Each semester, dozens of Berklee students swap their Berklee IDs for passports, traveling across the ocean to study at Berklee's campus in Valencia, Spain. Located on the country's east coast, Valencia is a vibrant, friendly city known for its musical richness. Berklee Valencia offers four master's degree programs, classes for undergraduates who spend either a semester or their first year in Valencia, and summer programs focusing on performance, opera, and symphonic bands.
Precious Perez spent a semester at Berklee Valencia in the fall of 2017. A dual major in vocal performance and music education, Perez is a visually impaired singer-songwriter, guitarist, and ukulele player who found both academic and creative inspiration there. Last summer, she released a four-song EP titled Agua de Valencia, which draws deeply on her time in Spain. We spoke to Perez about how her experience has helped her grow as a person and a musician.
What made you want to study abroad in Valencia? I have some family friends who moved to Valencia a few years ago, and when I was considering colleges, they told me Berklee had a campus there. I knew I definitely wanted to study abroad. I wanted to immerse myself in another culture.
How did you prepare for your semester abroad? I'm Puerto Rican and I speak Spanish, but I didn't have the confidence I wanted to have. I ended up taking a Spanish class at Berklee to brush up on my skills before I went. I was really excited to go somewhere completely new and experience things I would otherwise never experience.
What did you enjoy about the Berklee Valencia experience?
Want to Study in Spain?
The Valencia campus offers a global perspective for students at all stages of their Berklee experience. Boston is so busy. It's overwhelming-a running-around kind of busy. Valencia was the same amount of busy, but it didn't feel that way. It's a smaller campus, and you really get to connect with people. There are master's students and undergraduate students, and you really get to know people. The staff members were all so nurturing. I got to know the staff really well because of my accessibility issues, so I was always dropping by the offices to say hi.
At the time, I was still taking my core classes, so I took some basics: ear training, harmony, jazz standards, psychology, Latin jazz ensemble. I had a class on Spanish culture and society, which was really cool. The teachers were wonderful-so energetic and passionate about what they do.
Did you participate in any programs outside of your classes? Yes! I took advantage of every opportunity that semester. I was part of the UN Ambassador program. I did events in the community-I was part of an event on Disability Day. I performed at the Fall in (Love With) Valencia concert, which featured Berklee students playing at the Bancaja Cultural Centre. I wanted to immerse myself in everything that was offered. I ended up pulling together a band from friends I made within a week to perform at the Fall in Love showcase.
What was it like to be a blind student in Valencia? I wasn't sure how accessible the city or the campus would be. It's an entirely different country, and I didn't know what to expect.
The first week was interesting because we had to go to a lot of different places for orientation, and I couldn't really do that independently. My family friends ended up helping me with a lot of those events. There was no Braille signage anywhere in the Berklee residence hall, so I had to count doors at first. We ended up putting a Braille label on the doorjamb of my room so that I could find it. And Chi Kim, who runs Berklee's assistive music technology lab in Boston, went to Valencia to set up an accessible workstation in case I needed to use it with my screen readers.
What were the challenges to getting around town? One of the biggest obstacles was navigating Valencia itself. They don't have talking or beeping walk lights at crosswalks. I did work with an orientational mobility instructor, but I never felt safe crossing streets by myself. As I made friends, I was able to get around town with them. There was a pilot shuttle at the time that took us to Berklee's campus from the dorms, which was helpful. I also used a taxi service-I would send a message ahead to help the driver find me. It was empowering to know I had a way to get somewhere if I had to.
What was the approach to accessibility like in Spain? I found the attitude very different from the U.S. In the States, people see a blind person, and they think, You poor thing! The attitude in Spain was more like, I can see you need help-tell me how I can help you. Not everybody has to know or understand how to do things, but the willingness to help, and listen to the person, makes all the difference. I was surprised at how open everyone was-both at Berklee and in the city.
A lot of people in the blind community say that independence equals doing everything yourself. But everyone's definition of that is different. For example, I love interacting with people. If I need help and I get to meet somebody because of that, and they become my friend-that's great. That's one of the best parts of asking for help.
Your song Agua de Valencia, the title track on your EP, is inspired by your time there-are the other songs on your EP as well? Yes, Agua de Valencia just came to me one day. I was up all night making the demo for it. I showed it to my harmony professor Danny Flors. He added some chords to make it more interesting. Another professor, Sergio Martinez, was always encouraging us to bring things we'd written into class, and try them out. So I did, and everyone was playing with my song. It was so cool to collaborate on something that came from my experience there.
I had gotten a few more song idea
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
26/03/2026
Extron and Audio-Technica have announced that their Design Solutions devices, Ce...
26/03/2026
SPORTEL Asia took place March 24-25 at the Orchard Hotel Singapore, drawing 370 participants representing more than 220 companies from 35 countries. Approximate...
