By Nikole Luebbe, President of Berklee’s Student Government Association

Berklee College of Music recently went through the process of reaccreditation, which happens only once every ten years. Basically, holding a degree from an accredited higher learning establishment means that you and the college are expected to meet certain standards, and when it comes time for you to start looking for jobs and internships, your degree will hold up to any standards your future employers may have.

Here’s a quick rundown of what Berklee students need to know about the reaccreditation process:

• Camille Colatosti ran the reaccreditation process as our Berklee representative, while the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) provided Berklee with an astute team of college accreditation experts.

• Essentially, when a college asks to be accredited they are looking for several end results that will better their academic community. Accreditation is great for students because it gives the degree obtained more meaning and higher merit. The college benefits from accreditation by exposing the campus, both strengths and weaknesses, to a team of collegiate experts who have a vast wealth of information and advice on what to improve to make the system here at Berklee run like a well-oiled machine.

• From March 3-6, 2013, the NEASC team attended meetings, classes, performances, dinners, luncheons, and forums at Berklee. They took diligent notes about our learning environment, and they even took the time to hold a students-only meeting to find out what we think works here at Berklee, and what could stand to be improved upon. Their final report is expected to be released by May 15, 2013.

• The NEASC team will rate Berklee’s performance as a college in several different categories, which include everything from our mission statement, to our financial aid, to our technology. Berklee must meet certain requirements for each standard in order to be reaccredited. The team will also the perspectives of faculty, staff, and students into consideration, which helps them identify strengths and weaknesses within the school. If Berklee passes on all of the standards, we will become reaccredited.

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The most recent self-study for reaccreditation (2013) can be found at berklee.edu/pdf/NEASC/NEASC-Self-Study.pdf.

For more information about NEASC and the accreditation process, visit cihe.neasc.org/about_accreditation/regional_accreditation_overview.

For a full list of schools accredited by NEASC, visit cihe.neasc.org/about_our_institutions/roster_of_institutions.

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The Berklee A&R/Artist Development Group proudly presents the 2013 Berklee A&R Showcase, featuring the top artists and bands from this semester’s auditions: Charles Johnson, Laure Zaehringer, Think, Alexa Dexa, Marnie, Raven Katz, and Powder Monkey.

Date: Thursday, April 25, 2013
Time: 8:00 PM
Venue: The Red Room @ Cafe 939, Boston, MA
Admission: FREE!
Click here to RSVP.
For more information on the A&R Group, email berkleeanr@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page.

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“Flying solo and flying high….his debut solo show goes down a storm.” - NME

Are you ready for another night full of FREE FOOD and giveaways?! This time, Universal Music on Campus and The Berklee Groove are hitting you up with an exclusive on-campus movie screening!

Remember the song “Wonderwall“? Well, the former Oasis genius, Noel Gallagher, is BACK and doing it big – and you get to see it all! Head over to Berklee’s Student Activities Center Lounge THIS TUESDAY, April 9th, from 7-9 to check out Noel Gallagher’s “International Magic Live At The O2“, a screening packed with exclusive footage featuring Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds live at London’s O2, the biggest Arena show Noel’s band have played to date.
As always, we’ll have a bunch of free food and giveaways!

(Event co-hosted by Universal Music on Campus + The Berklee Groove)
Check out the details below + we’ll see you on Tuesday!

WHAT: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds Live – Screening
WHEN: Tuesday, April 9th // 7-9 PM
WHERE: Berklee Student Activities Center Lounge 
WHO: Universal Music on Campus + The Berklee Groove
Click here to RSVP to the Facebook Event!

Want to find out more about Noel Gallagher and the movie we’ll be screening? Check out the info below!

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International Magic Live At The O2 is packed with exclusive footage featuring Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds live at London’s O2 on Feb 26, 2012, the biggest Arena show Noel’s band have played to date. International Magic Live At The 02 will be available in three formats: a video download, 2 disc DVD version and Blu-ray with exclusive CD.

“Ride The Tiger” is a 20 minute film includes three of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds videos – directed by Mike Bruce. The trilogy sees “If I Had A Gun….”, “The Death Of You and Me” and “AKA…What A Life!” linked together to create one continuous film (“…the most successful video trilogy of all time…” – Entertainment Weekly). It also features snippets of “Shoot A Hole Into The Sun” – one of the tracks Noel recorded with The Amorphous Androgynous.

The NME Awards saw Noel win Godlike Genius where he also played the closing set of the night, bringing the star-studded crowd to their feet – all captured on disc 2 of the DVD. Additionally, the Blu ray edition package will include an exclusive CD – “Faster Than The Speed Of Magic” featuring all the demos of album tracks, B sides and previously unreleased live favorite – “Freaky Teeth.”

· www.noelgallagher.com/
· www.facebook.com/noelgallaghermusic
· www.myspace.com/noelgallagher
· www.twitter.com/noelgallagher
· www.youtube.com/noelgallaghertv

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Here’s one more perk of being a student at the world’s top contemporary music school to add to the list: In an effort to “bring music back to MTV,” the cable television channel has selected Berklee College of Music to represent part of their new series on the lives of musicians.

