Curriculum and Activities

Each week, you'll meet with your instructor for a half-hour private lesson on your principal instrument.

Labs are weekly, three-hour instrument-specific sessions focusing on developing instrumental craft, style, and technique.

For two hours each week, you'll play in an ensemble setting including instrumental and vocal groups performing in jazz, hip-hop, rock, funk, pop, fusion, R&B, musical theater, country, and other contemporary styles such as bluegrass, Afro-Cuban, salsa, and world music. EDI students will choose from EDM, ambient, hip-hop, and electro-pop performance styles.

Four hours each week are devoted to developing your musical ear, performance, reading skills, and musicianship.

For three hours each week, you'll study the rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic elements of music and how they relate to your instrument (including voice).

This two-hour course meets weekly with performances and clinics that introduce important career and performance instruction, information, and insight from some of the finest performers and songwriters in the music industry.

Notable artists who have recently visited the Five-Week Program include John Mayer, Lalah Hathaway, and Terence Blanchard, among many others.

These lectures and demonstrations feature performers, songwriters, film composers, music business experts, and music professionals from every sector of the industry. They are open to all students.

Visiting artists are announced at the start of the program. Notable artists who have recently visited Berklee include Amanda Palmer, George Duke, Melissa Ferrick, and Dawaun Parker, among many others.

During the final week of the program, you will perform a concert before members of the Berklee community, faculty, fellow students, and any guests you invite.

More than 300 student ensembles, led by Berklee faculty, perform in concerts during this final week. Final week concerts take place in one of the college's performance venues, including the recital halls, Red Room at Cafe 939, and the Berklee Performance Center, a 1,220-seat, world-class venue. 

All of these concerts are open to the public; your family and friends are welcome to attend.

This lecture class will examine song form, strategies for creating melodies, and effective use of harmony to create forward motion in songs. Lyric writing, as well as tips to help the creative process, will be discussed with the instructor and guest lecturers. Because technology has allowed the easy exchange of ideas and files, strategies and tools for improving both your songwriting and production values through collaboration will be demonstrated. Lastly, an overview of how songs are currently used in film and TV (and other visual media) will be discussed, along with the tools you’ll need to place your songs and start earning royalties in this growing area of opportunity for songwriters.

This course explores how a modern song is taken from inception to full mix. It includes discussion of song form, songwriting, and how to invoke the best performances from players on the spot. This course also addresses the creative use of modern microphone and recording techniques, the use of outboard and computer processing such as reverb, equalizers, and compressors, and basic mixing techniques. Strong interpersonal skills are needed. An open mind and active participation are required.

This course provides an introduction to the exciting world of scoring for today’s visual media. Using a wide variety of examples from film, video games, television, and commercials, you will get a behind-the-scenes look at the process of composing and producing musical underscore, from traditional linear scoring to the cutting-edge nonlinear techniques used in current-generation video games and interactive media.

This lecture class will introduce you to composing and arranging techniques used by important jazz artists. Topics include the process of creating and harmonizing melodies, orchestration, song and arrangement form, and music analysis.

This course provides an introduction to the music business. You will gain an understanding of how your creative works are protected by U.S. copyright law and promoted by publishers. The contractual relationship between artists and record labels will also be reviewed with discussions on how to set up and manage a small business (business formation, band agreements, etc.). Artists' management and their relationship with the recording artist will be explored. You will also learn why touring is the holy grail of the music business, showing how artists and promoters budget for a successful outcome.

Ableton Live is a powerful tool that allows musicians to develop musical ideas in a unique, non-linear environment that presents a fundamentally different way of working from other software used in music production. In this workshop, students will learn to create new musical ideas and produce electronic arrangements using software instruments and effects that come with Live. Emphasis will be placed on developing the basic skills that can be used to write and produce new works as well as create remixes and prepare songs for electronic performance.

Examine many of the essential grooves that continue to define contemporary music. The styles examined may include funk, hip-hop, and music from Brazil and Cuba. Music examples and scores will be examined to analyze the rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic components of each style. Documentaries will be shown to support the historical and social aspects of these styles with an emphasis on the innovators who made them popular.

This unique class, designed for vocalists, songwriters, soloists, and composers will help you get in touch with your artistic identity. A series of innovative exercises will allow you to discover your true musical voice and to find your own style. No matter your voice or instrument, this class will give you tools to hear your world and embrace your place in it.

This class will provide an opportunity for singer-songwriters to write and perform their own songs and to learn the tools of the trade. The class will focus on the song: how it's created and how it is used to express and communicate the songwriter's feelings and stories to the audience. You will develop the tools and techniques used by songwriters today and participate in facilitated song critiques with your classmates. The class will culminate in a live performance.

