Berklee City Music Celebrates Three Decades Empowering Young Artists The program has given generations of musicians-sometimes within the same family-the tools, opportunities, and scholarships to do what they love.
By
Jennifer H. McInerney
July 8, 2024
Berklee City Music students perform at the High School Academy Winter Showcase in 2023.
Image by Omari Spears
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Berklee City Music, an unparalleled educational enrichment initiative that supports youth in underserved communities locally and, now, globally.
Misael Martinez, assistant vice president of Education Outreach and Social Entrepreneurship, describes City Music as an holistic approach to training performing artists, building leaders, and fostering community development.
Leading up to the anniversary, an ensemble of Berklee musicians celebrated by composing an upbeat, uplifting official City Music anthem, called That Feeling, to evoke the joy derived from identifying one's passion, having the freedom to pursue one's dreams, and ultimately exploring and fulfilling one's potential as an artist. Collaboratively written by Berklee alumni and City Music Ambassadors Theron Feemster '00 (aka Neff-U) and Niu Raza BM '18, along with Martinez and guest artist Badger, the song's refrain- It's about that feeling when you do what you love, when you can be anything you want -reflects the sentiments of thousands of students who've had the opportunity to experience Berklee City Music over the past three decades.
Watch the video for That Feeling, Berklee City Music's inaugural anthem:
Since the 1990s, Berklee City Music has been making that feeling a reality, first in Boston's neighboring communities, then nationally, and now internationally through a comprehensive online curriculum and the ever-expanding City Music Network of partner sites.
City Music offers out-of-school music education programming to students in grades four through 12 during the academic year as well as an intensive summertime offering at the high school and college levels. Students audition for a spot in the program and receive intensive instruction from Berklee faculty, including musicianship and music theory classes, ensembles, mentorship, weekly master classes, workshops with visiting artists, and the PULSE online music curriculum. An integral piece is financial support-since 1995, the program has awarded more than $24 million in scholarships, funded in part by Amplify Berklee, an annual gala for City Music that last year raised over $1.2 million.
Abria Smith, Kaimy Masse, Nichelle Mungo, and City Music founder J. Curtis Warner Jr. on stage during a City Music concert in the '90s
In the early '90s, when public school arts programs were being cut, the leadership at Berklee College of Music sought to provide supplemental education along with financial aid to school children in surrounding Boston communities, where such after-school opportunities were not otherwise readily available.
[Past Presidents] Lee Berk and Roger Brown had a strong belief in the power and inspiration of music education for young children, notes Krystal Banfield, vice president for Education Outreach and Social Entrepreneurship.
From its inception, City Music set out to open doors and broaden the horizons of children of all abilities and interests through creative expression.
It's a lifelong journey that develops the mind and spirit and cultivates the entire person so that they find their purpose and find their voice, Banfield says. Everyone has art in them, particularly music, and this program has benefits well beyond learning about music.
Berklee City Music includes the after-school High School Academy for grades nine through 12 and the Preparatory Academy on Saturdays for students in grades four through eight. The High School Academy runs for 24 weeks from September through May, offering master classes, music theory and musicianship classes, ensemble opportunities, and visiting artist master classes. The Preparatory Academy follows the Berklee academic calendar but meets on Saturdays, with weekly classes in music, dance, and theater, plus performance workshops, creative management courses, and master classes.
City Music students also have the opportunity to receive scholarships to participate in Berklee's five-week summer music performance program, Aspire, which draws high school and college students from 70 countries. Aspire offers a comprehensive curriculum to enhance students' instrumental and vocal mastery and includes one-on-one instruction with Berklee faculty, ensemble opportunities, and explorations of music industry topics, such as songwriting, music production, music business, music therapy, and more. To date, City Music has awarded 1,900 scholarships to students taking part in the summer program.
City Music students perform at the High School Academy Winter Showcase in 2023.
Image by Omari Spears
It's magical for students to have the opportunity to immerse themselves in this one-of-a-kind educational experience with students from all over the world, notes Martinez. They create friendships and bonds that last throughout their lives. And they have access they wouldn't otherwise have to Berklee faculty in Berklee facilities.
Three decades ago, a young percussionist who had taken a detour on his musical path became one of the very first students in the Berklee City Music program. Twenty-year-old Sean Skeete had dreams of attending Berklee but, until then, those dreams had been just out of reach. At the time, he was employed at Lord & Taylor in Downtown Crossing selling shoes. One of his loyal customers was Bruce Nifong, a professor of ensembles at Berklee. Nifong and fellow professor David Cowan invited Skeete to join the fledgling summer program that ev
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Berklee City Music Celebrates Three Decades Empowering Young Artists The program has given generations of musicians-sometimes within the same family-the tools, opportunities, and scholarships to do what they love.
