Escuela de Música Contemporánea (EMC)—Argentina
Escuela de Música Contemporánea (EMC) was founded in 1997 in downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina. Combining theory with practical experience, EMC’s main purpose is to prepare students for careers in contemporary music in such a way that they will make a significant contribution to society and the musical scene in the region.
Diploma Programs:
- Professional music
- Composition and arranging
- Performance
- Music production
Benefits for Students
EMC has been collaborating with and hosting programs by Berklee College of Music and its faculty from the time of its inception. The institution has held a credit transfer agreement since 2013 that allows students to begin their studies at EMC prior to finishing their degrees at Berklee. EMC has been hosting Berklee auditions and interviews in Argentina on a yearly basis since 2011.
EMC counts 35 faculty members who are among the finest performers on the local scene. Several are Berklee alumni, and some others are former EMC students. Jazz, blues, rock, pop, Latin American, and Argentinean popular music are the main styles on which instruction focuses. Currently, EMC has almost 500 students, with a high percentage of international students, mostly from South and Central America.
EMC is also one of the founding members of the Asociación Latinoamericana de Escuelas de Música (ALAEMUS) and presents annual summits, and its goals are to promote collaboration among Latin American institutions, students, and teachers, as well as to promote the exchange of educational material and publications.
Contact Information
Escuela de Music Contemporanea
Bartolomé Mitre 1352. 1º
Buenos Aires Argentina C1036AAZ
info@escuelademusica.org
director@escuelademusica.org
luciano@escuelademusica.org
About the Program
Students Who Entered EMC on or after September 1, 2022
Entrance Requirements
Students transferring from EMC to Berklee must earn a grade of “B” (3.00/4.00 GPA) or better in each course specified in the Berklee Global Partner (BGP) credit transfer agreement (see "Courses and Credits" below) to receive credit. If a student receives a grade of “B-“ or lower in any of the required core music courses, no credit will be awarded to the student for any of the core music courses listed in the credit transfer agreement.
In this case, the student will enter Berklee as a transfer student. In the first semester of study, they will be required to take the Entering Student Placement Assessment (ESPA) for course placement in core music courses. They may transfer in any applicable liberal arts and sciences courses admissible under the transfer credit policy in place at the time of the student's matriculation to Berklee.
Admissions: EMC students who wish to transfer to Berklee are required to go through Berklee's official undergraduate admissions process. Students accepted to Berklee will receive transfer credit for courses taken at EMC in accordance with an agreement between the two schools. Transferring students must send Berklee an official transcript showing all courses specified as completed with a satisfactory grade of "B" or better before credit transfer at Berklee can take place.
EMC students planning to transfer to Berklee under this agreement must do so within four years after completing their program of study at EMC.
Liberal Arts and General Electives
Students seeking to transfer credit to Berklee must first take the steps outlined in the preapproval process to determine whether the desired course(s) qualify for transfer.
- Students may transfer up to 24 credits of liberal arts courses toward their liberal arts requirements at Berklee.
- Only 15 of those 24 credits can be completed and transferred in after a student has started their studies at Berklee.
- Those 15 credits can be applied to a student’s academic requirements as follows: 9 credits can be applied to liberal arts requirements, and 6 credits can be applied to general elective requirements.
- Students in the Bachelor of Music or Arts degree programs must earn a minimum of 39 credits in liberal arts and may use 6 additional liberal arts credits (two courses) as general elective credit.
- Students in the Professional Diploma program must earn a minimum of 6 credits in liberal arts and may use up to 12 liberal arts credits (four courses) as general elective credits.
See detailed information about transfers of liberal arts courses and general elective courses.
Performance Courses
- Ensembles:
- EMC transfer students will receive up to 6 transfer credits in ensembles after completing one or two credits per course taken at EMC based on credit equivalency with an average grade of “B” or better.
- All students are required to enroll in an ensemble in their first semester at Berklee.
- Principal Instrument:
- Principal instrument courses (private lessons) taken at a BGP school are nontransferable.
- Berklee’s policy states that all students, including transfer students, must participate in and pass a minimum of four semesters of principal instrument instruction at Berklee, regardless of their level of proficiency.
- All transfer students are required to take a Berklee instrumental/vocal proficiency placement examination upon arrival at Berklee to ensure appropriate placement in principal instrument courses.
Requirements to Graduate
Berklee College of Music students must meet the following requirements to qualify for graduation:
- Residency: All students, including candidates transferring from another school, are normally required to complete a minimum of four semesters of full-time attendance and earn a minimum of 60 credits (48 credits for diploma students) at Berklee College of Music in order to graduate. Credit by exam (CBX), advanced placement credit, CLEP credit, and transfer credit do not count as residency requirement credits, even if earned while at Berklee College of Music. This requirement will be applied regardless of the number of credits transferred.
- Attain at least a 2.70 cumulative GPA in all major courses and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00.
- Complete the principal instrument proficiency level, as specified by the major.
- Complete a required final project in the chosen area of concentration, as described and approved by the department chair (as applicable).