Available by audition only, this is a hands-on course with state-of-the-art DAWs (ProTools, Logic, and Digital Performer) along with keyboards, mics, and interconnectivity to all 12 stations to allow easy collaboration among students. The course will help you improve the overall production quality of your song demos and learn established tricks of the trade to facilitate worldwide collaboration. Registered students will receive more information in the spring regarding the application process.

This course is designed to increase your awareness of your technical and creative abilities through investigating movement and how it relates to your stage performance. You will be encouraged to explore your own capacity and range of movement, realizing its aesthetic, physical, and visual possibilities. The technique portions of class will emphasize increasing the body’s flexibility, strength, control, and awareness. Choreographic exploration will concentrate upon the use of space, dimension, time, rhythm, energy, and contrast through improvisation and development of movement phrases.

All levels of singers are welcome in this chorus, which features part-singing in styles ranging from pop/R&B to folk and jazz. The Monday and Thursday rehearsals lead up to a final performance in the Vocal Showcase at the Berklee Performance Center.

This workshop is dedicated to the art of slam poetry and spoken word. Great for songwriters, poets, or hip-hop artists, this is for anyone wanting to amp up their stage presence and work past performance fears. With equal emphasis on writing and performing, this high-energy class features special guest artists, writing and editing prompts, vocal exercises, and stage movement techniques designed to emphasize your own style.

This course is designed to introduce students to the art of rap music. With an emphasis on studying and writing youth-appropriate material, you will learn a variety of classic poetic and rhythmic devices found in some of today's biggest hits. Topics covered include song form and arrangement, chorus writing, freestyle/improvisation, and rapping with a DJ.

Drum circles are available to percussionists and non-percussionists alike. This weekly workshop provides an opportunity to develop skills using various percussion instruments from around the world.

You will develop a basic skill set of turntable techniques: cueing, mixing, beat matching, cutting, and scratching. By tracing the transformation of the turntable into a musical instrument, students will learn of its development as a major expression of hip-hop culture and thus understand its prominence in contemporary music. The class will culminate in each student performing a DJ set by the fifth week.

This ensemble will focus on large and small ensemble musical theater literature. Strong emphasis will be placed on vocal technique, ensemble singing, and lyric delivery. You will prepare, rehearse, and perform Broadway-style selections from a variety of productions leading to a performance at the end of the program.

The first time in a professional studio can be daunting to say the least. This class explores all the details of being a performer in a recording session. We will discuss preparing for your session, who's who and their roles from engineers, producers, arrangers, and sidemen. We will discuss the differences between live performance and studio performance. Get suggestions and explore the subtle nuances of your voice or instrument, getting the best sound and performance in the studio environment. You will have the opportunity to record music of your choice under the supervision of the experienced producer teaching the course.

The success of today’s artists relies not only on their technique and talent but also on two other essential components: marketing and a social media presence. This class will explore and lead you toward a solid branding image, create a uniform and well-structured online presence, and provide an introduction to critical marketing tools and strategies.

Become a better musician through yoga. By integrating yoga into your practice routines, you will develop a more focused and concentrated mind for performance. You will increase awareness of how you use your body for proper posture and ease of movement while performing, helping avoid overuse injuries, and play with greater expression. These concepts, exercises, and practice routines present yoga from the musician's perspective, focusing on direct relationships between using yoga and creating music. You will learn to: practice meditation approaches and breathing techniques, play using healthy posture and technique, get more out of your practice through improved focus, use your breath to improve phrasing and ease performance anxiety, and play with deeper expression through inspiration.

You can choose to study from the following styles:

• Jazz—Repertoire will focus on music drawn from jazz standards, the Great American Songbook, blues, Latin, and modal jazz compositions by a wide range of important jazz artists, including Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, and others.
• Pop/rock—Repertoire will focus on music drawn from important performers, including Adele, the Beatles, Carrie Underwood, the Black Keys, and more.
• Funk/fusion (instrumentalists only)—Repertoire will focus on music drawn from important performers and groups such as Herbie Hancock, the Chick Corea Elektric Band, the Pat Metheny Group, and others.
• Pop/R&B (vocalists only)—Repertoire will focus on music drawn from important performers such as Beyoncé, Robert Glasper Experiment, John Legend, Aretha Franklin, and others.

