Former names
|
Schillinger House Berklee School of Music |
---|---|
Motto | Esse quam videri (Latin) |
Motto in English
|
To be, rather than to appear to be |
Type | Private |
Established | 1945 |
Endowment | $321 million |
President | Roger H. Brown |
Academic staff
|
522 |
Students | 4,490 |
Location | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Campus | Urban |
Colors | Red and gray |
Mascot | Mingus the Jazz Cat |
Affiliations |
NEASC Professional Arts Consortium |
Website | berklee |
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including rock, flamenco, hip hop, reggae, salsa, and bluegrass. Since 2012, Berklee College of Music has also operated a campus in Valencia, Spain.
In December 2015, Berklee College of Music and the Boston Conservatory agreed to a merger. The combined institution will be known as "Berklee", with the conservatory becoming "The Boston Conservatory at Berklee".
Berklee College of Music is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). NEASC is the regional accreditation agency for schools and colleges located in the New England region of the United States.
In 1945 pianist, composer, arranger and MIT graduate Lawrence Berk founded Schillinger House, the precursor to the Berklee School of Music. Located at 284 Newbury St. in Boston's Back Bay, the school specialized in the Schillinger System of harmony and composition developed by Joseph Schillinger. Berk had studied with Schillinger. Instrumental lessons and a few classes in traditional theory, harmony, and arranging were also offered. At the time of its founding almost all music schools focused primarily on classical music, but Schillinger House offered training in jazz and commercial music for radio, theater, television, and dancing. At first, most students were working professional musicians. Many students were former World War II service members who attended under the G.I. Bill. Initial enrollment was fewer than 50 students, but by 1949 there were more than 500 students. In 1954, when the school's curriculum had expanded to include music education classes and more traditional music theory, Berk changed the name to Berklee School of Music, after his 12-year-old son Lee Eliot Berk, to reflect the broader scope of instruction.