Bcrklcc - Berklee College of Music

Spring1990
Bcrklcc
to
A Forumfor Contempor~ry
Music and Musicians
12
AlanSilvestri "70 onScoringthe Hits
19
Tendinitis: Preventionand Cure
32
Myth and MIDI
35 3~EARS
1090BoylstonStreet
Boston MA02215
617-536-0066
800-533-3388
1052MainStreet
East Haffford, CT06108
203-291-8479
800-468-7332
177W.Main Street
Avon, CT06001
203-676-8707
SPRING 1990
VOLUME ¯ I
NUMBER ¯
3
Contents
LEAD SHEET by President
Lee Eliot
Berk
..............
2
BERKLEE
BEATedited by Alma Berk
TheLawrenceand AlmaBerkRecital Hall, Yamaha
Salutes Berklee, Visiting Artists,
This Summer’s Seminars, and President Berk at B.U ...........
3
FACULTY
PROFILE:JEFFSTOUTGOES
OUTTOPLAY
Jeff Stout ’68 finds the balance betweenteaching and blowinghis ownhorn.
ON THECOVER:Composer
Alan Silvestri ’70 discusses
the techniques and trends
of film scoring, starting on
page 12. Silvestri photo by
Chris Hunter. Who Framed
Roger Rabbit? © 1988
Touchstone Pictures and
Amblin Entertainment, Inc.
.7
RETURNING
ALUMNI:COMING
BACKFORMORE
Each semester, more and more returning alumni are finding old friends and new
growth at Berklee, and a new resolve to finish wlhat they started .......
9
ALANSILVESTRI:TOTHEABYSS
ANDBACKby Andrew Taylor
The scoring composerbehind such films as WhoFramedRoger Rabbit?, The Abyss,
andBackto the FutureI, H,and III reflects on the art andscienceof his craft.
.12
TEACHING
ROCK
& ROLLby Robert K. Myers
Musiceducators whowantto teach rock &roll should makesure they’re not doingthe
right
thing
for the wrong reasons
.................
TENDINITIS:PREVENTION
& CURE
by Stephen Carter
That pain in your armcould be trying to tell yousomething.AssociateProfessor of
Guitar Stephen Carter discusses what that message might be ........
19
ALUMNOTES
News, quotes,
and recordings
of note
...............
SHOPTALK
Newsfrom AES,Songwriters Expo, the SMPTE
Conference, and elsewhere.
23
3O
CODA:MYTH
ANDMIDI hy Steven Wilkes ’80
Like Pandora’s legendary box, MIDIequipmentholds manyunpleasant surprises.
Here’s how to avoid them and why you might not want to ........
32
LEAD SHEET
A Publicationof theOfficeof Development
Faculty Focus
Director
JohnCollins
Managing
Editor
Andrew
Taylor
Feaeure
Editors
AlmaBerk
ChiefPublicAffairsOfficer
CollegeNews
andAlumniFeatures
Lawrence
McClellan,
Jr.
Chairman,
Professional
Education
Division
Music
Education
andGeneralEducation
Features
LarryMonroe
’70
Chairman,
Professional
Performance
Division
Performance
Features
TedPease
’66
Chairman,
Professional
WritingDivision
Composition
Features
DonaldPuluse
Chairman,
MusicTechnology
Division
MusicTechnology
Features
Production
Consultant
Judith
Lucas,
Directorof Publications
Copy
Editor
Stephen
Melisi
Design
Consultants
Brady& PaulCommunications,
Inc.
Coordinator
of Alumni
Relations
CarrieSemanco
’86
Assistant
to theOfficeof Development
Chika0kamoto
’87
As the alumni-orientedmusicmagazineof the Berklee
Collegeof Music,Berkleetoday is dedicatedto informing, enriching, and serving the extendedBerkleecommunity. By sharing informationof benefit to alumniabout
collegematters, musicindustryevents, alumniactivities
andaccomplishments,
andmusicaltopics of interest, we
hopeBerklee todaywill becomeboth a valuableforumfor
our family throughoutthe worldand an importantsource
of commentaryin contemporarymusic.
Berkleetodayis publishedthree times a year bythe Office
of Development.
Addresschanges,press releases, letters
to the editor, alumninews, advertising inquiries, and
reader comments
should be addressed to Berklee today,
BerkleeCollegeof Music,1140BoylstonStreet, Boston,
MA02215, (617) 266-1400, extension 438. Alumniare
invited to mailactivities materials suitable for feature
coverageto the chief public affairs officer; or AlmaBerk
can be reachedat extension 236. Submissionsaccepted.
2
Berklee to day
President
Lee Eliot
Berk
~
olleges traditionally struggle with educational values
related to the identity of their faculty. Researchand
scholarship, publication, public recognition, ability to
secure grants, and teaching all competeas the leading basis
for faculty recognition.
In a recent and important restatement of our values and
priorities, Berklee has explicitly recognized teaching,
advising, and related duties as the primary contribution of
our faculty. Faculty are expected to demonstrate the
cumulative impact of consistent continuing efforts to
improvethe effectiveness of their teaching. In addition,
faculty are expected to stay current with developing
methods, evolution of the discipline, the impact of technology on teaching and learning music, and other needs in
their area of teaching responsibility.
Weare pleased and proud that so manyof our faculty
do, in fact, lead the wayas professional music educators.
Manydo so in addition to maintaining professional visibility and involvement. At Berklee, this double role as
teacher and music professional plays an important part as
a positive role modelfor our students.
To maintain constant growth and improvement in our
education, faculty are also encouragedto offer feedbackto
the college. This feedback often occurs in department and
division education committee meetings where faculty and
chairpersons :regularly meet to identify needs, monitor
progress, and establish new goals. The Faculty Teaching
and Curriculum Committee also makes important contrib.utions to this process.
To assist faculty in improvingteaching and instruction
within the college, Berklee annually supports the attendance, participatiori, and presentation of manyfaculty at
music educator and music industry conferences throughout the country and the world. The results are shared with
colleagues through conference reports and discussions,
and the highlights of a small sampling of these are published in Berklee today. There are also a wide range of
internal programs and activities devoted to the improvement of teaching and instruction whichare assisted by the
Faculty Development Advisory Committee.
Many strands of these various approaches will be
brought together with the establishment this year of an
Office of Faculty Instructional Development. This will
give recognition, support, and focus to the important
efforts of so manyindividual faculty whoare makingsuch
valuable cont:dbutions.
Spring1990
Berklee
beat
musicbusiness. Coster and
his son recently completed
an albumtogether on Fantasy Records.
Bassist/producer Victor
The Berklee Visiting
Artist Series continues to Bailey’79 recalledhis years
bring a wide variety of with WayneShorter and Joe
musicprofessionals to the Zawinulin WeatherReport
News of not¢
collegefor clinics, seminars, during his Visiting Artist
andmaster classes. Through clinic. "It was very, very
the program,students meet hard, like being in the
with and learn fromexperi- army," he said. "Wemight
enced professionals and goover onebar for six hours
gain informedperspectives until that onebar felt right.
Butthat’s whythe bandwas
on the musicindustry.
Keyboardist TomCos- so good." Bailey encourter spenttwodaysat Berklee aged students "to knowas
with his son, Berkleealum- much about music and to
Saxophonist
DaveLiebmannus TomCoster, Jr. ’87, be as inquisitive as youcan
be" in order to succeed.
demonstrates
improvisationspeaking with students
Founder and President
techniques
duringa Visiting about synthesizer performance techniques and the of Telarc Records Jack
Artistclinic.
VISITINGARTISTS
SHAREINSIGHT
from about
town and
around the
world
Spring1990
Renner discussed techniques for preparing a recording control room.
Speaking with Rennerwas
DMPRecords founder and
engineer Tom Jung and
Peter D’Antonio,president
of RPGDiffusers, Inc. All
three stressed the importance of ensuringan acoustically correct control room
before the recording process begins. "If the engineer
is not totally familiar with
the sound of the monitors
at the start of the session,"
Rennersaid, "the temptation is to start movingmicrophonesarounduntil the
monitor system sounds
right. Thisis a classic case
of the tail wagging
the dog."
Otherguests in the Visiting Artist series included
saxophonist/educator Dave
Liebmanwhooffered several approachesto improvisation. Bassist John Patitucci gavea clinic/lecture
during a break in his tour
with the Chick Corea
Akoustic Band. He discussed the challenges of
trying to advancehis technique on both the electric
and acoustic bass.
In the final eventof the
1989Visiting Artist series,
the jazz vocal quintet New
York Voices capped off a
national tour with a master
class and an evening concert in the BerkleePerformance Center. Their debut
albumwasreleased by GRP
Recordslast summer.
Berklee today
3
LAWRENCE
AND
ALMABERK
RECITAL
HALL
October 16 markedthe
grand openingof Berklee’s
newlyrenovatedrecital hall
locatedin the college’s1140
BoylstonStreet building. At
the opening celebration,
attendedby Berkleefaculty,
friends, andtrustees, President Lee Eliot Berk announcedthe dedication of
the hall as the Lawrence
and
AlmaBerkRecital Hall. The
dedication recognized the
vision and continuing efforts of Berkleefounderand Berklee
founder
andChancelior
Lawrence
BerkandChiefPublicAffairs0fficerAlma
Berk.
Chancellor LawrenceBerk
and his wife, Chief Public openedto Berklee students companion
recital halls on for in-class playback of
Affairs Officer AlmaBerk. in 1965,it has beenfull of this floor andin an adjoin- musicalexamples,as well as
Their guidanceand inspira- music almost every day of ing building and improve- a video projection system
tion in the past andto this the year. Wehopethat, for mentsin manyother facili- that canproject slides, preday have fostered the con- another25or 100years, this ties. Ourgoal is to improve recorded videotape, live
tinuing growthof Berklee. roomwill continue to be performance opportunity video material, or direct
Throughout
its rich his- the spawninggroundfor as and educationfor students feeds from a computer.
tory, the recital hall has much musical talent as and to keep pace with the
The original 1A recital
become a symbol of that we’vehad in the past."
state of the art.."
hall opened for Berklee
growthand success.
"This hall roundsout a
Toachievethat goal, the student~ performances in
"Youare sitting in one three-year programduring hall containst[he latest au- 1965.Sincethen, it has beof the most active concert whichthe college has spent dio and video technology comean integral part in the
halls on the face of the about two million dollars for both performance and college’s emphasison live
planet," said Professional in improving performance classroomuses.
performanceexperience.
Performance Division
facilities," explainedPresiThe room features a
Eachyear, B erklee sponChairman Larry Monroe dent Berk. "Thoserenova- built-in soundsystemwith sors approximately 700
’70. "Sincethis hall first tions have included our CDplayer and cassette deck concertsin its three recital
halls and the Berklee PerformanceCenter. The renovated Lawrence and Alma
BerkRecital Hall ensuresa
propersetting for students
to exploretheir talents and
improvetheir technique.
The ceremony concluded with an impressive
line-up of performersfrom
Berklee’s faculty--including Gary Burton ’61 and
the BerkleeAll Stars, as well
as Phil Wilson, Larry
Baione’71, and others.
"Wewant to start this
majorhall off in the right
direction in the best way
we know," said Larry
Monroeas the concert beTheLawrence
andAlma
BerkRecitalHall.
gan, "with music."
4
Berklee today
Spring
1990
YAMAHA
SALUTES
BERKLEE
YamahaCorporation of
Americagavea special salute to Berklee during a
ceremonyheld on September 28 at the BerkleePerformanceCenter.
Theevent, jointly sponsored by Yamaha’s SGD
(Synthesizer, Guitar, and
Drum) and Professional
Audio Divisions, recognized the support given to
Yamaha by ~he college
through its ongoing commitmentto quality contemporary musiceducation. An
afternoon program of
YamahaSGDand Professional Audio demonstrations, a performance
by the
Yamaha MIDI Band featuring guest artist Eric
Kloss,anda cocktail reception hosted by LaSalle
Music at its new Boston
location, roundedout the
day-longseries of activities.
Duringthe eveningceremony, Ron Raup, senior
vice president of Yamaha
Corporation of America,
presented a commemorative awardto President Lee
Eliot Berk, whoaccepted
the honor on behalf of the
entire college.
"Berklee College of
Music has continually
demonstratedexcellence in
preparing its students for
the crucialnextstepsin their
musiccareers," said Raup.
"Throughthis solid trainlng, Berkleestudents learn
how to make the most of
their artistic ability andof
the constantly evolving
Yamaha
digital musical instrumentsthat manyuse in
their profession. Together,
wechallenge each other in
extendingthe boundariesof
musiccreativity."
A YamahaMusic Technology Scholarship was
presented to two students
as part of the salute.
The YamahaMIDIBand
concluded the ceremony
with an invigoratingset of
jazz/pop favorites interspersed with originals.
Headlining the group was
saxophonist/compose’r/
educator Eric Kloss.
In acknowledging the
honors,PresidentBerkrecognized the two institutions’ common
goal of excellence in music."Berklee
is proudandgrateful to receive this recognition and
support from a company
whose accomplishments
rest on convictionsso close
tO our own."
B.U.President
John
Siilber(left) congratulates
PresidentBerkduring
B.U.’;;sesqz,
icentennial
celebration.
PRESIDENT
BI-’RKATB.U.
by Alma Berk
President Lee Eliot Berk was amonga group of
university officials f:rom around the world who
participated in the ceremonies
of BostonUniversity’s
Sesquicentennial observancein October.
TheSesquicentennialconvocationprogram,titled
"The Idea of the University: Obstaclesand Opportunities in ContemporarySociety," spanned two
days. Theguest speakersat the event weresociologist EdwardShils of Cambridge
University and the
University of Chicago, and NobelLaureate author
Saul Bellow.