Performance is the centerpiece of Five-Week. Performance opportunities include:

• Jam sessions—Tuesday and Thursday night jam sessions are open to all. This is a great way to get to know other students and explore your own potential in informal group situations.
• Recording studio sessions—Selected ensembles can record in one of Berklee's 10 state-of-the-art recording studios.
• Recording sessions for vocalists—Vocalists will have the opportunity to record a song in a professional recording studio, singing with prerecorded tracks or with their own accompaniment.

By-audition performance opportunities:

• Performing Songwriter Showcase—Auditions are open to all students. You may perform an original or cowritten song by signing up to audition in the Student Activities Center during registration. A panel of Berklee faculty will select students to perform their songs in a series of showcases scheduled during the fourth week of the program in the Berklee Performance Center and Cafe 939.
• Singers Showcase—Vocalists may audition during the first week of the program to be one of 10 featured vocalists; five soloists and five background vocalists will perform in the Berklee Performance Center during the fifth week of the program. Students will perform arrangements written especially for them and performed with a band of selected Berklee students.
• Instrumental Showcase—Instrumentalists may audition during the first week of the program for an opportunity to perform in one of three all-star instrumental groups. These groups will perform in the Berklee Performance Center under the direction of Berklee instrumental faculty during the fifth week of the program.
• Musical Theater Showcase—Auditions for the Musical Theater Showcase are open to all students during the first week of the program. Vocalists may audition for lead and supporting roles. Instrumentalists may audition for a chair in the Musical Theater Ensemble. Students selected for the Musical Theater Showcase will perform in the Berklee Performance Center during the final week of the program.

Students' schedules are tailored to their musical interest and experience level. Each schedule is different, and meeting times may vary. Below is a sample schedule of a typical week.

Monday	Activities
8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.	Breakfast in the Berklee Dining Hall
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.	Mandatory Elective
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.	Survey of Instrumental/Vocal Styles
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.	Lunch in the Berklee Dining Hall
3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.	Performance Perspectives
6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.	Dinner in the Berklee Dining Hall
7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.	Open Mic (optional)
9:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.	Homework in the Dorm Lounge (optional)
Tuesday	Activities
8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.	Breakfast in the Berklee Dining Hall
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.	Music Theory
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.	Musicianship
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.	Faculty Artist Clinic (optional)
3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.	Musicianship Teacher Office Hour (optional)
4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.	Additional Elective (optional)
6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.	Dinner in the Berklee Dining Hall
7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.	Tuesday Night Jams (optional)
9:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.	Study Group at Cafe 939 (optional)
Wednesday	Activities
8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.	Breakfast in the Berklee Dining Hall
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.	Musicianship
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.	Live at 160 Caf Show (optional)
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.	Lunch in the Berklee Dining Hall
2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.	Reading Lab
4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.	Ensemble Class
6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.	Dinner in the Berklee Dining Hall
8:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.	Shakespeare in the Park, Boston Common (optional)
Thursday	Activities
8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.	Breakfast in the Berklee Dining Hall
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.	Music Theory
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.	Musicianship
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.	Faculty Artist Clinic (optional)
2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.	Theory Teacher Office Hour (optional)
4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.	Styles Lab
6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.	Dinner in the Berklee Dining Hall
7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.	Thursday Night Jams (optional)
Friday	Activities
8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.	Breakfast in the Berklee Dining Hall
9:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m.	Private Lesson
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.	Musicianship
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.	Live at 160 Caf Show (optional)
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.	Lunch in the Berklee Dining Hall
2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.	Department Choice Lab
3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.	Practice Room Session (optional)
6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.	Dinner in the Berklee Dining Hall
Saturday	Activities
9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.	Breakfast in the Berklee Dining Hall
10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.	Yoga for Musicians (optional)
12:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.	Trip to Providence, Rhode Island, for Waterfire (optional)
10:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m.	Caf Show
Sunday	Activities
10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.	Brunch in the Berklee Dining Hall
1:35 p.m.–5:30 p.m.	Red Sox vs. White Sox game at Fenway Park (optional)
5:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m.	Dinner in the Berklee Dining Hall
6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.	Practice Room Session (optional)
7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.	Homework in the Media Center (optional)

Five-Week students who receive a grade of B or higher in FWTH-010 Theory in Performance, FWMU-010 Musicianship, FWPI-0X0 Private Instruction, and at least one section of FWEN-010 Five-Week Ensemble have the opportunity to earn up to two three-credit undergraduate level courses, one per year: MUS-P101 Fundamentals of Musicianship in year one, and MUS-P201 Fundamentals of Musicianship—Advanced in year two. Each course will count as three general elective credits upon admission to Berklee College of Music. The credits will transfer to other institutions at their discretion. If you qualify, you will receive an unofficial transcript in addition to a grading report.