- For music education majors, complete all observation and student teaching requirements.
- For music therapy majors, complete all coursework and a six-month, full-time, post-coursework internship.
- Fulfill all financial obligations to the college.
Learn more about the requirements to graduate.
We encourage you to review the Berklee Global Partner Berklee Track Guidebook, which provides comprehensive information about the credit transfer process.
Courses and Credits
Required Transfer Credits: 31
| EMC Courses | Berklee College of Music Course Equivalents |
|---|---|
| NTM I Music Theory and Notation I and NTM II Music Theory and Notation II | PW-111 Music Application and Theory (4 credits) |
| APC I Harmony I | HR-112 Harmony 2 (2 credits) |
| APC II Harmony II | HR-211 Harmony 3 (2 credits) |
| APC III Harmony III | HR-212 Harmony 4 (2 credits) |
| ARR I Arranging I | AR-111 Arranging 1 (2 credits) |
| INA I Introduction to Ear Training I and INA II Introduction to Ear Training II | ET-111 Ear Training 1 (2 credits) |
| EAP I Ear Training I | ET-112 Ear Training 2 (2 credits) |
| EAP II Ear Training II | ET-211 Ear Training 3 (2 credits) or ET-231 Solfege 1 (2 credits), depending on Berklee major requirement |
| EAP III Ear Training III | ET-212 Ear Training 4 (2 credits) or ET-232 Solfege 2 (2 credits), depending on Berklee major requirement |
| TCV I – Voice Conducting Technique I | CM-211 Traditional Harmony and Composition 1 (2 credits) |
| TCV II – Voice Conducting Technique II | CM-212 Traditional Harmony and Composition 2 (2 credits) |
| CTO I Traditional Counterpoint I | CP-210 The Art of Counterpoint (3 credits) |
| CTO II Traditional Counterpoint II | CP-215 Art of Counterpoint 2 (2 credits)* |
| TAM Technology Applied to Music with PME Electronic Music Production and PRT Pro Tools | MTEC-111 Introduction to Music Technology (2 credits) |
* Berklee College of Music courses required by some Berklee degree programs
Additional Potential Transfer Credits: 14
Note: Contact the academic advisor at this institution to ask about the courses below.
| EMC Courses | BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC COURSE EQUIVALENTS |
|---|---|
| AET Advanced Ear Training | ET-411 Advanced Ear Training or ET-421 Atonal Solfege (2 credits) |
| EMO Evolution of Western Music | MHIS-201 History of Music in the European Tradition (2 credits) |
| Jazz History | MLAN-xxx Music Literature, History, and Analysis Electives (2 credits) |
| APC IV Harmony IV | HR-325 Reharmonization Techniques (2 credits) |
| PNOC 1 Secondary Piano Lab 1 | ISKB-211 Basic Keyboard Techniques I (1 credit) |
| PNOC 2 Secondary Piano Lab 2 | ISKB-212 Basic Keyboard Techniques II (1 credit) |
| AMF Folkloric and Latin American Music Arranging | CW-217 Writing in Folkloric Latin Styles (2 credits) |
| RIM Improvisation Resources | PSHR-321 Harmonic Considerations in Improvisation 1 (2 credits) |
Potential Transfer Credit Summary
Required Transfer Credits: 31
Additional Potential Transfer Credits: 14
Potential Ensemble Credits: 6
Potential Transfer Credit Total: 51
Students Who Entered EMC Prior to September 1, 2022
Entrance Requirements
EMC students transferring to Berklee must earn a grade of "B" or higher (3.00–4.00) in each core music course, and a grade of "C" or higher (2.00–4.00) in each liberal arts and general elective course designated for transfer in this agreement (see "Courses and Credits" below) to receive transfer credit from Berklee.
To earn credit for any core music course for which a student receives a grade below B, students will be required upon entering Berklee to:
- take the entering student proficiency assessment (ESPA) for harmony and ear training courses
or - earn credit by exam (CBX) for music technology, tonal harmony, and counterpoint courses
or - enroll in the course at Berklee
For any liberal arts and sciences courses for which a student receives a grade below C, no credit will be granted.
Admissions: EMC students who wish to transfer to Berklee are required to go through Berklee's official undergraduate admissions process. Students accepted to Berklee will receive transfer credit for courses taken at EMC in accordance with an agreement between the two schools. Transferring students must send Berklee an official transcript showing all courses specified as completed with a satisfactory grade of "B" or better before credit transfer at Berklee can take place.
EMC students planning to transfer to Berklee under this agreement must do so within four years after completing their program of study at EMC.
Liberal Arts and General Electives
Students seeking to transfer credit to Berklee must first take the steps outlined in the preapproval process to determine whether the desired course(s) qualify for transfer.
- Students may transfer up to 24 credits of liberal arts courses toward their liberal arts requirements at Berklee.
- Only 15 of those 24 credits can be completed and transferred in after a student has started their studies at Berklee.
- Those 15 credits can be applied to a student’s academic requirements as follows: 9 credits can be applied to liberal arts requirements, and 6 credits can be applied to general elective requirements.