President Berk, whoreceived his juris doctor
degree from B.U., offered congratulatory remarks,
thankingthe university for the excellent education
he received there, and extending Berklee’s wishes
for B.U.’sfuture success.Later, PresidentB erk joined
B.U. President John Silber and figures from the
worldof higher educationin their panel discussion
of the role of the universityin society. In appreciation for his participation, a bronzecommemorative
medallionwaspresentedto President Berkby Arthur
G.B.Metcalf, chairmanof the B.U. Boardof Trustees, PresidentSilber, andJon Westling,B.U.executive vice president.
capacity to house 283 students, bringing Berklee’s
In an effort to meetever- total housing capacity up
growing demandsfor stu- to 1000--approximately
dent housing, Berklee re- one-third of its student
cently purchased three
body. Thethree buildings’
buildings near its campus combined 63,500 square
in Boston’s historic Back feet include space for isoBay area. The buildings, lated practice units, office
locatedat 264, 266, and270 space, and student lounges.
Commonwealth Avenue,
After $1 millionin renopreviously served as dor- vation and repair, the dormitories for Chamberlayne mitories were prepared for
President
Berk(left) accepts
ancommemorative
award
from Junior College.
student occupancyin JanuYamaha
SeniorVicePresident
Ronald
Raup.
The newdormshave the ary of this year.
Spring
1990
Berklee today
5
NEWHOUSING
LEARNING
ASSISTANCE
For the past year,
Berklee’supdatedand renovated Learning Assistance
Lab has been providing
resources and learning
opportunities to students
eager to grow. Through
advanced computer-aided
instruction and innovative
programs, the lab and the
Learning Assistance Program have met the unique
instructional
needs of
Berkleestudents.
"The primary focus of
the programis to provide
educational resources for
Berkleestudents," explains
MikeBadolato, director of
the Learning Assistance
Program. "We’veset up a
programwhichis not only
Students
work
in theLearning
Assistance
Lal~,.
for people that need help
but for people whowantto
learn at their ownpace--at
anylevel."
As a voluntary resource
for students, the Learning
Assistance Programoffers
a widevariety of resources
and classes--from corn-
puter/MIDI-driven interval training to Englishas a
Second Languageclasses,
from personal tutoring to
advanced synthesizer sequencingon oneof the lab’s
five MIDIworkstations.
The mainobjective of the
program has been to meet
student needs. Since
Badolatosigned on as director last April, he has noticed that those needs are
always changing.
"We’realways redefining the program because
new needs pop up every
day," he says. "Weconstantly haveto define what
’learningassistance’ really
means."
Through the lab’s
knowledgeable
staff as well
as its five MIDIworkstations, six audiocassettelistening stations, vast selection of audio material, and
assortment of customand
off-the-shelf computerprograms, the LearningAssistance Programhas both the
flexibility andspecificityto
support Berkleestudents in
their intensive study of
music.
resources that can enhance
Pease ’66, Associate Proensemble, performance,
fessor Hal Crook’71, Commusic composition, and
mercial ArrangingDepartteaching situations. Both
ment ChairmanBob Freedworkshopswill run concurBerklee doesn’t close man,and AssociateProfesrently on August 13
down for the summer; it sor Alex Ulanowski. Also
through 17.
opens its doors even wider scheduledto speak at this
Of course, the summer
to sponsor important edu- year’s conferenceaye comof
1990
will also feature the
poser/educator
Bill.
Dobcational seminars, symposixth-annual
AlumniColbins
and
legendary
tromsiums,andclinics for music
lege
on
June
7,
8, and9. As
bonist
and
arranger,
Slide
educators and music proin past seminars,this year’s
fessionals. Thefour major Hampton.
AlumniCollege will focus
Two seminars in the
events planned for this
on "Technologyin Today’s
summerare sure to offer Berklee Music Educator
Music," offering discusvaluable instruction and SummerWorkshopseries
sions, overviews, and
insight to those whowant will give music educators
hands-on sessions in
Alumni
exph)re
synthesis
an opportunityto learn how
to learn.
Berklee’s advancedrecordtechniques
at
the
1989
modern
music
technology
The second annual Jazz
ing studios, synthesizer
Alumni
Collegle.
can
enhance
their
teaching
HarmonyConference will
labs, and homerecording
abilities.
"Computer,
Synconvene on August 23
facility.
The second seminar,
through 26. Sponsored by thesizer, and MIDIBasics
Thoseinterested in furBerklee’s Harmony De- for the Music Educator" "Music TechnologyApplither
informationon the Jazz
partment, this conference will offer an introductory cations for the MusicEduHarmony
Conference or
will host seminarsand lec- overviewof the tools, con- cator," will take a moreinthe
Music
Educator Workdepth
look
at
integrated,
tures by Berklee chairmen cepts, software used in
shops
should
contact Parker
innovative
ideas
for
school
contemporary
music
eduand faculty, paper presenBartlett
at
(617)
266-1400,
cation-including
handsmusic
programs.
Designed
tations by invited profesext.
256.
Alumni
interested
for
the
music
educator
on
sessions
with
Apple’s
II
sionals, and demonstrations
by special guests. Featured GSand Macintosh comput- knowledgeablein comput- in the Alumni College
speakers this summerwill ers, as well as the Kurzweil ers and synthesizers, this should contact the Office
include Professional Writ- K1000 and Casio VZ-1 workshopwill address cur- of Developmentat (617)
rent MIDI performance 266-1400,ext. 438.
ing Division ChairmanTed synthesizers.
Spring
1990
Berkleeto da y
6
THIS SUMMER’S
SEMINARS
FACULTY
PROFILE
Jeff Sto u t
Goes Out to Play
Andrew
so influenced by the teachers that I had," says
B was
Assistant Professor Jeff Stout ’68. "Theywereseri-
Taylor
Dorsey’strombonesound. That’s what I wantedto play.
So, mymothertook meto the musicstore and I asked for
ous musiciansand at the sametime willing to share their a trombone.Thesalesmansaid, ’Gee,kid, we’reall out of
knowledgewith their students. Andthey were able to trombones,try this.’ Andhe gave mea trumpet."
impart a real love and appreciation for the music. That
Stout took the instrument homeand loved it. He
changedmylife. I figured, if I could do the samething, foundin himselfan inten~sedesire to learn technique,inthen that is whatI’d like to do."
flection, and style. Throughlearning fromprivate teachJeff Stout has been pursuingthat goal at Berkleefor ers, listening to records, andstruggling throughhis 1000morethan 17 years. He’sa setune "fake book," Stout
rious musician, with three to
learried music by ear and by
five gigs a week.His concise
eye. Hecultivated his intuitive
approachto teaching trumpet
"feel" for melodylines as he
has made him a popular
built his technical, sight-readteacher. Hefeels that pursuing
ing, andtheoryskills. Bothapboth professional and educaproaches would be important
tional careersisn’t splitting his
to his future technique.
abilities, but enhancingthem.
Stout receivedhis bachelor’s
"Onefeeds the other," he
degree in Music Education
says. "I think I’m a better
from West Chester State
teacher becauseI continue to
College in Pennsylvania and
performprofessionally. AndI
his master’s degree from New
think I’m a better player beEngland Conservatory. In
causeI teach."
between, he spent a year
In the beginning, however,
studyingat Berklee, polishing
Stout didn’t dream of doing
his jazz performanceand jazz
both. Heonly wantedto play.
theoryskills.
In fact, he only wantedto play
His connections through
the trombone.
Berk]lee and through Boston
"WhenI was 9 or 10 years
gigging landed him a solo
old in the ’50s, the JackieGleatrumpet job with BuddyRich
son showwas taken over durand house band performances
ing the summersby the Dorsey
with Tony Bennett, Lou
Brothers, Tommy
and Jimmy. Stout
takesa solo:"3thinkI’ma betterteacher
because
Rawls, Judy Garland, Junior
I was thrilled with Tommy I continue
to perform
professionally."
Cook:, and others.
Spring
1990
Berkleeto day
7
TheBerklee
All Starshornsection
(left to right):Jim0dgren
’75, LarryMonroe
’70, andStout.
Joiningthe Berkleefaculty in 1972,
Stout discovered that teaching was
both a keyto his future anda connection to his past.
"Teachingis an incredible experience," he says. "It makesyou go back
and rememberwhat it was like when
youweretrying to learn the material.
Theproblemwith a lot of teachers is
that they forget what they went
through and they assumetoo much."
Stout’s success as a teacher is a
result of the sameblend of ingredients that makeshima successful professional musician--technicalskill,
experience, and a healthy dose of
improvisation. As a jazz performer,
he likes to stress the improvisation
in
his performanceand his lessons.
"Improvisation is somethingyou
can teach," he says. "Almost anybodycan get better if they workat it.
"The two most important skills
for an improvisorare the ability to
havegoodideas and goodmelodiesin
yourhead, andthe facility to instantaneously transfer those ideas onto
the instrument.Oneof the skills you
can develop is a knowledgeof your
instrumentso that whateveryou hear,
you can play"
8
Berklee today
To enhance knowledgeof the in- feels that his ownrealistic outlook
strument,Stout has his students learn has helpedhimsurvive as a musician.
"I’ve seena lot of really talented,
scales and scale patterns without using music. Oncethey figure o~t a excellent musicians whohave compattern in onekey, they then struggle pletely given it up, whodon’t play
through the next 11 keys on their anymore,"he says. "It’s almost alown.Thegoal is to removeconscious ways because they can’t cope with
thoughtfromplayingthe instrunctent. the realities of the musicbusiness.
"Youshouldbe able to think about Youhaveto be flexible. Evenon sowhatyou’re havingfor dinner at the called ’artistic’ jobs, thingsare never
ideal--the club is noisy, or youdon’t
sametime," he says.
or the acousticsare
Throughouthis 17 years of teach- like the drummer,
ing, Stout has found that, for many awful. Youhaveto be able to accept
students, learning improvisationre- that andmakethe best of it."
Jeff Stout has beenmakingthe best
quires a totally newthought process.
of
his workfor a lifetime of gigs.
"The side of your brain that is
Recent
favorites include a performtheoretical and analytical is often
ance
with
Harry Connick, Jr., nuhighly developed.Butthe other part,
that intuitivepart, often needsa lot of merous small combojobs, and his
work. The problem is, you become continuing work with Gary Burton
dependent upon the analytical ap- and the Berklee All Stars. But what
proachbecauseit’s familiar. Tolet go really keepsStout teaching, performof that andgo the other wayis diffi- ing, and practicing every day?
"I like to play.It’s oneof mygreatcult for a lot of people.It’s like learnest
pleasures,"he says. "I tell mywife
ing anotherinstrument.I think ][ was
that
if all the jobs that I havenow
lucky because I started off by just
suddenly
stopped and there was no
playing along with records and not
place else for meto play other than a
really knowingwhat I was doing."
marchingband in parades, I’d probaAlongwith improvisation skills,
Stoutlikes to stress the realities of the bly do that. I really like to play the
music industry to his students. He trumpet. That’s the bottomline." ~
Spring
1990
ALUMNI
Returning
SPECIAL
Alumni:
Coming Back for
Andrew
~
More
Taylor
eople always say to me, ’You’ve been away from this success?Aglanceat his credit listing.
school for so 10ng,howare you goingto adjust?’"
"I lookedup howmanyclasses I hadleft to finish, and
explains current Berklee student John Vandenheuvel."I it wasn’t much,"he says. "I wasjust so close, it would
just tell themthat if I sit downandlearn a recordoneday, havebeenridiculousnot to finish up after all that work."
it’s no different from being at Berkleethe next day. I
always kept mymusical learning process going. It was
like I had never left, believe it or not--even after 14
years."
Eachsemester, a growingnumberof alumni have returned to Berkleeto completetheir studies and receive
their degrees. Whetherthey originally left for professional opportunitiesor personalreasons, returning alumni
are finding old friends and newgrowthat Berklee, and a
newresolve to finish whatthey started.
Vandenheuvel
cut short his studies backin 1975after
completingfour semesters at Berklee. Duringhis years
aw.ay,he playedprofessionally, taught guitar, and worked
various jobs. Heevenbeganto study computers,in search
of anothercareer. But his love for musicpulled himback.
"I was halfwaythrough computerschool," he recalls.
"But it was becomingtoo muchtechnical information
with very little musicinvolved. I had alwaysplannedto
comeback to Berklee. But one thing or another kept me
away.Finally, everythingstarted comingtogether--I had
time, money,and I even foundan apartmentin Boston.It
felt as thoughthe doors wouldclose anyminute. I had to
walk through."
DrummerKevin Rapillo was pulled away from his
studies by the growingsuccessof his band, Kid Crash. He
had completedeight semestersby 1986, but felt it was
time to take a chancein the professionalworld. After two
and a half years of performingin Bostonand NewYork,
the band is shoppingfor a record contract through its After twoyearsplayingprofessionally,
KevinRapilloreNewYork manager. So what brought Rapillo back amid turned
to Berklee
to continue
hiss~udies
thispastfall.
Spring
1990
Berkleet o d a v
9
beenspent touring with her
Rapillo started back at
one-woman show, perschool this past fall with
forming with the band One
plans to completethe rePeople, and teaching voice
quirementsfor his diploma
at Bunker Hill Community
in Professional Music.
College. Throughout her
Despite their own
absense, Kelly had her eye
uniquestories, Vandenheuon returning whenthe situvel and Rapillo are not
ation allowed.
alone. Eachsemester, 100
"I just kept the faith and
or morestudents decide to
remained strong in my
continue their studies at
endeavors to receive a
Berklee after an absence.
Berkleedegree," she says.
And each year, the num"Finally, I said to myself,
bers have been growing
’Look, you must finish.’
steadily. This past fall, 106
Nowthat I’m going partstudents returned from
time, I can finish up. I feel
leaves of absence. Approxireally goodabout that."
mately 150 more are exAs a working teacher,
pectedto return this spring.
