theory, musicianship, improvisation, and arranging, as well as private instruction and ensemble coaching.

Career Highlights
  • Leader of Sam Spear Quintet
  • Regularly performs with New England Jazz Collaborative, Imagine Orchestra, Michelle Tucker Quintet, and Mad Monkfish Orchestra
  • Board member of Jazzhers
  • Advisor to the Gunther Schuller Society
Awards
  • Jazz Education Network Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Combo directed by Ingrid Jensen (2021)
  • International Alliance for Women in Music Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble Prize (2019)
  • Boysie Lowery Living Jazz Residency (2018)
  • Berklee College of Music Presidential Scholarship (2015-2019)
Education
  • The New England Conservatory of Music
    Massachusetts
    Master of Music (M.M.)
    Jazz Studies
  • Berklee College of Music
    Massachusetts
    Bachelor of Music (B.M.)
    Jazz Studies
In Their Own Words
"I want students to come away from my classes with a sense of accomplishment, feeling that they learned new skills that are readily applicable to their craft and goals. I also hope to nurture a sense of curiosity in students: 'How would it sound if I re-orchestrated this passage with the saxophone in the lead?' 'Why are the skills we are learning important and how will they help me after graduation?' 'What are the musical, social, and cultural conditions that encouraged popular music to take certain forms?' These are the kinds of questions that come up in class all the time, from the students and myself. Sometimes I have answers and other times we explore the possibilities together. In music, we are all lifelong learners."
"As a working performer and composer, I look at all music from both perspectives. It’s about establishing a clear line of communication between the two parties. If the composer understands the performer’s needs, the music is likely to sound better. If the performer understands their role and how it fits within the context of the piece, the music is likely to sound better. Through sharing my professional experiences in both of these areas, I hope to get students thinking about their work from these different perspectives that have the same goal—making good music."