“With such a diverse student body and alumni who have received 229 Grammy awards, this was a no-brainer for us,” said an MTV rep.

From hosting the Real World series to premiering America’s Best Dance Crew and airing Jersey Shore, MTV has introduced some of the most widely recognized pop culture icons across the country. However, strong efforts are now being made to refocus primary broadcasting with the channel’s original intent of playing music to promote upcoming artists. In summer 2014, MTV plans to launch a new segment series, My MTV Music Moment, that will feature music and life stories from aspiring musicians.

Now is your chance to star in MTV’s new series and have your music heard across the country. Along with four other musicians from different areas and backgrounds, the series will follow the daily life of one currently enrolled Berklee student, ultimately leading to his or her “MTV Music Moment” – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform for a national audience to culminate the season finale.

MTV scouts will be on campus from April 2 through April 5, so look and sound your absolute best! They have received permission from the college to attend student recitals, drop in on ensembles, and access all rehearsal spaces this week to find Berklee’s top talent. If there’s any time to put yourself out there, this week is it. Don’t miss out on such an incredible opportunity to share your story with millions!

[Editor's Note, 4/1/13, 6:06 PM: Happy April Fools, Groovers.]

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Submitted by Liz Lupton

Berklee College of Music and YouTube present the first Berklee YouTube Hack Day, an exclusive viral video training ground for Berklee students. Following four hours of TED-style talks by successful alumni and industry experts (March 30), an expected 500 Berklee student participants will have 21 hours to shoot, edit, and post a brand new video on YouTube to be reviewed by the Hack Day panelists the following day (March 31). Videos will be posted to a playlist on Berklee’s YouTube channel and will be promoted by Berklee and AJ Rafael, a Hack Day panelist.            

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Sat., 3/30: 10:10 – 10:35 a.m. – Nils Gums ‘06, CEO and president of the Complex Group, manager of Karmin with over 211 million views, and RAWsession, an artist development tool for breaking artists, discusses why YouTube is the best platform for launching a music career.

11:00 – 11:35 a.m. – AJ Rafael ‘10, YouTube artist with over 97 million views, covers creating relatable videos and combating stage fright.

12:00 – 12:35 p.m. – Ben Meyers ‘14, Berklee student, professional videographer, founder of 21 Summit Productions, and member of Me vs. Gravity, discusses making a great video with tools one already has.

1:00 – 1:30 p.m. – Ryan Nugent, YouTube Lead Strategist and Next Lab Partner Development, demystifies YouTube with tips on optimizing metadata and channel management strategies to retain viewers.

1:50 p.m. – Charlie Puth ‘14, Berklee student with over 40 million YouTube views, and AJ Rafael will give the 21-hour video challenge instructions.

Sun., 3/31: 1:00 p.m. – The expert panel will showcase selected submissions and offer feedback to registrants on their work.

WHERE: Berklee Perfomance Center, 136 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston

WHEN: March 30, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. & March 31, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

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Register here: berklee.edu/hack-day

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Submitted by Nick Balkin

Premier funk, pop, and R&B drummer John Blackwell, best known for his work with Prince, Justin Timberlake, and Patti LaBelle, has been named associate professor of percussion at his alma matter, Berklee College of Music. He began teaching this semester. Born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, Blackwell started learning drums at age 3 from his father, John Blackwell Sr., a drummer who played with Mary Wells, King Curtis, the Drifters, the Spinners, and others. He played jazz clubs regularly as a teen, and at 17, he landed his first high profile show with swing bandleader Billy Eckstine. After high school, he enrolled at Berklee College of Music.

“John studied with me just about his entire time at Berklee,” recalls John Ramsay, chair of the college’s percussion department. “I knew he was good, but it wasn’t until some time after he graduated, when I caught him playing on TV with Patti LaBelle, that I realized the full spectrum of his abilities and talent. I remember thinking, ‘man, this must be one of those old Motown session guys,’ then the camera went to the drummer and, to my surprise, it was John Blackwell.”

After graduating in 1995, Blackwell joined the funk band Cameo, a three-year gig. In 1998, he moved to Los Angeles and was recruited by Patti LaBelle, playing on her Grammy-winning album Live! One Night Only. He met Prince while performing with LaBelle in Minneapolis. After a tour with Japanese singer Hikaru Utada, he joined Prince’s band, the New Power Generation. Blackwell played with Prince for 12 years, appearing on his Grammy-nominated album, N.E.W.S., and his Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas DVD. Since leaving Prince’s band in 2004, Blackwell has toured or recorded with Justin Timberlake, Diddy, Crystal Kay, Charlie Singleton, and Maze, to name just a few.

With his own band, the John Blackwell Project, he released the album 4Ever Jia, a tribute to his late daughter, Jia. In 2004, Blackwell established the Jia Kennie Blackwell Memorial Scholarship, which supports outstanding female musicians at Berklee.

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