Kellyfinds the shift backto
Returning Student Coordistudentlife to be bothchalnator Gordon Pullan has
lenging and rewarding.
helped each one of themin
"I haveto makea transithe transition backto stution whenI comehere to
dentlife.
be a student and when I
"My job has been to
leave here to teach," she
plant the idea in their heads
says. "ButI love it because
to comeback, and then to
stuflentSylviaKellytakesa privatelesson
with I learn so much. As a
makeit as easyas possible," Returning
teacher, I know how to
of Piano
BobWinter
’52.
Pullan says. "There are a Professor
focus in and learn. Just in
lot of people out there
this onesemester,I’ve learnedso much
thinking, ’I shouldgo back, I should alwaysthinkingin this place. There’s it’s incredible."
a
lot
of
harmony
and
lovely
people."
go back.’ Butit’s not until they get a
Otherreturning students also find
Pullan appreciates the renewed
note from me or someoneat Berklee
that
their time away brings a new
enthusiasmof returning students and
that they think aboutit seriously."
awareness
and appreciation to their
In his three years in the position, recognizes that for some, the time studies.
Pullan has heard the gamutof return- awayis an important growthperiod.
"It makesyou use and appreciate
"It’s part of our philosophythat
ing student stories, and in manyhe
the
informationa little more,"says
workingprofessionally for a while
finds a common
thread.
Kevin
Rapillo. "After being in school
"Alot of peopletake time off to do can be part of their education, too," since first grade, I wasgetting burnt
gigs or to workfor a whileanddecide he says. "So, if they want,welet stu- out and discouraged. Nowit’s fresh
to comeback," he says. "Other times dents go off and do things musically andit’s morefun."
they’ve droppedout and gone a dif- that aren’t in the educationalsetting
For most returning students,
ferent direction--that’s not music- and let them comeback whenthey whether they’ve been away one serelated--onlyto realize that they want feel they’re ready."
Whenthey are ready, Pullan says, mester or 14 years, completing a
to havemusicin their life."
Berklee degree or diplomais a step
Marcel Fuenmayoris amongthe starting up again can be as easy as a toward bigger things. For Vandengroup that left for professional op- single phonecall.
"As long as the student was in heuvel, it’s the key to his teacher’s
portunities.Heleft B erkleein 1982to
certification. ForKelly, it’s onestep
tour with Miroslav Vitous and Mike goodstanding, he or she can always toward her goal to earn a doctor of
Stern, and to workon recordingproj- comeback," says Pullan. "Theyjust musicdegreein voice.
ects in NewYork.Sevenyears later, needto notify me,and I’i1 help them
But for now,Kelly’s focus is the
thanks in part to a grant from the get started. We’vecreated a ki[nd of challenge at hand--learningthe most
Venezuelangovernment,he returned one-stopshop to makeit easy."
Sylvia Kelly has been comingto she can fromthe classes she has left.
to pursue a doublemajor in PerformBerkleeoff and on since she beganin And while her challenges and
ance and Film Scoring.
triumphs are sure to be unique, her
"Thereare a lot of things youcan’t 1982.Fitting in semesterswhentime feelings at this point are common
to
learn anywhereelse," he says. "Not and finances allowed and earning most returning students.
in Los Angeles, Miami,or NewYork. credit by exam,Kelly has finally acAfter all those years, "It’s goodto
You’regoing to learn it here. In my crued enoughcredits to attend on a be back," she says.
~1
sevenyearsaway,I realizedthat I was part-time basis. Her time awayhas
Spring
1990
Berkleeto day
10
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Alan Silvestri:
To The Abyss
and Back
After a bout with bad times, this film composeris
at the forefront of the backgroundbusiness.
ith four years as composerfor a had no intention of scoring for films. All he
successfultelevisionseries underhis wantedto do "wasplay guitar.
belt, AlanSilvestri ’70 wasreadyfor
"Berklee was really the only place in the
anything--anything,that is, except unemploy- country where someonewhowas a jazz player
ment. Whenthe popular police show"CHiPs" could go and be considered a legitimate music
wentoff the air in 1983,Silvestri foundhimself student," he recalls. "That was an amazing
out of work,out of options, andout of luck.
opportunity. It wasalso a very labor-intensive
"I couldn’t get an episode of anything for period for me."
almost a year," he remembers."During this
Silvestri remembers
the intense musicalenvitime, mywife and I were expecting our first
ronmentas the key to his learning at Berklee.
child. Plus, there wasa musician’sstrike. It got
"So muchof musicseemsto be in the doing,"
pretty squeaky."
he says. "Andthere wasconstantly opportunity
But, as with mostof the films Silvestri has to makemusic. I wrote a lot of arrangements
scoredsince then, this story has a happyending. while I wasin school. I playedhours and hours
After a life-saving offer to score Romancing
the and hours a day. I workedwill all kinds of
Stone in 1984,Silvestri composed
the musicfor musiciansof all levels of ability. All of that is
a string of majorfilms includingCat’sEye, Back directly related to the job I do now."
to the Future,Flight of the Navigator,NoMere,
WhileSilvestri’s focusat Berkleewasguitar,
Outrageous Fortune, Predator, WhoFramed he soonfound a stronger interest uponmoving
RogerRabbit?, and The Abyss.
to the WestCoast. Whenhe got his first opporHehas workedwith such leading directors tunity to write a score for a low-budgetfilm,
and producers as Robert Zemeckis, Michael The DobermanGang, in 1970, he began his
Douglas,Carl Reiner, ArthurHiller, andSteven "long, slowslide" towardcompositionand away
Spielberg. After that one toughyear, Silvestri from performance. The offer to write for
has becomeone of the busiest film composersin "CHiPs"only sped tip the inevitable shift.
Hollywood.
"WhenI started workingon ’CHiPs,’ it was
Backin 1969,whenSilvestri first arrived at really the first timeI hadanythingI couldcall a
Berklee from his hometown
of Teaneck,NJ, he steadyjob in tl~e film industry," he says. "That
W
by Andrew
Taylor
Spring
1990
Berklee today
13
was thrilling because, for me, film scoring had always
been one low-budgetfilm a year. If’ it didn’t cost me
moneyI considered myself lucky."
Thesedays, Silvestri considers himself very lucky.
Whenwespoke to him in his Carmel, CA,home, he was
just completingworkon Backto the FutureH, the highly
anticipated follow-up to the 1985 Spielberg/Zemeckis
smash, and beginning work on Back to the Future HI.
He’s also scheduled to score Downtown,directed by
RichardBenjamin,and he beganwork over Christmas on
the film adaptationof DickTracy.
In 1990,AlanSilvestri is far fromthe abyss of unemploymentof only seven years ago. But despite the dramaticrise, he has yet to reachhis peak.
anymore.It wasn’tas if I wouldn’tdo it. I just didn’t get
those calls anymore.
Are there different techniques required for film and
television scoring?
Themechanicsare very muchthe same. But there are
definitely verydifferent styles of shooting.In television,
you have the constant interruptions with commercials.
Youvery rarely have the chanceto workwith a sizeable
ensemble--usually they like to keep the numbersvery
low. And,for the most part, you’re squeezedmuchmore
time-wisewith television than you are for feature films.
WhenI was doing "CHiPs," I would have about 25
minutesof musicto write each week.I wouldsee one show
on a Mondaymorning and record the previous one on
Mondayafternoon. It was like that every weekfor 26
straight weeks.
Butmecharfically,
it’s still the same.In thosedaysthere
wereno video machinesto do this stuff. So, wewouldgo
in and spot the film and write the entire film off of the
timingnotes. ]Now,everyonehas videos. I use very exact
videoswith time codeandall the rest of it. That’sbeena
bit of a change.
Howdid you finally break your streak of unemployment after "CHiPs"was cancelled?
I finally begged,basically, for an episodeof a different
showand the producerdidn’t like whatI did. Theyended
up throwing out half of mywork. I started thinking,
"MaybeI’m in the wrongbusiness."
Veryshortly thereafter, I got a call froma musiceditor
I had workedwith on "CHiPs"to tell meabout a film he
was working on. The people he was working with had
Howelse ~as the profession changedover the past
listened to all kindsof tapes fromall kindsof peopleand
decade?
they still couldn’t find anything that they were happy
Apart fromthe boomin the use of video cassettes for
with. So he wascalling to see if I wasinterested in doing
previewing,
the marketingof films seemsto havechanged
somekind of spec demoto play for them.
over
the
past
10 to 20 years. Marketsare presold very far
This wason a Friday night. He introduced me to the
in
advance
now.
Sometimes
I’ll be workingon a film and
director of the film on the phonethat night, a mannamed
they
will
have
already
reserved
theaters a yearanda half in
BobZemeckis.Bobexplained, in about five minutes, this
three-minutescene havingto do with this girl andthis guy advance.
Theproblemis that, in film production,things tend to
runningthrough the jungle in the pouring rain, with
slide--preproductionslides, productionslides, post-promachetesin their hands.
"They’re being shot at by these bad guys," he said. ductionslides’.. Musicis oneof the last things to be done
"Thenthis guy swingsacross this giant gorge and comes before the dub of the picture. All this sliding of the
out on the other side." After he describedthe scene, Bob schedule winds up sticking you up against a wall in a
asked if I could have somethingto himby lunchtimethe numberof ways. Numberone, you get your hands on the
film muchlater than you would like. Andnumbertwo,
following day.
becausethey ihaveto previewwith their backsagainst the
So, of course, I said, "Noproblem."
I hadjust started to put an electronic studio together, wall, they’re makingconstant changesin the picture right
and I didn’t have much.I had a Linn drumand a Yamaha up against the time that you’rerecording.
So, for instance, whenI did TheAbyss,that film opened
DX-7.I had a multi-track machinebut no mixingconsole.
about
one weekafter I had recordedthe last cue.Whichis
So, I wasup all night putting together this rhythmtrack.
unbelievable!
That’s a wholeaddeddifficulty that I don’t
AndI went in on the followingday.
recall
seeing.
I actually can remember
getting lockedfilm.
WhenBob Zemeckis came down, it was probably a
I
never
see
locked
film
anymore.
goodomenbecausehe walkedin wearingthe samesweater
as me.At that point, wehada feeling that this couldwork
Doyou usually get a completecut?
out. I playedhimthis track, andhe smiledandhis editor
I alwayslike to get a completecut at somestage. For
smiled, and they said they wouldbe in touch.
That evening, I got a call from MichaelDouglaswho instance, this weekI’m workingon Backto the FutureII,
wasn’tonly starring in this film, but wasthe producer.It and I havea completecut of the film. Buton Saturday,I
was Romancing
the Stone. On that Monday,wegot a call will get a newcompletecut and just about every cue I’ve
written for recording the following Thursdayhas been
and the deal wasmadewithin a day.
That’s unheard of. There are people whowork and recur. So, I haveabout30 minutesof orchestral musicfor
workand work in television and never get a chance to a 98-pieceorchestra, and every cue has beenrecur.
So, I’ll havea dayor so to makeall of these changesin
breakout of it. It’s like they’retwodifferent streams.But
time
to still proofread the scores and get themto the
all of a sudden,I’mstanding there at the premierewith
copyist in time for the musicto be on the stands Thursday
Kirk Douglasand I’m in the film business.
After that, peopledidn’t evencall meto do television morning.That’s whatthe business is these days.
Spring
1990
Berklee today
14
Haveyou begunto use a
computerto write out your
scores,or do youstill write
them out yourself?
I do all myorchestral
scores by hand on score
paper. I do use the Auricle
III software on the Yamaha
C1computerto lay out all
of the timingbusiness.That
has been one of the most
incredible additions to the
film scorer’sbatteryof tools
to comealong since the
Knudsenbook[a listing of
click track data, tempos,and
timings].
THESCORING
PRQICESS
Whatabout sequencers,
synthesizers, and drum
machines?Do they play a
Silvestriworks
withorchestrator
JimCampbell.
role in your composition?
WhenI do an electronic
"The process can be different for
"Oncethe film is finished, or shot at
score, I do all of the pereveryfilm, but the preferable wayis to least, and they get a fairly substantial
formance myself. I work
start very early on. BobZemeckiswill cut, weusually sit downand spot the
with a Synclavier system
often tell meat dinnerabouta film he’s picture. ]For me,that’s usuallydoneat a
along with racks of other
about to do--for instance, WhoFramed KEM[a 35mmfilm editing machine]
kinds of gear. But the SynRogerRabbit?Andthen, as soon as he with the director and editor. Wego
clavier andits sequenceris
has a first draft or a shootingdraft of the from reel one through the entire film
the heart of the system.
script, he’ll sendmethe script. I’ll read and spot where music will begin and
I did an all electronic
that and spend sometime with Bobjust whereit will comeout. Andthe director
score for No Mercy.AndI
talking about the film--even thoughhe usually talks about what he hopes the
did onefor Clanof the Cave
hasn’t started to shoot. Then,with Roger musicwill dofor the film in these places.
Bearas well as Hightof the
Rabbit, I went to Londonand spent
"After that’s done, the musiceditor
Navigator.
sometime on the set with himwhile he will give mea set of spotting notes
I’ve done some other
wasshooting, just to start to get the whichlist each piece of musicwith a
scores wherethere has eiflavor of the film.
brief explanationof whatthat sceneis.
ther been a great deal of
"That’sthe best way.Sincethe film is Then the editor will go through each
electronic musicor a coma collaborativeeffort, successseemsto one of those sequencesand provide debination of electronic and
depend upon the communication be- tailed, timednotes of eachscene. I usuacoustic. Predatorinvolved
tween the people involved. The more ally get those notes with footages, with
a lot of scoring with electime spent with the project and between reel times, and with SMPTE
time code.
tronics while workingwith
the people,the greater the possibility of Thoseare the notes that I workoff of
a large orchestra. At one
the composerachieving the director’s along with the matchingvideo of the
point, we had approxigoalsfor the film.
scene. Thenthe writing begins."
mately 40 tracks of electronics runningwil~ha 90piece orchestra live. Thatwaspretty interesting.
have entire scores thrown out. It all has to do with
communication.It’s very easy to think you’re talking
Doyousee the full orchestralosinggroundor f ading out about the samemovieand then find out that you’re not.
as synthesizers becomemoreprevalent?