26/03/2026
LTN will demonstrate satellite-to-IP migration solutions for broadcasters, cable networks, MVPDs, and station groups at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2100).
The C-Ban...
26/03/2026
The Seattle Mariners have partnered with Daktronics to install an upgraded outfi...
26/03/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) has awarded National Team Partner status to organizations and individuals across more than 100 countries and territories for the Esp...
26/03/2026
Telestream has announced expanded integration between its Vantage workflow platf...
26/03/2026
FOR-A Corporation has announced a partnership with Nippon TV and NVIDIA to distr...
26/03/2026
CBS Sports and the WNBA have expanded their partnership through a new long-term, multiplatform rights agreement. CBS Sports will feature up to 20 regular-season...
26/03/2026
Zac Brown Band will star in the Sunday Night Baseball show open on NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports announced. The open was filmed at American Family Field, home of ...
26/03/2026
Major League Baseball opens the 2026 season with nationally televised games across multiple media partners. Fans can visit MLB.com/Watch for a complete schedule...
26/03/2026
DIRECTV has announced an agreement to carry nine new MLB-operated team channels, covering the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers (Detroit SportsNet), Kansas City R...
26/03/2026
Nationals.TV, the Washington Nationals' local broadcast channel, is now avai...
26/03/2026
Starting Thursday, March 26, MLB.TV will be available on the ESPN App, giving fans access to more than 2,000 out-of-market regular season games. Fans can also r...
26/03/2026
Spotify's partnership with NAVER, Korea's leading digital platform, is built around one simple goal: making it easier for listeners in Korea to discover...
26/03/2026
Exclusive to ComposerCloud for first month
Sample library and virtual instrument gurus EastWest have announced the upcoming release of a new virtual drum i...
26/03/2026
Friday 27 March
Friday 27 March will mark Dynamic Range Day 2026, the annual day of online activity that was started in 2010 by mastering engineer Ian Sheph...
26/03/2026
Includes four separate instruments
Max Richter's SRM Sounds venture have just announced their fifth release, ASMR Choir. Captured at the main live room ...
26/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), has been tasked with administering the Sixth Presi...
26/03/2026
By Matt Klein
Hello to everyone reading this - whether you're a current YEP, HPA member, or just YEP-curious. I'm Matt Klein, one of the co-chairs of t...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
28 participating companies, from start-ups to blue-chips, lead the UK Group as part of the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland presence across all the Halls at N...
26/03/2026
Arkona Unveils BLADE//planner and Major Usability Enhancements at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
New graphical configuration tool and...
26/03/2026
Bitfocus showcases complete control at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
Continuing development drives advances in security, availa...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Nevion introduces powerful new Panel Builder to enhance VideoIPath broadcast con...
26/03/2026
2026 Oscar Nominated Films Powered by Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 25, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio used on 27 of this year's no...
26/03/2026
Leader to present full suite of advanced Test & Measurement solutions at NAB Sho...
26/03/2026
Boston Conservatory to Present New England and Collegiate Premiere of Groundbrea...
26/03/2026
Thursday 26 March 2026
HBO Max included for Sky and NOW customers from 26 March...
26/03/2026
Thursday 26 March 2026
Sky Sets Iconic Costumes Dancing Together Like Never Before' in Brand CampaignTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy o...
26/03/2026
Wuppertal March 26, 2026
CS live Builds Future-Ready OB Van With Riedel MediorNet and hi Control SystemRiedel Communications today announced that Czech-based ...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
Have a Wish Worth Dying For? Netflix's First Korean YA Hor...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
The Truthers, Starring Jose Coronado and St phanie Magnin, Pre...
26/03/2026
Enhancements to Harmonic's Sports Streaming Solution Introduce Server-Side Multiview, Contextual Metadata-Driven Advertising, Dynamic In-Stream Ads and Robu...
26/03/2026
Open the report
Our 2025 report brings together results from 79 business magazine titles across 22 market sectors, published by 49 media owners. Over the year,...
26/03/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
26/03/2026
RT Commercial today announced Fiat as sponsor of The Louise Duffy Show on RT Radio 1, Weekdays 3pm 4pm.
The Louise Duffy Show is the home of daytime music...
26/03/2026
That gaming backlog won't clear itself - GeForce NOW is here to help. Stream the latest titles straight from the cloud across a variety of devices.
This we...
26/03/2026
Wayne, N.J., March 26, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the latest product li...
Each semester, dozens of Berklee students swap their Berklee IDs for passports, traveling across the ocean to study at Berklee's campus in Valencia, Spain. Located on the country's east coast, Valencia is a vibrant, friendly city known for its musical richness. Berklee Valencia offers four master's degree programs, classes for undergraduates who spend either a semester or their first year in Valencia, and summer programs focusing on performance, opera, and symphonic bands. 