- Students in the Bachelor of Music or Arts degree programs must earn a minimum of 39 credits in liberal arts and may use 6 additional liberal arts credits (two courses) as general elective credit.
- Students in the Professional Diploma program must earn a minimum of 6 credits in liberal arts and may use up to 12 liberal arts credits (four courses) as general elective credits.
See detailed information about transfers of liberal arts courses and general elective courses.
Performance Courses
- Ensembles:
- EMC transfer students may receive up to 6 transfer credits in ensembles with an average grade of “C” or better.
- All students are required to enroll in an ensemble in their first semester at Berklee.
- Principal Instrument:
- Principal instrument courses (private lessons) taken at a BGP school are nontransferable.
- Berklee’s policy states that all students, including transfer students, must participate in and pass a minimum of four semesters of principal instrument instruction at Berklee, regardless of their level of proficiency.
- All transfer students are required to take a Berklee instrumental/vocal proficiency placement examination upon arrival at Berklee to ensure appropriate placement in principal instrument courses.
We encourage you to review the Berklee Global Partner Berklee Track Guidebook, which provides comprehensive information about the credit transfer process.
Requirements to Graduate
- Residency: All students, including candidates transferring from another school, are normally required to complete a minimum of four semesters of full-time attendance and earn a minimum of 60 credits (48 credits for diploma students) at Berklee College of Music in order to graduate. Credit by exam (CBX), advanced placement credit, CLEP credit, and transfer credit do not count as residency requirement credits, even if earned while at Berklee College of Music. This requirement will be applied regardless of the number of credits transferred.
- Attain at least a 2.70 cumulative GPA in all major courses and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00.
- Complete the principal instrument proficiency level, as specified by the major.
- Complete a required final project in the chosen area of concentration, as described and approved by the department chair (as applicable).
- For music education majors, complete all observation and student teaching requirements.
- For music therapy majors, complete all coursework and a six-month, full-time, post-coursework internship.
- Fulfill all financial obligations to the college.
Learn more about the requirements to graduate.
Courses and Credits
Level 1: Required Core Music Courses (31 Potential Transfer Credits)
| EMC Courses | Berklee College of Music Course Equivalents |
|---|---|
| NTM I Music Theory and Notation I and NTM II Music Theory and Notation II | PW-111 Music Application and Theory (4 credits) |
| APC I Harmony I | HR-112 Harmony 2 (2 credits) |
| APC II Harmony II | HR-211 Harmony 3 (2 credits) |
| APC III Harmony III | HR-212 Harmony 4 (2 credits) |
| ARR I Arranging I | AR-111 Arranging 1 (2 credits) |
| INA I Introduction to Ear Training I and INA II Introduction to Ear Training II | ET-111 Ear Training 1 (2 credits) |
| EAP I Ear Training I | ET-112 Ear Training 2 (2 credits) |
| EAP II Ear Training II | ET-211 Ear Training 3 (2 credits) or ET-231 Solfege 1 (2 credits), depending on Berklee major requirement |
| EAP III Ear Training III | ET-212 Ear Training 4 (2 credits) or ET-232 Solfege 2 (2 credits), depending on Berklee major requirement |
| ART I Traditional Harmony and Composition I | CM-211 Traditional Harmony and Composition 1 (2 credits) |
| ART II Traditional Harmony and Composition II | CM-212 Traditional Harmony and Composition 2 (2 credits) |
| CTO I Traditional Counterpoint I | CP-210 The Art of Counterpoint (3 credits) |
| CTO II Traditional Counterpoint II | CP-215 Art of Counterpoint 2 (2 credits)* |
| TAM Technology Applied to Music with PME Electronic Music Production and PRT Pro Tools | MTEC-111 Introduction to Music Technology (2 credits) |
* Berklee College of Music courses required by some Berklee degree programs
Level 2: Other Liberal Arts Courses and General Elective Courses (12 Potential Transfer Credits)
Note: Contact the academic advisor at this institution to ask about the courses below.
| EMC Courses | BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC COURSE EQUIVALENTS |
|---|---|
| Evolution of Western Music (EMO) | MHIS-201 History of Music in the European Tradition (2 credits) |
| Jazz History | MLAN-xxx Music Literature, History, and Analysis Electives (2 credits) |
| APC IV Harmony IV | HR-325 Reharmonization Techniques (2 credits) |
| LPNC 1 Secondary Piano Lab 1 | ISKB-211 Basic Keyboard Techniques I (1 credit) |
| LPNC 2 Secondary Piano Lab 2 | ISKB-212 Basic Keyboard Techniques II (1 credit) |
| AMF Folkloric and Latin American Music Arranging | CW-217 Writing in Folkloric Latin Styles (2 credits) |
| RIM Improvisation Resources | PSHR-321 Harmonic Considerations in Improvisation 1 (2 credits) |
Potential Transfer Credit Summary
Level 1 courses: 31 credits
Level 2 courses: 12 credits
Ensemble courses: 6 credits
Total: 49 credits