I don’tsee the full orchestrabeingaffectedreally. What
What do you do when your views of the film are
I see being lessened is the smaller ensemble used on different than the director’s?
television shows.I see moreand moreuse of electronics
It can be a real problem.I’ve never thoughtthat I was
for those kindsof things. Butfull orchestrasare still what makinga different film than the director. I think then
youneedto get that particular effect.
you’rejust askingfor trouble. I havefoundthat I’ve not
been workingon the samescene as the director thought.
Are there often creative disagreementsbetweenthe I’ve not yet had the pleasure of havingan entire score
director and the composer?
thrownout. I have had pieces of musicthrownout and I
Veryoften, no matter howbig they are, composers
will have had to reworkthem.
Spring
1990
Berklee today
15
For somereason, it seems a lot of composersdon’t see
their piece as a work in progress. Very often, composers
walk into the soundstage, into this mukimillion dollar
enterprise, and think that they’ve written their 50 minutes
of musicand that’s it. Thereis nothingin the film business,
or for that matter in any other creative endeavor that I
knowof, wherethat is the case. Especially in a collaborative process.
Whata composercan lose sight of in the privacy of his
ownstudio is that he is still workingon a collaborative art
form. Even though he’s working on an aspect of it alone,
it is only an aspect of a muchlarger whole.
That’s probably where the difficulty comes. It can be
very difficult without that awareness whenthe confrontation comes downin the recording studio.
Whenyou play the music, it has becomenear and dear
to your heart. But a director is not terribly concerned
about all the hours spent. If you’re workingwith a really
gooddirector, you haven’t even comeclose to the hours he
spent on the film.
Still, whenthe director says, "Beautiful piece of music,
A1. Whosemovieis it for? BecauseI knowit’s not for my
movie," the composerhas to muster all the perspective he
or she can. Because the mission in film scoring is to
enhancethe director’s vision. Thedirector is the captain of
this ship. Andif he’s not, you’re in trouble.
It brings us back to communicationand the awareness
of what the foc~s and mission really is here. If you try to
mutiny, it will never work. The ship cannot have two
captains.
Whenyou’re down working privately, it’s someone
else’s direction and someoneelse’s itinerary that the ship
is following. That’s somethingthat requires a great deal of
emotional maturity for a composer--to be able to understand his or her place in the grand schemeof this thing
called a motion picture.
Onehas to be a willing and able crewman.That doesn’t
meannot challenging the captain. If you really feel you can
accomplish the’, director’s wishes by going a certain way
with the music~you have a responsibility to the musicand
to yourself to present that case to the director. That’s what
he’s asking you for.
It mustalso be difficult to realize that a truly successful
film score is invisible, that all this workis not the focus of
the art formbut only an aspect of it.
It can be. But at the same time, every other memberof
the film-makingentity is in the same position. It’s very
muchlike ordhestral playing. The ideal is 98 pieces in a
symphonyorchestra playing together, not 98 soloists all
vying for separate fulfillment. The musicis just a voice you
add to the whole.That’s what the art form is all about. -~
Berklee
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16
Berklee
t o d ay
Spring1990
Teaching
Rock & Roll
Manymusic educators are using rock for
purposeswhichdistort its essence.
A
by Robert
K. Myers
cross the country, rock
musicis findingits wayinto
music classrooms. "History
of Rock"courses are bloomingeverywhere;and, increasingly, rock music
examplesare being includedin traditional theory/analysis coursesto illustrate certain formsand/or musical
devices, or evento teach classics by
playing, say, Emerson, Lake and
Palmer’sversionfirst. In manycases,
people are using rock for purposes
whichdistort its essence.
Increasingour popularity,attracting higher enrollments, luring students to classics with overblown
"progressive"renditions, and applymgtraditional theoretical terms to
rock music are often good-hearted
but wrong-headed approaches. We
needto considerrock on its ownterms,
which meansthat we must consider
the aesthetic bases of this style. The
soundof rock, the sources of its articulation, and certain societal considerations whichfeed it (and which
it, in turn, feeds) are three primary
characteristics whichplace this music
outside the traditional Western-culture aesthetic.
I beganto transcribe rock musica
year and a half ago. It started as a
private studyproject; I wantedto learn
more about rock, and from mystudy
of j~zz I knewthat the best wayto
learn about a musicwasto transcribe
it from the record. A few musicians
and teachers I knowdo this; more
should. Althoughit is laborious and
time-consuming, the benefits are
A segment
tran- enormousin that one is workingwith
scribedfromVan the actual soundof the music, on a
Halen’s"Bestof note-by-note basis. Sometimes I
BothWorlds." wonderif piano students wouldn’t
.
Associate Deanof CurriculumRobert
K. Myers holds a Doctor of Music
degree from Northwestern University. Portionsof this article reprinted
by permission from the Chronicle of
Higher Education.
Spring1990
Berklee to day
17
At Berklee, we by no meanssee
In additionto transcribingrecords,
knowand be able to performa Mozart
ourselves giving up anyof our tradiI
embarked
on
a
somewhat
haphazsonatabetter if they hadto transcribe
in literit rather than just buyingthe music. ard and vicarious reading program. tional values of competence
acy,
musicianship,
and
analytic
skills.
Mixing
general
histories,
critical
tracts
Whentranscribing, the feeling of
Most
importantly,
we
definitely
don’t
on
specific
styles,
and
listening,
I
asownership--the actual copyright
see
ourselves
as
diminishing
the
imholder notwithstanding--is huge. sembleda small stable of writers on
portance
of
jazz
music
as
an
essence
I could trust. "Trust," in
Youalso begin to realize the differ- rock whom
ence betweenthe notes written and this case, meansthat I agreed with of our identity and purpose. If anythe sounds they represent. A guitar their tastes and wascarried along by thing, our identification with excellence in jazz performance
and writing
chordthat makesyour face ripple at their sometimescrazed manner.
needs
to
be
strengthened;
as
this hapMy
stable
is
unanimous
in
their
an arena showcan be notated with
pens,other musicalstyles will be more
praise
of
certain
bands.
One
of
these,
twoor three little markson a staff.
Thedifficulty is that in the act of the Sex Pistols (of 1976-77), chal- identifiable, and, in turn, will growin
transcribing this music, welose two lenges any music-centeredaesthetic depth and expertise.
Thefact is that in comingyears,
of its mostdistinctive qualities: its argument. Musically speaking, this
many
of our entering students will be
soundquality andits soundlevel, or band was terrible. Yet they were
more experienced in dealing with
undeniably
one
of
the
great
rock
loudness.Musicalnotation, the tradimusic from the standpoint of sound
tional meansby whichwe musicians bands.
itself, alone andin small groups,and
Punk
rock
emerged
in
the
’70s
as
communicateamongourselves, only
will be less experiencedin the written
an
explosive
reaction
to
bubble-gum
accountsfor one-third of whatis accommunication of music. Young
tually happeningin rock music.Tran- popand a kind of industrially heroic,
scribingbenefitsthe transcriber,to be "safe" style of rock favoredby record musiciansare putting together intertheir talsure; but to use transcriptionsto rep- companyexecutives. A key element esting music,demonstrating
ent
and
musicianship,
without
being
resent the essence of rock without of this rebellion includedthe veheable
to
read
or
write
a
lick
of
music.
ment
repudiation
of
certain
soci-e~:osimultaneousaccess to the actual reTheidiom of choice is rock or pop.
cording is a hopelessproposal. Sound nomicfactors then prevalent. This
Our challenge is to accept themand
negative
message
manifested
itself
and loudness (or timbre and amplitheir music without condescension
musically
in
the
abuse
of
musical
tude) are two "unwritable" elements
"values," the use of rude texts and (and putting them through "Maryin the musicalpoetics of rock.
mannerisms, and the avoidance of had-a-little-lamb"skills training is a
"proper"rock-star garb andspectacle. form of condescension)and to lead
Uncertain
Terms
Simplyput, a crucial elementof the them to universal competencies of
As I beganto transcribe mywayinto
literacy, performance,
critical perspecthe music of JamesBrownand other Sex Pistol’s greatness as a bandwas tive, and the ability to keeplearning
their
musical
incompetence.
This
black musicians, I beganto catch a
glimmerof the musicalmanifestations seemsparadoxical to us musicians, for the rest of their lives.
of the African and Afro-American andmayput someof us off a little; but TheNextStep
aesthetic whichpervadesrock music. the interactionof a musicalstyle with
This influence is almost alwaysde- its surroundingsocietal context!is a Agoodthing for teachersto do at this
scribed using Great Western terms third importantpart of the aesthetic point to meetthe "idiomof choice"of
manynewstudents would be to desuch as "ostinato" to denote the pat- argument, and helps to explain why
velopa repertoire of rock musicanda
tern-repetition whichcharacterizes such a lousy band wasso good.
basis of understandingit (and critimuchof this music.
cizing it) in terms emergingfromthe
Learning
by
Doing
In mytranscription, however, I
musicitself. As professionals, our
In
addition
to
all
this
listening,
trandiscoveredthat in actual performance,
repertoire--our ready access to spescribing,
and
reading,
there
is
persmall variants appeared in a given
pattern each time it wasplayed. This foi’mance.In the past, Berkleecer- cific content--should include exmadefor an awful transcribing as- tainly has not overlookedthat aspect. amplesof a widevariety of styles, and
signment--I couldn’t just write Rockhas been a part of our perform- not just those pieces wefind handyto
"repeats for sixty-four measures ance options since the mid-’70s. In illustrate "jazz stuff" or "classical
because it didn’t, exactly--but in the current Five-week SummerPer- stuff," or pieces to use condescendtaking the time to notate these small formance Program, each student is ingly as negativeexamples.
Arepertoire is a start. Aswedeinflections to a basic shape,a part of placedinto a bandaccordingto stylisvelop a broad base of teaching comtic
preference.
Some
of
these
are
"rote"
the Africansense of meaning,of constantly havingone’s handsand breath bands, to be sure; but they are bands petency in contemporarystyles, we
felt in the continuousfabric of the nonetheless, and most play publicly will once again be using our depth,
our smarts, and our flexibility to
music, becamevisible and manifest. duringthe courseof the program.The
Weneed a base of understanding in idea of learning throughperformance "teach the unteachable" (remember,
that’s whatthey said about jazz) and
this largely unchartedarea of influ- is, after all, a verytraditionalone,and
assure a leading educationalrole for
methods
of
putting
it
into
practice
in
ence-an epistemology, if you will,
Berklee~orthe next 50 years.
~
the
curriculum
are
now
under
study.
of the rhythmsand voices of rock.
Spring
1990
Berkleet o d a y
18
""
Tend"lnltlS:
Prevention
& Cure
With proper habits and playing techniques,
tendinitis can be prevented.
T
by Steve
Carter
Spring1990
endinitis has becomeone of
the most commoncomplaints
of guitarists and bassists.
However,manyplayers think they
have tendinitis when,in fact, they
have someother ailment.
Duringmyfirst 10 years of teaching at Berklee, I heard of maybea
half-dozencases of tendinitis among
students. In the past few years, more
and more students have complained
to meof tendinitis. Since wordgot
out that I wasresearchinghandproblems, several students a weekhave
comeup to meand said, "I think I
havetendinitis."
Wheredid this seeming epidemic
of tendinitis comefrom?Whatis the
cause? Cantendinitis be prevented?
Canit be cured?
Tendinitis meansinflammationof
a tendon, resulting from overuse or
straining. A tendonis a cord of white
fibrousconnectivetissue that attaches
the end of a muscle to a bone. The
ILLUSTRATION
BY MARK
ANDRESEN
fibers of the tendonpass into the substance of the muscle and into the Tendinitismeans Most tendons are surroundedby a
substanceof the bone.
inflammation
of a sheath called the synovial membrane.
tendon,
resulting Thesheath lubricates the tendonand
AssociateProfessorSteve Carteris an fromoveruseor allows it to slide smoothlyover the
active guitarist/bassist in the Boston straining.
surrounding body parts. Repeated
area. Article ©1988The Miller Freemotionscan cause a swelling of this
manCorporation. Reprinted by persheath, a condition called peritendmission from Guitar Player magazine.
initis.
Berklee today
19
and know what symptoms to look volvesstretchingof the upperextremiTendinitis
&"Muscle-itis"
Tendonsare very strong, and what for, whatquestions to ask, and what ties-like dance or yoga--goesa long
way toward preventing tendon and
manymusicianscall tendinitis is not the answers maymean.
muscle problems.
In
more
acute
cases,
the
symptoms
really an inflammationof the tendon,
may
be
more
obvious:
pain,
swelling,
but a strain on the muscleitself. Tendinitis doesoccur, though,andin rare and redness. Theaffected part, usu- Misuse&Overuse
cases it can signal the onset of the ally the forearm, maybe warm,or Misuseis a frequentcause of tendinirheumatoidarthritis. So if youthink even hot, to the touch. Exactly what tis amongguitarists and bassists. You
you mayhavetendinitis, it’s best to type anddegreeof pain, swelling,and maynot realize that you are misusing
redness you have can determine your musclesand straining your tenseek medicalhelp.
But howdo you knowif you have whether you have tendinitis or some dons, but an experienced teacher
mightbe able to spot the problem.A
tendinitis ? At first the symptoms
may other problem.
trained doctor mightalso be able to
Even
though
tendons
are
very
be as vagueas a loss of flexibility. This
help. Arts medicineclinics are now
strong,
they
can
be
damaged
by
what
is oneof the things that makediagnousing biofeedbackand video tapes of
doctors
call
"trauma,"
or
a
sudden
sis difficult. Musicians
needgreatflexito help musicianselimibility in their hands,andso they are blow. So be careful whenyou are performances
nate
stressful
playinghabits.
sensitiveto the slighteststiffness. Some moving heavy amps and speakers.
