School of Rock Women Crash Five-Week
Image by Ben Pu
Image by Ben Pu
Image by Ben Pu
Image by Ben Pu
Image by Ben Pu
Image by Ben Pu
Image by Ben Pu
They came, they studied, they slayed. A group of six women from School of Rock received full scholarships to attend part of Berklee's Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive in July. They took classes and worked together in an ensemble directed by faculty member Marty Walsh, closing out the week by delivering a high-energy final performance at Berklee’s Dining Hall.
"Working with the School of Rock band was a great experience. In four rehearsals we put together 35 minutes of music and some really complex pieces, like Deep Purple’s 'Highway Star'—not easy. After one run-through that our bassist, Sam, performed flawlessly, she says, 'Wow, that was fun. That's the first time I ever played that song!' I was stunned."
—Marty Walsh, on working with School of Rock students
The ensemble featured School of Rock students Erin Blake (voice), Carlie Green (voice), Clara Holleman (piano), Lily Joyce (drums), Samantha Spector (bass), and Elle Youdan (guitar).
Berklee and School of Rock recently announced a partnership to empower young women musicians and promote gender diversity in the industry. In addition to scholarships, the initiative includes special access to Berklee Online classes for School of Rock students and teachers.
