Final Week in Boston

-->In my last week of the Five-Week music program, there were hundreds of final performances given by all the various classes, ensembles, and special programs.  In one particular evening concert, I watched someone who looked like Barbie grant 17 wishes. 

Many of the best students attending the Berklee Five-Week were in a program called City Music, “a nonprofit education program… that connects Berklee City Music in Boston with like-minded music programs all over the country” (http://berkleecitymusicnetwork.org/about.html).  These “city music” kids were often some of the best in their home city and they all attended this summer program on a full scholarship.  The city music students gave a final awe-inspiring concert on the last Wednesday of the program.  At the end, City Music awarded 17 full-tuition scholarships to Berklee’s four-year degree program.  To give you a scale as to how much money was being handed out, one year’s tuition is $37,586. 

The tension in the concert hall was palpable as the Barbie-esque Emcee read though the list of names.  Anxiety increased as she gave various clues to tease the audience into thinking they knew the identity of each recipient.  People would call out the names of their friends who they thought matched the Emcee’s description.  Then the crowd would become silent as one person stepped forward.  The audience was alive with shouts and alternating screams of joy and quiet despair. 

I knew most of the people called to the stage.  I knew the drummer from New Orleans who gave everyone a big hug and I knew the singer-songwriter who burst into tears when her name was called.  I also knew the people who sobbed afterwards—they didn’t receive a scholarship and now their only option was student loans.

Jazz Ensemble Performance

I also played in final performances corresponding to all my ensembles.  They weren’t nearly as high stress as the concert mentioned above.  All I had to do was concentrate on remembering our arrangements and smile for the camera.  I performed with the Five Week orchestra, a jazz ensemble, and a free-improvisation ensemble.  The video shown above is from my orchestra performance, taken by my roommate Francesca.  They all went about how I expected them to.  We all made the same mistakes we’d made in our practices.  It was fun to put into practice everything I’d been practicing so hard over the previous weeks.  Performing put the music in context—we don’t play jazz to read notes off a page, we play jazz to improvise and either make mistakes or play what we hear in our heads. 

Here are some YouTube links to some of the bigger deal, and better, final concerts held in the Berklee Performance Center.  I can’t find some of my favourites, but if I can find them later, I will post them. 

The Rock Workshop ensemble http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPYr82ru7No (note the guitar solo at 3:17) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7ZH5Ad4NKo

Five-Week Jazz choir http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hacJgWCsk0c

Five-Week vocal night concert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFiEJD2QZdk

1:35=Balkan and Middle Eastern fusion ensemble

20:00=choir

40:00=musical theatre, music from SMASH

1:10:00

Jazz All star band http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf1dpjMlNoo (auditions were held for this ensemble at the beginning of the first week, some of the best jazz musicians attending Five

 Week are in this ensemble)