Overuse
can
cause muscle strain
doctors maynot understand guitar- Rememberthat the same arms that
that
might
appear
to be tendinitis.
ists whotry to explain their symp- you use to lift the equipmentmustbe
Here’s
a
case
in
point.
Onestudent
used
for
the
delicate
and
subtle
motoms by saying, "Mychopsare down."
cameto mewith what he thought was
tions
of
playing
the
guitar.
Theymaythink that the complaintis
Yourgeneral health also affects tendinitis. Hehada large swellingon
imaginary or merely and excuse for
your
susceptibility to problemslike his forearm,abovethe wrist. Heasked
someinability to perform. Moreand
tendinitis.
Aregular programof exer- methree things: If I thought it was
more doctors, however, are beginning to specialize in "arts medicine" cise, especially somethingthat in- tendinitis, wherehe couldfind a good
doctor, and whether I thought he
should stop playing¯ I gave himthe
phonenumberof Dr. Richard Norris
SUMMING
IT UP
at the Braintree Performing Arts
Clinic, and then I asked him some
hink for a momentabout the numberof repeated movementsinquestions. I askedif he had doneany
T volved in playing chords. Here’s an example.Supposeyou are on a
unusual amountor kind of playing
job playingrhythmguitar. For the sake of argument,let’s say that you’re
recently. "Yes," he said, "I usually
going to play in 4/4 time, one strumfor each beat. Takea look at how
don~tdo a lot of strumming,but last
manychords you’ll play in just one gig:
weekendmyfriend and I played in
the subwaystation, and I strummed
1 chordper beat
chords for about six hours. Acouple
x
4 beats per measure
of dayslater, myarmstarted to swell
=
4 chords per measure
andhurt. Now
if I playat all, it hurts."
x
32 measures per chorus
The
swelling
in the student’s arm
(once through the tune)
was
located
right
where a muscle
=
128 chords per chorus
passes
from
the
back
to the front of
x
4 choruses per tune
the
forearm,
over
a
bone.
I knewfrom
(includingsolos)
looking
at
Gray’s
Anatomy
and other
= 512 chords per tune
books
that
there
was
a
muscle
(pronax 8 tunes per set
tor
radii
teres)
where
the
student
had
= 4,096 chords per set
his
pain,
and
I
suspected
he
had
what
x 4 sets per gig
wasoncecalled "lawn-tennisarm." I
=
16,384chords per gig
said to the student, "Myguess is that
you have simply overtaxed a muscle.
Imagine--over16,000chords in one gig! Flexing and relaxing the’.
Of course, I’mnot a doctor, so see a
muscles,stretching andshorteningthe tendonsall those timesin just one
performing arts doctor. Meanwhile,
night! Multiply that by the numberof gigs in a week,in a year, in a
since that musclehurts whenyouplay,
lifetime....
you should either stop playing for a
This mayseemlike an extremeexample,but it isn’t. If you, re playing
fewdays or find anotherwayto play."
funk, you’ll probablybe playing sixteenth-notes, formingand releasing
I haven’tseen the studentagain, so
chordsnot onceper beat, but up to four times. Andif you play triplets.
I
don’t
knowif mydiagnosis was
¯.. Well, you can see mypoint: Playing chords on the guitar requires
correct,
but
I wantto explain whatI
literally thousandsof repetitions of handandarmmovements.
Andif not
mean
by
"finding
another way to
donecorrectly, this can easily lead to physical problems.
play," becauseI think this is essential
Spring
1990
Berklee
t o da y
20
7Caug
A
Frnaj7
A
Caug7
A
Fmaj7
A
Caug7 Frnaj7 Caug7 7Fmaj
TheTwo-chord
Workout
(seepage22): Repeat
eachsectionfourtimes
to anyguitarist or bassist whohas, or that they could probably crush me
thinks he has, tendinitis. All too of- with onehand, yet they couldn’t even That’s fatigue. It won’t do you any
ten, doctors unfamiliar with arts play a simple barre chord because lasting harm. Youalso knowwhat
medicinetell patients with tendinitis theywerenot usingthe right leverage. your legs feel like whenyou squat
downand try to lift somethingvery
to simply stop playing for several
Dr. Norris uses biofeedbacktech- heavy, such as an amp.That’s pain,
weeks. To a student with lessons to niques to help guitarists find the
prepareor to a professionalwith gigs minimalleft-hand pressure to pro- andit can cause permanentdamage.
to play, this is devastating. Doctors ducethe notes. Heconnectselectrodes Onceyou have learned to tell the
familiar with arts medicine have a to the hand and armand measuresthe difference betweenfatigue and pain
different answer:First, stop straining muscle exertion. Then he has the in yourhands, wrists, and arms,never
that particular muscle or tendon-- player gradually reduce the muscle practice anythingthat causesyoupain.
stop playingincorrectly; second,while pressure, monitoringthe changewith Asl!ight senseof pulling, suchas you
feel whenyoustretch just after getthe affected muscleor tendonheals, machines. Hesays that players are
ting out of bed in the morning, is
workon other muscles; third, after often amazed
at howlittle pressure is normal.But pain, never.
resting for a fewdays, graduallywork neededto producea note or a choral,
the muscleor tendonbackinto shape. andare relievedto find that theydon’t
BuildingStamina
Thefirst step is to use a different really haveto "pushdown"as hard as
Anotherwaythat tendinitis can be
set of muscles. Musclesand tendons they had thought.
broughton is by abruptly increasing
are not clearly differentiated;instead,
Be especially careful whenyou the amountof your playing time:
the tendons blend into the muscle encounter a newchord voicing that
belly at one end and the boneat the givesyoutrouble. If youcan’t playall There’s a big-time gig comingup, so
other. Usinga different set of muscles the notes clearly, your first reaction you suddenlyincrease your practicmeansusinga different set of tendons. will be to squeezethe neck harder. ing :from a half-hour a day to four
Sincethis student’sproblemwasin Instead, try changingthe angleof your hours a day. If you must increase
your daily playingtime, do it graduthe right arm, I suggested that he left hand,wrist, or arm.
ally, addinga few minutesper day.
concentratefor a fewdayson the left
Finger stretches are yet another
Newrepertoire can also put stress
hand. To start, he could simplywork potential causeof tendinitis. Alot of
on
yo.ur
muscl.esin a different way,so
on chord fingerings, not strumming guitarists see the advancedplayers
practlce
sessions should be even
at all, and he couldfinger scales and doing long stretches with the leftshorter.
Don’t
cram. Consistencyis
arpeggios without picking. Hecould hand fingers, and decide to develop
better
than
marathon
sessions.
also workon hammer-ons,pull-offs, those stretches by sheer will power.
The
best
way
to
condition
yourself
and slurs. Then,as the right armgot Sothey stretch five, six, or evenseven
and
build
stamina
is
to
practice
frebetter, he could begin to strum each frets, ignoringthe pain.
quently
in
short
sessions.
Start
with
chord only once. Since his muscle
Fingerstretches mustbe developed 20 minutes,three timesa day, andadd
strain seemedto be causedby overus- verygradually.Start in the high posiing the wrist, I suggestedthat he try tions, wherethe frets are closer to- a few minntes every few days until
picking awhile with morethumb-and- gether.Start by stretchingthe 1st fin- you get to three one-hoursessions. It
finger motion, and then moremotion ger only twofrets belowthe 2nd, then is possibleto practicemorehours, but
at the elbow,usinglittle if anywrist the 4th, two frets abovethe 3rd. Be .you should never go beyondone hour
motion. Lookingon the bright side, very careful with single-notepassages ~na single practicesession.
Stretching and relaxing are importhis student’sbout of "tendinitis" was or chordsthat put the 2nd finger two
an opportunity for him to develop frets or morebelowthe 3rd, since this tant ¯ to goodplaying. Rather than
"warmingup" at the beginning of a
newtechniques.
is somethingthat mostplayers’ hands practice session with mechanicalfinsimplyare not used to. Practice fin- ger exercises, take a tip fromdancers
Pressure
Problems
ger-stretching exercises for a very and warm up with body motions.
Excessivepressure in the left handis short time--less than a minute in a
Beforeeach practice session, gently
another possible cause of tendinitis. single practice session.
stretch your arms, shoulders, and
Ma.nyguitarists think that playingthe
In relation to fingerstretches,it is fingers. Extendyour fingers, makea
guitar requires brute strength. This especially importantto learn to feel
simplyisn’t so. Easeof playingcomes the difference betweenfatigue and fist, roll yourhandsin circlesto loosen
not fromstrength but fromleverage. pain. Youknowwhat your legs feel up the wrist, and especially exercise
I’ve had students whowereso strong like after climbing10flights of stairs. the back(hairy side) of the forearm,
becausethis’, is wheretrouble often
Spring
1990
Berklee today
21
good workout while not demanding
arises. After about a half-hour of chord, and strum it on beat one. Im- too muchfrom the left. But remempracticing,stand upandstretch again. mediately begin movingto the next ber, concentrateon playingwith ease,
After stretching is a goodtime to chord.Takebeats two, three, and four and don’t strain and blindly pursue
relax. Let your arms hang loose by to carefullyset up the fingeringof the speed. Speed will comewhenyou’ve
your sides and consciouslyrelax all second chord, makingsure all the learned to use youhandsefficiently.
the muscles from your neck to your angles of finger, hand, and armposiIn additionto alternating fromleft
fingertips. YehudiMenuhinhas some tion are correct. Strumthat chordon handto right, alternate thingsthat are
excellent warm-upstretching exer- beat one and immediatelybegin set- physically demanding(such as playcises in his bookViolin: Six Lessons ring up the first chordagain. Repeat ing chordsor long lines of sixteenththis process, playingonly on beat one
with Yehudi Menuhin[Viking].
notes) with those that are mentally
When
practicing,it’s a goodidea to for four measures, then on one and demanding,like sight-reading. After
three for four measures,then on each
work on the two hands alternately.
eachexercise, gently stretch, then let
This prevents excessivestrain on one beat for four measures, keeping a your hands hang by your sides.
steady
tempo.
set of musclesand tendons.
With proper practice habits and
If youcan’t playthe chordscleanly
Let’s look first at the left hand.
playing
techniques,tendinitis can be
Playing chordslegato, movingquickly in quarter-notes, slow the tempo prevented.But shouldyou developit,
and accurately fromone chord to the downandstart again. Dothis exercise it can be cured.If whatyouhaveis not
next,is oneof the mostdifficult things at two or three practice sessionfor a tendinitis but musclestrain, the treatto do on the guitar. Incorrect chord few days, gradually workingup the mentmaybe as simpleas a short rest,
playingis also, in myopinion,oneof tempo,and you’ll never have trouble massage,and maybea couple of aspithe chief causesof tendinitis in guitar- with those chord forms again.
What’simportantin this exerciseis rin. Tendinitis can be treated with
ists. Chordplaying can easily cause
physical therapy, nonsteroidal antiwhat doctors call"overuse syndrome" that you use the rests, during which inflammatorydrugs, corticosteroids,
yourleft handis moving,to very care(see "Summing
It Up"on page 20).
fully watchthat the fingering of each or in extremecases, surgery. If you
chord is efficient, using maximum haveanything resemblingtendinitis,
TheTwo-chord
Workout
musclestrain. your best bet is to see a performing
The best exercise I knowof to help leverage and minimum
After
working
on
the
left handfor arts doctor right away.
you move from chord to chord
AsDr. Norris says, "Yourbodyis
smoothlyand without musclestrain a few minutes, concentrate on the the instrument you use to play your
is shownon page21. Pick two chords right. Playing scales at a slowtempo instrument. So take care of your in~
that youhavetrouble fingering. Set a andpickingeachnotetwo, three, four, strument."
or five times gives the right hand a
very slow tempo. Finger the first
FORM
ALUMNOTESINFORMATIONI
Full Name
Address
State
City-
ZIP-
HomePhone #
~] This is a newaddress
Did you receive a
Last year you attended Berklee
[[[] Degree
[~] Diploma?
Professional Address
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City
ZIP
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Yourtitle/role_
Pleaselist anyprofessionalactivities, performances,recordings,notable musicprojects, awards,recognitions,
or other events you’dlike us to knowabout (please print or type):
[[[] I am interested in learning moreabout the Berklee AlumniRepresentative program(see "BARReport,"
page28).
Pleasesend this form,alongwithanypublicity, clippings, photos, or items of interest to:
Berklee today, Berklee Collegeof Music,1140BoylstonStreet, Boston,MA02215.Welook forwardto hearing from you!
Spring
1990
22
Berkleet o d a y
Alum n o t e s
Compiled by
Chika Okamoto
"87
JohnP. Casey,Jr. "68is
president and co-ownerof
K&C Music Company.
John has given clinics and
lectures with the National
Association of MusicMerchandisers throughout
Hong Kong, China, and
Hawaii. He lives in
Medford, MA.
AlexElin"69is co-editor
Keyboardist/arranger/com.
in chief of the Jazz Report,
poserRobMounsey
"75 re- a publication of Highland
leased
hisfirst soloalbum, Jazz, Inc., in Newton,MA.
Dig,withSona
GalaRecords Rita Burke’70 received
this January.
the NewJersey Governor’s
Spring1990
Teaching Recognition
Arthur
(a.k.a.Arturo)
CopAwardas "Teacher of the pola "74 has performedas
Year"in 1988.She lives in the opening act for Buddy
Matawan,NJ.
Hackettat the RivieraHotel
James
L. Dean"70 ihas in Las Vegas.
performed with the [roe
JeffreyW.Guenther
’74
Carson and Dave Aarons worksas a freelance probig bandsandrecordedwith ducer, engineer, guitarist,
Claudio
Roditi’70.
bassist, and programmer.
