Two Summers, Two Continents: How One Teen Found His Sound at Berklee In back-to-back programs in Boston and Valencia, Spain, guitarist Miles Sam sharpened his craft, expanded his community, and set the stage for the next phase of his artistic life.
By
Jennifer H. McInerney
January 29, 2025
Miles Sam
Image courtesy of Capture Thee Moments Photography, LLC
Each summer, thousands of young artists take part in more than 30 Berklee summer programs designed to hone their talents in music performance, theater, dance, music production, songwriting, and music business. The faculty for Berklee Summer Programs (BSP) includes Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winners as well as acclaimed visiting artists who educate students in clinics and workshops. These comprehensive programs for students 12 and over range from beginner to advanced and from two days to 12 weeks in Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, and Berklee's campus in Valencia, Spain.
Recently, Miles Sam, a senior at Duke Ellington High School of the Arts in Washington, DC, had the rare opportunity to immerse himself in not one but two of Berklee's unique summer programs during consecutive summers-first in the Valencia program and then in the Aspire Five-Week Performance Intensive in Boston.
For Sam, both the Valencia and Aspire programs further fueled his musical ambitions and helped him to evolve in innumerable ways.
These experiences made me more open-minded as a musician, he says. It was amazing to meet a whole bunch of young musicians with a range of talents, tools, and resources. It really gave me a new perspective on the artist's mindset.
Elevate Your Musicianship in Just Five Weeks
Join students from 70+ countries at Aspire, the world's most comprehensive summer performance program. Sam grew up in a musical family in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his parents' colorful New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival posters adorning the walls of his home. He's even nicknamed after a beloved jazz legend. (His full name is Albert Devon Sam III.)
Though he started playing acoustic guitar at the age of 7, it wasn't until age 12 that he discovered his true passion: the electric guitar. During the pandemic shutdown in 2020, Sam moved with his family to the DC area, where they hunkered down along with the rest of the world. One night, Sam watched the 1984 film Purple Rain, starring Prince, and realized that music was my calling, he recalls. Having that time of reflection to focus on music really brought it all out in me.
While Prince continues to reign as his musical icon, Sam also counts Roy Hargrove 89, Miles Davis, and Carlos Santana among his enduring influences. Sam now plays many musical styles, gravitating toward jazz, R&B, and funk in school ensembles as well as solo.
Recognizing his burgeoning talents, Sam's parents encouraged his interests and researched additional musical training programs-ultimately narrowing the search to Berklee.
A Summer of Discovery in SpainDuring the summer before his junior year, in 2023, Sam's first musical adventure with BSP brought him overseas to the city of Valencia, Spain, a thriving cultural center where Berklee has a state-of-the-art campus. Students in the program engage in musicianship and theory courses, instrument seminars, and recording music ensembles that enhance their skills and improve their overall artistry.
[Valencia] was a beautiful learning experience; the whole time I was there, I never stopped learning.
- Miles Sam
Upon arrival, Sam became immediately immersed in the culture, music, and collegial atmosphere of this diverse community.
In Valencia, it was exciting to meet students from all over the world and see how music shapes us all, he says.
Over the course of the two-week program, Sam enjoyed the intimate small-group guitar technique classes, the diligent instructors, the strong ensembles, frequent jam sessions on stage, and forming bonds with other students while sharing the international language of music.
We had lots of opportunities for self-expression, he adds. It was a beautiful learning experience; the whole time I was there, I never stopped learning.
As an added bonus to his time in Spain, Sam discovered salsa music. For me, it was a whole new art form and I found out I loved it-the horns and the tight rhythm sections. It's punchy and in-your-face and beautiful.
A Summer of Opportunity in BostonAfter his illuminating experience in Valencia, Sam looked forward to spending another summer of music-making with Berklee, this time as part of the Aspire Five-Week Performance Intensive program at the college's Boston campus. This precollege program offers students the option to earn college credit while they study with the world's leading music educators in Berklee's top-of-the-line facilities. The core curriculum includes private instruction, instrumental labs, ensembles, musicianship, theory in performance, and more, as well as electives in production, composition and arranging, music business, music therapy, scoring, songwriting, and creative entrepreneurship.
Compared to the intimacy of the Valencia program, the Aspire community was much larger and even more multicultural, drawing students from 70-plus countries.
I knew most of the students in Valencia and got to know people really well, but in the Aspire program I met someone new every day and got to hear new players all the time.
And the Aspire program truly lived up to its name. It was intense in the best possible way, Sam observes. It was productive. I was growing musically every minute.
Spend the Summer of a Lifetime at Berklee
Join thousands of artists who come each summer to explore, create, and refine their artistry. In addition to the rigorous instruction, he appreciated the 24/7 open practice rooms, which gave him the sp
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Two Summers, Two Continents: How One Teen Found His Sound at Berklee In back-to-back programs in Boston and Valencia, Spain, guitarist Miles Sam sharpened his craft, expanded his community, and set the stage for the next phase of his artistic life.
