The New Academic Year Begins

Just as August gave way to September, the 1,100 members of the class of 2016 arrived in Boston for the start of a new academic year. This year’s convocation offered respite for the entering students and their parents from moving suitcases, instruments, and more into dorms during the heat of the Labor Day weekend.

Speaking to the audience enjoying the cool temperature of the Berklee Performance Center on September 2, Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students Lawrence Bethune welcomed the new class. “Berklee is the ultimate global community of musicians,” he said. “And Berklee is where you belong. You all have a lot in common and a lot of differences. What we all have in common binds us together, and the differences help to make us fascinating, colorful, vibrant, and creative souls.”

Continuing, Lawrence Simpson, senior vice president for academic affairs, encouraged the new students saying, “It’s not how far you’ve come, but how hard you are willing to work now that you are here.” Voice Professor Armsted Christian asked the new class to remember the time when music first became important in their lives. He told them not to forget the effort their parents made to get them to this point and to take advantage of their time at Berklee. “Plan to leave here better than you were when you walked in,” Christian said. “Don’t let your minimum become your maximum.” Student speaker Aubree Bowman—who graduated in May as a music education major—added, “Be innovative, take risks, and enjoy your journey. Set high standards and preserve the legacy of Berklee’s alumni.”

Taking the podium, President Roger H. Brown also encouraged diligent effort. “Look at the track record of Berklee alumni: 222 Grammy winners, 64 Latin Grammy winners—Emmys, Gilmores Tonys, Fulbrights, and Guggenheims. The Berklee curriculum works. Do the work and you will thrive.” In closing, Brown quoted William Jennings Bryan who said, “Destiny is no matter of chance. Destiny is a matter of choice.” “You’ve made a choice,” Brown said, “you’ve come here. We are going to help you achieve your destiny.”

A concert followed and offered an array of contrasting music. The most exotic sounds came from the Contemporary Indian Ensemble, directed by Voice Instructor Annette Philip. The group featured 16 singers and eight instrumentalists blending the voices with the sounds of tabla drums, violin, bass, electric guitar, saxophone, piano, and mandolin in songs by Indian composers A.R. Rahman and M. Mudgal.

The Mike Bono Group, a student jazz quintet led by composer and guitarist Mike Bono, followed with a pair of Bono’s original contemporary jazz pieces. Of note were Christian Li’s romping piano solo in “Before You Know” and Matthew Halpin’s tenor sax solo on “Statue Chess.” The Berklee P-Funk Ensemble, directed by Assistant Professor Lenny Stallworth, got the audience grooving for the concert finale. The group of six singers and 10 instrumentalists brought on a party atmosphere singing four Parliament Funkadelic tunes while sporting such P-Funk trademarks as big sunglasses, a ray gun, colorful outfits, and capes. The refrains of “We got the funk,” “Feet, don’t fail me now,” and “One nation under a groove” sent the audience dancing out of the hall.

A few days later, on Friday, September 7, Berklee administrators, faculty, and staff gathered for Opening Day events. The seventh annual opening day set the stage for the new academic year by noting past achievements and sharing ideas on how to best serve the students and cultivate a supportive learning environment. Larry Simpson detailed five goals of Berklee’s 2015 vision statement that have been realized. They include the comprehensive curriculum review, acquisition of new facilities, offering graduate degrees, online courses for on-campus students, and the enrollment strategy to interview and audition all applicants. “Nothing is out of control at Berklee,” Simpson said, “except our zeal for this work.”

For his part, President Brown highlighted the backgrounds of members of the entering class. Among those mentioned were a new Berklee student who is also enrolled in medical school, a rapping French horn player, and a student from Mongolia who is somewhat of a rock star in his home country after selling many thousands of records. Brown spoke about the findings of a student satisfaction survey that was normed against hundreds of other American colleges. “Of the 20 most salient variables, we were up in all but one,” Brown noted. He spoke of student retention rates being at historic highs—in part because of increasing scholarship aid to $33 million. In closing, Brown said, “Some students have come from 10,000 miles away. They believe in us, they trust us. Let’s make sure that Berklee is all that we promised them it would be and have a magnificent year.”

This year’s keynote speakers were guitarist Jason Crigler ’89 and his sister Marjorie Crigler. They detailed Jason’s improbable recovery from a massive stroke that occurred while he was onstage. Video footage illustrated how impaired he was initially. Defying the odds of ever resuming life as he knew it, Jason ultimately triumphed through the support of his family, his love for music, and gritty personal determination. Crigler earned a prolonged standing ovation from the opening day crowd after singing and accompanying himself on a poignant song he penned following his recovery.

Upbeat and inspired, the Berklee community left energized for the challenges of the unfolding academic year.