Robby
Merrin"72served Helives in NewJersey.
as musicalsupervisor/orchKim Cascone"75 is
estrator for the stage and S0under/composerfor the
film versionsof Little Shop industrial music project
of Horrors.
PGR. The project’s most
CharlesA. Bascome
’73 recent recording was reperforms extensively as a leased on Silent Records,a
freelance drummer in label started by Kimin 1986.
Sandy’sParish, Bermuda. Kimalso workedas an asJ.C.Caianiello
’73 is an sistant sounddesigner on a
ac.tive performerin Califor- TVpilot, "Twin Peaks,"
ma, an author of the book directed by David Lynch,
Guitaring, and a producer and as an assistant foley
of guitar instructional vid- engineerat Lucasfilm,Ltd.
eos. J.C.’s first solo album
ChrisCulver
’76is a Jazz
is nowin the works.
Studies instructor at the
Steve.n Michael
Lowry’73University of Colorado.
is a musfc contractor witlh
HalGolfl(stein)"76has
TopShelf Entertainment. toured with Ron Wood,Bo
He recorded, performed., D~ddley, Martha Reeves,
and contractedfor the film and the Rascals.
Welcome Home, Roxy
MichaelCameron
’77 is
CarmichaeL
Stevenalso ap- the musicdirector for the
pearedas a principle in one Rhode Island Showcase
scene, lip-syncing "Bornto Orchestra.Michaellives in
BeWild."Hecurrentlylives Riverside,RI.
in Venice, CA.
Timothy
C. Fuller"77and
Clarence
"Herb"Robert- his band the Tim Fuller
son’73 has toured with Experienceappearedon the
Charlie I-laden and his own Rhino Records album
quintet.
Hipster’s Holiday, which
David
Vose
’73 is an asso- wasreleased last year. Tim
ciate professorof EarTrainlives in Oakland,CA.
ing at Berklee.Heproduced
Flichard
Gibbs
"77scored
a gospel video for Cheryl the films Say Anythingand
Moriarty entitled "More Sweet Hearts Dance. He
ThanMeets the Eye."
also played keyboardsfor
Berklee today
23
Robert Palmer and Boy Emmaus,together with her
Meets Girl and was a mem- husband dim Cannon "77.
live in Houston, TX.
ber of the band Oingo ThyBennyFaccone’78works
Boingo. Richard is currently the musical director at A&Mrecords where he
of "The Tracey Ullman has done engineering work
Show"on the Fox network. with Herb Alpert, Sting,
Janie Barnett’78 is an BarbraStreisand, and Janet
active guitarist and studio Jackson.
Peter Hume
’78 has been
singer in New York. She
a
guitarist
with
Melissa
has performed with Rickie
Manchester
since
1983.
Lee Jones on "Saturday
CurtSobel ’78 scored the
Night Live" and with the
film
Alien Nation as well as
groups Longhouse and the
Backtrack
starring Dennis
Supreme Court. Her selfHopper
and
Jodie Foster.
titled album of folk/rock
Curt
also
has
worked as a
originals
is available
supervising
music
editor for
through Tower Records.
Let
It
Ride,
Tap,
The
Andrea
(Ricci) Cannon’78
Presidio,
Hail,
Hail,
Rock
leads the contemporary
n’ Roll, and Young SherChristian music group,
StevenMichae[ILowry’73
just released its secondalbum on FBMI Records.
EmilViktorViklicky’78 is
director of jazz education
in Czechoslovakia.
His
album, Homage to Joan
Miro, received favorable
mention in down beat
magazine. Emil lives in
DEVELOPMENTS
Prague.
their music education.
Matt Cornish’79 has reMy column will be
In a very special decorded
albums with Culshort as the most imporvelopment, Burton and
ture
Club,
Chaka Khan, and
tant newsthat I have to
Patricia Greenberg have
Howard
Jones
and has been
tell you is listed elsemadea provision in their
touring
off
and on with
where in this issue. Be
will enabling Berklee to
Artie
Shaw
for
five years.
sure to read the column
carry on their interests
Mike
DeMicco’79
played
from our new coordinaby creating the Burton
guitar on Heat of the Motor of alumni relations,
and Patricia Greenberg
ment, an album with Peter
Carrie Semanco’86, on
Jazz Scholarship fund.
Erskine, and on Livingston
page 26. I am very
Stated Burton, "It gives
Taylor’s Life is Good.
pleased to welcomeher
~, us enormoussatisfaction
MarcD. Finkelstein
’79 is
aboard and expect that
~ to know that a student
a
vocal
music
instructor
in
with her experience as
who may otherwise not
the
Toms
River,
NJ,
public
an alumnaand a Berklee
complete her education will now be
administratoryou will see someinnova- able to do so." Their scholarship reschool system where he was
selected "Teacher of the
tive programmingin the future.
flects their lifelong commitment
to their
Year" for the 1988-89
I amalso pleased to be able to bring beliefs: Burton has been a jazz patron
school year. Marc received
back reports from our first three unoffi- since a youngboy and Patricia has achis master’s degree in Creacial "clubs." You can read about our tively supported women’srights. Their
activities in Nashville, Los Angeles, and
tive Arts from Rutgers
combinestheir interest: as the scholUniversity. He and his wife,
New York on page 25. Strong alumni fund
arship will be awarded to female stusupport has been shown to develop our
Carol, have written and
dents pursuing jazz studies.
produced an original album
volunteer committees into club chapI have heard again and. again from
ters. Weare off to a great beginningand
for children, Everyday’ s a
alumnithat the Berklee education is the
Holiday, on the Melody
look forward to more events in which finest in preparing students for their
House label.
alumni network, socialize, and maybe professional careers. Yourgifts are the
Nell tevine"79is presieven learn something new.
cornerstone of our effort to provide
On the scholarship front, our new deserving young talent with that imdent of Round the Globe
Alumni Scholarship Fund is off to a
Music, Ltd., and has worked
portant opportunity. Thanks to your
good start. OurParents Fund is doing generosity, a few more of them will get
with rap artists Doug E.
Fresh, Easy-E, NWA,and
even better, and it appears the fund will
the chance.
achieve new goals if early indications
the 2 Live Crew.
-qohn Collins
DouglasB. MacMillan’79
hold. I urge all alumnito help our talDirector of Development
ented students stay in school and finish
is a private guitar instructor
Spring1990
Berkleet o d a y
24
lock Holmes. Curt lives in
Pacific Palisades, CA.
Edward
C. Stefanov,
Jr.’78
plays guitar in the Floridabased band Murdok, which
as well as a copyist and
composerin the NewEngland area. He lives in
Amherst, MA.
Jay Byer"80 ownsand
operates Byer Piano Service in Mendon,MA.
JohnCameron
’80 is a
memberof the band Bim
Skala Bim, which wonthe
1989 Boston Music Award
for "Best Reggae/Ska
Act."
The band’s second album,
TubaCity, wasreleased by
Celluloid Records.
DavidFox’80 worksas a
user support specialist for
Kurzweil Music Systems
andperformsextensivelyin
the Bostonarea. Helives in
Allston, MA.
ChrisKlatman
’80 scored
r.ec.ent
episodes
of theLandtelevision series
"Knots
ing," "Paradise," and
"Dolphin Cove."
RickPaquin
’80 recorded
an albumwith his Bostonbased band Push ComesTo
Shove, working with Greg
Hawkesof The Cars.
RobertJames
Searls"80
is co-founderand director
of Arizona Productions, a
leading commercialmusic
production company in
Sydney,Australia.
MarryWeintraub
’80 cofounded Multimedia Music in Minneapolis.As part
of the company’scontract
with PolyGramPublishing,
Marty finds and develops
newlocal talent and does
production work.
BrianWilliams’80
works
as a musician/orchestrator
in Costa Mesa, CA.
RalphFava"81has performed with Bobby Vinton, DebbieReynolds, and
Donald O’Connor.
Katherine
McVicker
"81,
an alumna and former
Berklee staff member,returned to campusto give a
clinic in mid-October.
Katherineis a professional
singer, bandleader, music
contractor, and booking
Spring1990
ALUMNI NEWS
event. The party
(read "bash") was
complete success.
Facultywhohadattended the Songwriters Expoalso
stopped by to meet
alumni and keep
tabs on who was
doing what.
Many alumni
were surprised to
find that old friends
had
movedto the
JoeSmith
’79 (left) andCasey
Scheuerell
’73share
a laughand
coast.
Major neta beerwithPercussion
Dept.Chairman
Dean
Anderson
(right)
working
also was
at theNashville
reunion.
apparentas Berklee
alumnirealized the
Berkleealumnimet in several cities
value of connectingwith eachotherfor
during music industry events to meet professional developmentand job opold friends and makenewones. All who portunitiesas well as for fun.
attended recognized the valuable opportunity for networkingand consult- NashvilleandBeyond
ing with fellow musicians.A goodtime
Whilein townfor the Percussive Arts
wasalso a primarygoal.
Society’s International Conferencein
Nashville, the Development Office
NewYork
hosted an alumni reception wheremore
Thelargest gathering of alumnito date than25 alumnimet with industry leadmet in NewYork City. Morethan 150 ers and professionals. Wehear that a
alumni,students, andfriends of Berklee couple of alumni even madejob conmet at the Yamaha Communication
tacts at the networkingevent.
Center at 57th Street, courtesy of Tom In Berklee’s furthest reunion from
Sheehan’69, managerof the center.
Whilethe event washeld in conjunction home, Director of AdmissionsSteven
Lipman’69, Dean of CurriculumGary
with the Audio Engineering Society
Burton ’61, and BARmemberMarcelo
Conference,most alumni from the area Braga ’83 co-hosted an alumni recepcameto the party to meet old friends tion at the club Pichucco in Buenos
andvisit with faculty andstaff fromthe Aires, Argentina on December8. The
MP&Eand Music Synthesis departreception washeld in conjunctionwith
IrlCnts.
.Button’s three-dayimprovisationclinic
President Berk honored guitarist
~nthe area.
Emily Remler ’76 at the event, and
Director of DevelopmentJohn Collins FuturePlans
.encouragedanyoneinterested in workBackin the States, planningis under~ngon developinga club to contacthim. wayfor the next Nashville event. An
It appears that a NewYorkclub is on "Alumni Songwriters Showcase"will
the way.
be held at the CockeyedCamelin March
whenthe National Songwriters AssoLosAngeles
ciation hosts its annualconference.The
In Los Angeles, more than 150 alumni event promisesa great showand a good
spent a great Sundayeveningat the Tape time. Alumniin the Nashvillearea will
Complex West on Sunday evening,
be receivinginvitations soon. If youare
October 29--put together by a comfromanother areabut wouldlike to atmittee of eight alumni, and assisted by tend,pleasegive the alumnioffice a call
DebbieDeForest’87, KevinDixon’85,
and Ray DiLeo ’82, whohosted the a! (6!7) 266-.1400,ext. 479,for yourinvitation.
Rerklee today
25
Christine
M.Purcell
’83is
co-founder of Anevon
Productions, a company
involved in contemporary
music publishing, composition, and performance.
Chrisalso teachesmusicand
directs children’s masses
andliturgies at the Holy
Nameof Jesus School in
Harrisburg, PA.
CLASSCONNECTIONS
FredericBoyle’84 peror her area to let me
WhenI think of the
,rms
with the bandTriad,
know.
years I studied at
and
has
performed in Las
If you plan to be in
Vegas
and
Atlantic City
Berklee, one word alNashville for NSAI’s
ways comes to mind-with
the
Platters,
the ShirSongwriting Sympotells,
Bobby
Rydell,
and
energy. As a student, I
sium on Sunday, March
Johnny
Tillotson.
Fred
lives
began to recognize the
18, you won’t want to
in Franklin, MA.
kind of raw energy that
miss the "AlumniSongDon
Breithaupt’84
is creais created when any
writers Showcase"
at the
tive
director
of
Green
Dolgroupof talented and
Cockeyed Camel. Becommittedpeople strive
phin
Music.
Don
wrote
and
ginningat 1:30 p.m., the
co-produced
the
single
"It’s
toward a commongoal.
eventwill feature a proaWonderfulLife" by Rikki
As Alumni Relations
gram of hot Nashville
Coordinator, I hope to
Rumball,whichclimbedthe
alumni and promises
Canadianadult/contemporekindle that sameengreat musicanda goodtime..
rary charts. He lives in
ergyin Berkleealumniby reacquainting
In addition to developing and exHamilton, Ontario.
themwith Berkleeandby listening to
panding
all
of
the
pro.gra.m,
s
I.have
me.nTonyJames
’84 has rewhat they haveto say.
Whilethe AlumniRelations Office is tioned, one of mypnormes~s to regain
corded with. pop singer
contact with "lost" alumni. Musicians
BrendaK. Start and is curjust takingits first steps,a lot of legwork are an itinerate group.Keepingtrack of
has already beendone. Berklee today is
rently the drummer in
up and running, comingto you three all 20,000Berkleealumnican be mindCyndiLauper’s band.
boggling.
Spencer
G. Mullins
’84 is
times each year. The Berklee Career
With help from our friends in the
a co-founder and keyboarNetworkis also comingtogether, offer- Office of Information Systems, we
dist of the band Syncro
ing students the opportunityto meeton should be on-line with a newdatabase
System, a "world beat"
an informalbasis with alumniand other andimprovedrecord-keeping software
band based in Atlanta.
professionalaffiliates in their chosenca- this spring. Youcan do your part by
Spencer also plays keyreer field. Alumni
also haveaccess to a
sending us your newaddress and phone
boards on numerous regwealth of career-related videos, texts, numberwhenyou move(see form on
periodicals, cassettes, andfree handouts page22). Weare also planningan Alumni gae recordings for TechsoundStudioin Atlanta. He
in the Career ResourceCenter.
