Danilo P rez, president of the Danilo P rez Foundation, which provides education and outreach programs to children of extreme poverty in Panama, and artistic director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI), with Patricia Zarate, executive director of Panama Jazz Productions and founder of the Latin American Music Therapy Symposium, are bringing students from Berklee to Panama City, Panama to share music with local youth. Through a series of master classes, workshops, and performances curated by P rez and Zarate, Berklee's top jazz performance students and music therapy student practitioners, representing two distinct areas of the music industry, will use their unique skills to harness music as a tool for positive social change in the local community.
Since my father began researching academic improvement among youth by incorporating music into their curricula in the 1960s, we have learned that the power of music reaches beyond the entertainment industry, says P rez. Through performance, cultural exchange, music therapy, and more, music has the potential to make positive changes in people, their communities, and ultimately in the world.
Bringing students from Berklee to share music therapy as well as perform will be as meaningful for them as it will be for the local community, says Patricia Zarate. Two years ago, we incorporated the Latin American Music Therapy Symposium into the Panama Jazz Festival, underscoring the important connection between the performer, the music therapist, and the music lover in all of us. Music therapy in Panama is growing thanks to the support of Berklee's music therapy department and its faculty and students' commitment to expanding music therapy on a global level.
While in Panama, students from the BGJI, a music institute focused on connecting performance with social responsibility though cultural exchanges and community outreach across the globe, will conduct clinics and master classes at the Danilo P rez Foundation. Joined by special guest artists saxophonist Marco Pignataro and percussionist Jerry Leake, both faculty members with the BGJI, the BGJI students will also take part in the third Central American Percussion Festival at the City of Knowledge, produced by the Danilo Perez Foundation and Panama Jazz Productions, which also produces the annual Panama Jazz Festival and the annual Latin American Music Therapy Symposium.
The BGJI students, along with Pignataro and Leake, will spend their evenings performing creative music at Danilo's Jazz Club, which provides regular opportunities for students from the Danilo P rez Foundation to gain work experience and artistic expression. Performing two sets each evening from August 27-31, the BGJI performances kick off a concert series of collaborations between international artists and local talent. Located at the American Trade Hotel in the Casco Antiguo, the performances begin at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. and are open to the public. This club provides regular work to the foundation students and a place to exercise creativity on a regular basis.
Simultaneously, music therapy students from Berklee will lead music therapy sessions with youth from the Danilo P rez Foundation, including the foundation's groups for at-risk children, youth with autism, and youth with Down Syndrome, as well as patients at the Children's Hospital of Panama and the Foundation for Children with Cancer. The visiting music therapy students will also conduct training sessions for local teachers and healthcare professionals at the University of the Americas (UDELAS) on August 25. Open to the public, the workshop at UDELAS will focus on the rudimentary principles of music therapy and how it can be applied to different populations from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission to the workshop is $20 ($10 for students with identification), and all proceeds will benefit music therapy programs at the Danilo P rez Foundation.
Liz Lupton is a publicist in the Office of Media Relations. Media inquiries: llupton@berklee.edu.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Danilo P rez, president of the Danilo P rez Foundation, which provides education and outreach programs to children of extreme poverty in Panama, and artistic director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI), with Patricia Zarate, executive director of Panama Jazz Productions and founder of the Latin American Music Therapy Symposium, are bringing students from Berklee to Panama City, Panama to share music with local youth. Through a series of master classes, workshops, and performances curated by P rez and Zarate, Berklee's top jazz performance students and music therapy student practitioners, representing two distinct areas of the music industry, will use their unique skills to harness music as a tool for positive social change in the local community.