Directoryto help alumnicontact classIf youare planninga trip to Boston,
lives in Marietta, GA.
DavidSingley
’84 toured
comebackand visit the Berkleecampus. matesandold friends and to aid in networking.
nationally with Perry
Alumniwillingto return to Berklee may . All in all, it’s an exciting array of
be invited to speakas part of the Berklee events, activities, and newprograms.
Comoand was the first
Alumni WorkshopSeries of in-class
personto receivea master’s
Butit is only the beginning.I feel that
degreein Jazz Studies from
visits and workshoppresentations.
our alumni deserve morethan just an
the Universityof Indiana.
Alumni Club development commit- occasionalcocktail party. Werecognize
Stefan
Traub’84
wastwice
tees are formingin Los Angeles and
that each of you comesfrom different
nominated for the German
NewYork and are in the works for periodsin the college’shistory, andyou
Bostonand several other majorcities.
"Jazzprize"as a vibist. He
eachhavedifferent needs.
has recorded with Alphonse
These clubs not only provide social,
With your help and suggestions I
Mouzonand Hal Galper’59
networking, and educationalopportuhope to continue strengthening
andis a member
of the band
nities; they also allow alumnito give Berklee’s national andinternational
Pierre Moerlen’s Gang.
somefeedbackto the college, keep in
touchwith current collegeactivites, and reputation and find newwaysto serve
Stefan lives in Worms,
our alumni.
Germany.
offer suggestionsfor newprogram.s.. I
--Carrie Semanco’86
encourageany alum whowants to 3ore
TonyBrophy’85 plays
AlumniRelations Coordinator
an existingclubor start a newonein his
with the big bandat MusiSpring
1990
Berklee today
agent for Scott Southard
Talent, Inc.
JohnHaidemenos,
Jr. ’82
is a musiceducatorwith the
Pawtucket School Departmentin RhodeIsland. John
also serves as president of
the RhodeIsland unit of
the IAJE.
Beniamin
F. Smeall’82
receivedhis master’sdegree
in Music Education from
the University of South
Carolina, and is pursuing
his doctorate.B enj aminhas
also beenteaching andperforming in and around
SouthCarolina..
BruceChianese’83
works
as a music programmerfor
the Atari Corporation.
RANDY
KLEIN"71 RECEIVES
BMI FOUNDATIOIM
AWARD
by
Alma
Berk
Berklee graduate and gifted
composer/pianistRandyKlein ’71
has learned that his work-inprogress, I Don’t Do Club Dates,
has earned him the coveted BMI
FoundationSpecial Grant.
Hismusicaltheater work,a collaboration with librettist/lyricist
IsidoreElias, has not only received
high praise from renowned composer StephenSondheim,but it is
the first musicaltheater workever
funded by the BMIFoundation.The
eagerly anticipated work will be
completedearly in 1990.
Nostrangerto the theatermusic
field, Klein has enjoyedextensive
exposureon off-Broadway
stages.
The1980production of It’s Wilde,
for whichhe wroteandorchestrated
the musicandlyricist BurtonWolfe of appreciativestudents.
wrotethe bookandlyrics, and his
In 1971, upon graduating from
showcaseproduction of The Trees Berklee College of Music with a
in 1985werevery well received by degree in Music Education, Klein
theatergoers.
wasinvited to join the prestigious
Duringa recent visit to Berklee, Berkleefaculty as an instructorof
Klein presented a two-hoursemi- piano, ear training, and harmony.
nar entitled "Composing
for the Movingon to NewYork in 1973 to
Theater" to an enthusiastic audi- devotehis full energyto writing, he
ence of Berklee Songwritingma- composeda string of R&Bsongs
jors. During the seminar, he de- which were recorded by Spring/
tailed the different techniques Polydorartist Millie Jackson. He
employedin theater andpop song- received gold recordsfor "Feelin’
writing andsharedaphorismsand Like A Woman"in 1978 and for
anecdotesfromhis successful com- "Get It Outcha System" in 1979,
posingcareerwiththe packedhouse while continuinghis collaboration
clans Institute. Tonyalso
has performed
with
TommyTedesco.
Andrew
HarrisBurton
’85
plays keyboards with the
WarnerBros./Reprise recordinggroup Grace Pool.
The group’s second album
is dueout in spring 1990.
Bruce
Carroll"85released
his first recording,Nursery
Rhymes for the NewAge,
andis finishing up three
more recordings through
his ownJazzy Toy & Record Company.Bruce also
worksas a consultant and
Spring
1990
with Jacksonas musicdirector for
her worldtour.
In a diversified career whichhas
spannednearly two decades, Klein
has also authored the hit song
"Lookin’for Love"for Candi Staton, anda numberof highly successfial tunesfor Australian
vocalist
SimonGallagher. Themulti-faceted
Klein has recently recordedtwo
albums of synthesizer improvisations: SpacialGlacierandWhileI
Was Waiting, both co-produced
with engineer/programmer
Robert
Harari. Klein’snext workwill be an
albumof piano improvisations.
softwaredesigner. Helives
ThomasKetterer ’85 has engineered projects
in Concord, MA.
worksas an electrical main- with David Coate, Patti
CarlFranklin
’85recently tenance technicianat Capi- Hale, and John McHenry
sang on the Nashville Net- tol Recordsin Hollywood. for an independentChriswork program "You Can
CarlosAntonioMerri- ti.an label. Davidalso has
Bea Star."
weather
’85 is founder
and workedas producer/engiPaul Godwin’85 has presidentof Solrac Produc- neer for composer/pianist
composed and produced tions in Louisville, KY.
Karen
Green
’76.
music for Reebok, MerPaulGerald
Presson,
Jr.
JohnCampos
’86 procedes, and Subaru.
"85is a freelancemusician
:in ducedand engineeredthe
Eddie
Horst’85 haswrit- Los Angeles. He has re- album That Kind of Man
ten, played, and recorded cordedan albumwith Paul which wonthe 1988 down
music for several Geraldo Pope, RobbieRist, andthe beat Outstanding Jazz
Riveraspecials, filmsfor the Tower of Light Beer Vocalist awardfor Fadel
state of Georgia,and com- RhythmSection on Bur- Shukry. John also engimercials. Eddie currently bank Records.
neered for Gold Company,
lives in Atlanta, GA.
DavidW.Wetherell’85 a WesternMichiganUniBerklee to day
27
BARREPORT
at the MidwestBandand
The BAR program
OrchestraClinic, Illicurrently maintains 78
nois Music Educators
membersrepresenting
Conference, and many
Berkleeacrossthe globe.
highschool jazz festiWeare pleased not only
vals in the Chicagoarea.
with their commitment
Kathy
Sheppard
’81, of
toward the development
Maywood,NJ, has been
of Berklee,but also with
in the BARprogramfor
their professional acthreeyears. Afterreceivcomplishments. This
ing her degree in Perissue’s "BARReport"
formance, Kathytoured
highlights someof the
Canadaas a keyboardist/
membersin BARto give
vocalist
in
an
all-girl
originalrockband.
youan idea of just whothey are.
In
contrast
to
that
tour,
she also studied
GlennFranke ’77 of Hasbrouck
classical
piano
for
12
years
wkhthe late
Heights, NJ, attended Berklee from
composer/musicologist
Conrad
Wolff.
1975-77 and has been an active BAR
Kathy’s
other
performance
experience
memberfor six years. Glennhas toured
the United States as a trombonist for includes studio sessions on jingles for
MichaelJackson and the Jackson Five Coca-Colaand Exxonas well as variand toured Europewith Sammy
Davis, ous industrial films. Kathyalso teaches
Jr. and Mel Torme. From 1978-81 he privately and in 1986 taught at the
was the lead trombonist and manager TeaneckArts MagnetMusic School.
As a BARmemberlast year, Kathy
for the BuddyRich Band. Currently,
visited
29 high schoolsand represented
Glennis the lead trombonist,arranger,
Berklee
at the Suffolk CountyCollege
and contractor for HarborLights MuFair
in
Long
Island, NY,and the Meadsic. He also ownsand managesProfesowlands
College
Fair in NewJersey.
sional TaxAdvisors, a tax service for
D0ugR0erden’83 of Minneapolis,
musiciansand actors in NewYorkCity.
As a BARmember,Glennvisited 11 MN,graduatedBerklee with a degreein
high schools last year, and represented Jazz Composition/Arranging. Doug
Berklee at the NewYorkBrass Confer- currently worksas a Product Specialence and NewJersey Music Educators ists at CodaMusicSoftware wherehe
Conventionas well as other high school co-designs newproducts.
As a BARmember,Dougvisited 16
jazz festivals andcollegefairs.
RonBergin’74 of Evanston,IL, re- high schoolslast year, assisted Berklee
ceived two degrees from Berklee--one Admissions staff at the Minnesota
in MusicEducation(’74) the other in National College Fair, and this year
AudioRecording(’82). After teaching traveled to Nashville to represent
musicfor nine yearsin the public schools Berkleeat the PercussiveArts Society
of Newton,MA,Rondecided to return Convention.
Weare always happy to hear from
to school and earned a master’s degree
fellow
alumni whoare inl:erested in
in Arts and Entertainment Management
sharing
their experienceand knowledge
from ColumbiaCollege in Chicago. Ron
with
high
school musicstudents. Whatis the author of the book Sponsorship
Principles andPractices(BillboardPub- ever stage you havereachedin your calications) and currently worksfor PS reer, youcan offer valuableinsights on
Productions, a Chicago-basedevent/ Berkleeand the challengesof the music
industry.
entertainmentmarketing agency.
If youwouldlike to receive an apAs a BARmember, Ron has been
plication
and further informationabout
instrumental in recruiting high school
the
BAR
program,
please fill out the inbrass and woodwindplayers for the
formation
form
on
page 22: and check
Berklee WindScholarship tour, which
auditions studentsin five cities across the BARinformation box.
--Rich Adams’82
the UnitedStates, includingChicago.In
Alumni
Admissions
Coordinator
addition, Ronhas represented Berklee
28
Berklee
t od a y
versity vocalgroup.Helives
in Kalamazoo,MI.
Todd
Glacy"86 has performed his owncontemporary folk songsat festivals
and coffee houses throughout upstate New York.
Toddplans to release his
albumthis year.
AngelaPiva ’86 has
workedas a synth programmer on albums by RunD.M.C.,Information Society, andA1B. Sure.
Frederick Townsend
Spackman
’86 is national
;ales director for Alpha
International Records,distributed by CEMA/Capitol. He lives in Chester
Springs, PA.
DavidLincolnBrooks
’87
appearedas a pianist in the
film Lost Angels.Davidalso
performed on the Nordstrom department store
chain’s Christmas album,
Celebratethe Season, with
sevenother pianists.
Charles
H.Butler’87is a
popular producer of commercial jingles and video
scores in the NewYork
area. Hehas producedmore
than200piecesfor local and
national clients including
DuPont, McDonalds, and
Reebok. Charles is currently composingmusicfor
the major TVnetworksand
co-producing a heavymetal group. He lives in
Somerdale,NJ.
Thomas
Callahan’87
lives
in Brooklyn and works at
Platinum Island Recording
Studios in Manhattan.
MarkCohen
’87 co-owns
an independent record
company
specializing in rap
and urban dance music.
GeraldMichaelHenderson’87 worksas a production assistant for "Entertainment Tonight" and as a
freelance video soundman
forHBO, VH-1, andMTV.
Helives in NewYorkCity.
Deanna
Hewitt’87 is an
assistant engineer for
Spring
1990
CLAIRMARLO
"80
She wasborn Clara Veseliza, but
says, you could "spend a lifetime
Clair Marlo’80 got tired of spelling
just writingaboutonerelationship."
it out.
That is whyLet It Go features
"Nobody ever said my name
such moving,anguishedballads as
right. Theywere alwayscalling me
"WithoutMe,"a description of the
’Clair.’ So I said, ’Okay--it’s now
breakupof her marriage. That song
Clair.’ AndVaseliza got to be too
andsix others on the recordingare
hard to spell."
originals. Thefour covertunes also
Withthe help of her brother, she
deal
with relationshipsas they showsettled on Clair Marlo.Ashort time
case Marlo’sflair for arrangement.
later, she signedwithSheffieldLab,
Marlouses plenty of synthesizrecorded an album(Let It Go, reers on Let~t Go--andshe makesno
leased last July), andwatchedas it
apologiesfor doingso. In fact, the
received airplay on AOR,jazz, pop,
synthesizeris onetopic that stirs up
and NewAgestations.
this otherwiseeasygoingsongstress.
NowMarlois writing a newset
"I had someoneask me in Bosof songs for a follow-up release,
Marlo quickly expanded her ton, ’Are you going to do a live
whichshe will begin in June. She musicalhorizons beyondpolka. She
album?’ I said, ’Thisis a live album.’
also has started her ownventure, studied classical piano at Queens lit wasrecordedlive to digital twoBop Productions, with friend and College, transferred to Berkleeto
fellow Berklee alumnaWendyLevy study contemporary music, and track.] Andhe said, ~No--I mean
with real instruments.’ That really
ll.8,.whospecializesin filmandtele- played in various bands. She also insulted me, because the synthevlslon production. Already, the beganmakingcontacts in the recsizer is an instrumentin itself. Alot
companyhas signed singer/guitar- ord industry, amongthemproducer of synthesistsuse it effectively,and
ist Steve McClintock,whohas writ- Steve Hoffman. For Hoffmanshe understand
it. Thenthere are a lot of
ten a number
of songsfor teen singer arranged and completed many of people who don’t--who come up
Tiffany. BopProductions also is the unfinished tracks of Harry
with cheesy sounds.
buildinga 24-track studio.
Chapin’slast, uncompleted
record"I love synthesizers. Thepeople
Ask Clair Marlo what got her ings. Thecompilationwasreleased
whodon’t want to hear it can stay
interested in music, and her reply in 1987 by Dunhill Records as
snobby.If they don’t want to hear
might surprise you: "Polka." But RememberWhenthe Music.
synthesizers,they don’t haveto lisshe’s not kidding. Marlo’sparents,
Marlo’s ownmusic centers more ten to me."
born in Yugoslavia,encouragedher on personalrelationships. She says
--Larry Canale
to learn the accordionwhenshe was she occasionallyfeels guilty for not
6 and taught her to play and sing .writing about political and social
Larry Canaleis a NewHampshireBalkanfolk songs.
issues like Chapindid. But, as she basedmusiccritic and writer.
Dreamland Recording in
Bearsville, NY.Her credits
include Office Chatter, a
soundeffects tape for the
homeoffice.
Tamas
G.K. Marius’87
worksas a recording engineer and instructor at Full
Sail Centerfor the Recording Arts in Orlando,FL.
Jeff Michne
’87 recorded
at RCAStudios with the
Terry Winchell Band, an
.original rock bandperformmg in and around New
York City. Jeff also has
performed with the Tom
DePetris Jazz Quartet featuring Michael Amendola.
Spring
1990
Joshua
Rubin’87 teaches
at the Professional Music
Association
and the
CaldwellStudio of Music.
Joshua also leads his own
group at the AngrySquire
in NewYorkCity. Helives
in Montclair, NJ.
PatrickSmith’87 engineered BranfordMarsalis’
Royal Garden Blues and
Renaissance, as well as
WyntonMarsalis’ Live at
Blops Alley, and NewKids
on the Block.
Joseph
J. Doughney
"88
wasamong
the class that receivedBerkleedegreesfrom
honorary doctor of music
recipient DaveGru~in. Jo- Nashville market. Kevin
seph nowworksfor Grusin also worksextensively as
a.s an assistant recordingen- an independentengineer.
gineer for GRPRecords.
Jason
Vogel
’88 is an asRecent credits include the sistant engineer with
motion picture soundtrack GreeneStreet Recordingin
album to The Fabulous NewYork. Recentassistant
Baker Boys.
engineeringcredits include
Robert
G. Lehmann
’88 is recordings with Runcurrently a studio engineer- D.M.C., Public Enemy,
ing managerat the Wolfman Riot, and VanessaWilliams.
Schoolof Musicin Arling- Jason lives in Brooklyn.
ton, MA.
Fawn
FieldDrake
’89 reKevinJohnTwit’88 is a cordeda single to benefit
guitarist and engineer for patients with AIDS,which
David Mullen and One she wrote and performed.
Blood. The band’s new Fawnalso is planning to
albumon WarnerBros., Re- record her ballads with
vival, is doingwell in the Arista Records.
Berklee today
29
Shop t a I k
Notes from
music industry
conferences,
conventions,
and confabs
30
Berklee today
Despite NeXT’shopes
for the future, a vast majority of the PC-baseddigital
audio workstations presented at the show were
Macintosh-based.
Advanceddigital audio workstations from NewEngland
Digital,
DyAxis, and
Symetrix use the Macas a
front-endcontroller device.
AudioEngineering
Society
Add-on products such as
October10-21, 1989
DigiDesign’s SoundTools
NewYork, NY
are beginningto unlockthe
potential of the Macintosh.
The October AESofYamaha unveiled the
fered a widevariety of technew
SY77synthesizer, a six
nical papersandexhibitsfor
operator FMinstrument
the audio professional.
Highlights of the confer- and labs, and would move whichincludes digital convolution filters, sampled
ence included an extended us closer to implementing
sounds in ROM,digital
series on "Optimizingthe the concept of machine
Listening Environment." rooms--where banks of reverb, and a powerfulseThis was a convention-long audio gear such as tape quencer. Roland showed
series that attempted to machines,synthesizers, ef- more enhancementsto the
encompass
the full range of fects devices,etc., wouldbe operating system of their
new sampler, the $770,
possible listening environ- accessibleto individualsin
which promises to be a
various
remote
locations.
ments and the theoretical
powerfulplayer in 1990.
The
entire
industry
underpinningsof each.
A session on "Education
Asessionon fiber optics seemsto be looking for a
in
Audio" stressed that
digital audio workstation
posed some important
getting
startedin the field is
questions concerning the which will allow digital
not
necessarily
dependent
future of communication recording, mixing,editing,
on
specific
hardware
operaand
mastering,
as
well
as
technologies.Thetalk contion
skills.
Presenters
agreed
centrated on the advantages sound synthesis, sequencthat
knowing
what
buttons
ing,
and
sampling.
NeXT
of transmittingaudioinformationin the digital realm Computerbelieves that its to pushis a very smallpart
of what it takes to have a
via fiber optic cabling.Pri- architecture, will be the
marily, the advantagesover hardware platform which successfulcareer in audio.
Aknowledgeof the basics,
more traditional methods will emergeas that workinterpersonal skills,
center arounddistance ca- station. Powerful comput- good
motivation,
and literacy
pabilities, lownoise/inter- ing through~:he computer’s
werecited as essential.
Motorola
chip
set
coupled
ference capabilities, and
--David Mash, Chairman,
flexibility in use with mul- with two custom VLSI
MusicSynthesis Dept.
chips
allow
for
true
multitiple data formats.Thepresand David Moulton,
tasking
in
tlhe
audio
envientation also discussedthe
Chairman, MP&E Dept.
ronment.
new MADIprotocol. The
Spring
1990
Eachyear, Berklee faculty andstaff attenda multitude of musicindustry and
educational conventions,
symposiums,conferences,
and seminars. "Shoptalk"
is a forumfor their overviews and impressions of
these majorindustryevents.
Multi-channel AudioDigital Interface allows for
transmission of up to 56
channels of digital audio
signals (bidi:rectionally)
over a single fiber optic
cable. This wouldallow for
interconnection of audio
equipmentbetweenstudios
Musicand Entertainment
Industry
Educators
Association
October20 & 21, 1989
New York, NY
LosAngeles
Songwriters
Showcase discussedtheir’ song, "All This Time,"
The MEIEAConference
Songwriters
Expo
whichbecamea hit for Tiffany. Their
seeks to bridge the gapbeOctober28 & 29, 1989
belief in the songled themto purchaseit
tween education and the
Pasadena, CA
back from WelkMusicPublishing where
music industry as it atit hadbeenon file for sevenyears. Also
tempts to develop music
The Songwriters Expois an annual on the panel wereMichaelJay, writer of
industry education protwo-day event sponsored by the Los the Martikahit "ToySoldier," and Cal
gramsin Americancolleges
AngelesSongwritersShowcase.It brings Curtis, author of .38 Special’s "Second
anduniversities.
together songwriters, record produc- Chance."The panel stressed belief in
Highlightsof this year’s
ers, musicpublishers,andeducatorsin a self, stick-to-it-iveness, andawareness
conferenceincluded a disvariety of seminarsand networkingop- of the current musicbusinessas keys to
cussion on "Critical Thinkportunities.
success.
ing in the MusicIndustry
The keynoteaddress at this year’s
In additionto the variousclinics and
Education Classroom" by
expo wasgiven by Joe Smith,president panels, the Songwriters ExpoOffered
Tim Hayes of Elmhurst
and CEOof Capitol-EMI Music, Inc. two events whichgave the songwritera
Collegein Illinois. Hayes
Hemadeit clear that these are difficult chanceto havehis or her songsheard.
discussed ways in which
timesfor the creative artist dueto cor- Duringthe "SongEvaluation," profeseducators can adapt variporate conglomeration. Record com- sional publishers commentedon the
ous learning theories to
panies are reluctant to take chanceson strengths, weaknesses,and commercial
musicindustry instruction.
newartists with the specter of huge potential of songs submitted. During
Hayes believes that the
corporate buy outs such as Sony’s re- the "Pitch-a-thon," record company
interactive classroom is
cent purchase of CBS.
representatives and record producers
mosteffective in stimulatA panel discussion entitled "Break- listened to songssubmittedfor particuing the maximum
in cogniing Through"discussedthe elusive first lar artists.
tive learning.
"breakthrough" for an aspiring song--Jack Perricone,
Someinteractive classwriter. Steve McClintock
and TimJames
Chairman,Songwriting Dept.
room concepts mentioned
were:1) that the mainfocus
is on thinking together; 2) ments on the skills and education programs may with film editing equipment
that participation is easy; knowledgeneeded for to- prove invaluable in meet- manufacturers.Thelatest in
day and tomorrow. Tony ing that need.
digital editing systemshave
Bongioviof PowerStation
--Larry McClellan, includedinterlock features
recording studios emphaChairman,Professional with 16/35 mmfilm, most
sized that honestandhardEducationDivision video formats, other audio
workingbusiness peopleare
sources like DATand CD,
sorely neededto workwith 131stSMPTE
Technical
and MIDI.
artists, take care of paper- Conference
andEquipment One reason that film
work,clear copyrights, and Exhibit
sound is still a relevant
negotiate contracts.
October21-25, 1989
mediumwith all the adEvan Lamberg, who Los Angeles, CA
vances in audio could be
and3) that the use of writ- heads the publications detlhe substantial investment
ing captures the essence of partment at Jobete Music
At this year’s SMPTE so many companies have
individual lessons learned. Company,
stressed that the Conference (Society of madein film equipment.
Hayesfelt that music in- internship is the most im- MotionPicture and Televi- Anotherreasoncould be the
dustry students should be portant factor in gaining a sion Engineers),179pape.rs comparatively low cost of
involved with directed
foothold in the music in- were presented by authors such equipment and its
study projects to presentat dustry. Such internships from 13 countries. New "user familiar" operation
conferences; that they offer free labor for the technologieson the exhibit for film professionals.
shouldbe taught to analyze employer and important floor emphasizedthe growExhibitorsat the convenrecording contracts; and experiencefor the intern.
ing coexistenceof film and tion included KEM
Editing
that students should be
The conference wit- video technology. A tour Systems, Steenbeck, J&R
involvedin the preparation nessedthe growingneedfor of the floor showeda con- Film, CTM,
Timeline, Inc.,
of examinations.
trained businessprofession- tinuing trend towardinter- andSolid State Logic.
Apanel of musicindus- als in the music industry action or interconnectionof --Don Wilkins, Chairman,
try leaders offered corn- and suggested that higher the two media, especially
FilmScoring Dept.
Spring
1990
Berklee today
31
CODA
Myth
and
Stevet~
~
Wilkes
n ancient Greek myth, the first woman,Pandora
(meaning"gift of the gods"), wascreated as a companion to Epimetheus. She brought with her a wooden
chest which she was forbidden to open. Overcomeby
curiosity, she openedthe chest and released chaosupon
the world. The only redeemingthing that remainedin
Pandora’s Box was Hope.
For the past few years as a performer, teacher, and
authoron electronic percussion,I haveoften felt a little
like Pandora, intensely excited and curious about the
magicallittle boxes of digital MIDIgear nowavailable,
and overwhelmed
by the manysurprises they hold for the
modernmusician. MIDI,of course, is not the dark force
that wasPandora’sBox.It has helped musiciansto create
wondrousmusic that was previously impossible. At the
very least, MIDIhas expandedthe musicalhorizon to the
limits of the imagination. However,it also has brought
with it muchconfusion and a truth that every MIDI
musician knowsall too well--Murphy’s Lawis true,
"Whatevercan go wrong, will go wrong."
Thereare somebasicpreventive.........................
steps youcan take to help avoidproblems. First of all, before a performance, alwaysdo a quick soundcheck
of all electronicgearandsequences.If
youhaveever goneto trigger that favorite sound and heard nothing--or
worse, triggered it at 100 dBlouder
than everything else--you knowthe
importanceof a soundcheck. Second,
whenelectronic gear isn’t working
correctly, don’t just checkthe output
levels andfaders. Also, take a look at
the MIDItransmit and receive channels of the equipment.I amamazedat
howoften the problemis as simpleas
an incorrectly set MIDIchannel.
StevenWilkes’80 is an assistant professor in the PercussionDepartment
and a memberof the Boston-based
pop~rockduo, Dr. Carrot.
32
Berklee today
MIDI
"80
After manyfirsthand MIDImomentswith Murphy’s
Law, however, I have cometo an unusual conclusion:
Mistakesare good;accidentsare evenbetter; andchaosis
the best. Manytimes in the midst of the chaos that can
result froma MIDImistake, I have discovered a musical
result that is evenbetter than myoriginal intentions.
For example,here at BerkleeI performin a MIDItrio
(affectionately called the "Itty-bitty MIDICommittee")
with faculty membersMatt Marvuglio and Mike Ihde.
Oneday, whilepreparingfor a rehearsal, I wassetting up
mygear and diiscovered a sequencein mydrummachine
I had forgotten. It wasa vaguelynorthern African hand
drumminggroove that I had programmedfor a gig and
never used again.
In a hasty set-up, I had mistakenlyconnectedthe drum
machine’sMIDIoutput to all myother synthesizer tone
generators. WhenI pressed "run" on the drummachine,
mywholerack beganto play. Incredibly enough,everything was in the samekey. It was the neatest northern
African moodand groove you wouldever want to hear. I
played it for myfellow trio members
at rehearsal and our popular composition "MoroccanRoll" was born.
This is not to say that all accidents
will lead to better results. EveryMIDI
musicianhas at least onehorror story
about whenabsolutely everything
wentwrong.But since accidents will
happen, no matter howwell you know
your gear, whynot take advantageof
them? Wheninteresting problems
occur, don’t yankall your cables and
start again. Think about what went
wrong,howit happened, and howit
could be useful to you.
Today’selectronic musicianshould
be opento the creative possibilities
that mistakesand accidentscan present. Like Pandora,no matter howbad
the chaos, wealwayshavehope. That,
plus a little ingenuity,can turn chaos
into magic.
~
Spring
1990
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"As for whichsequenceryou choose, I think that dependson what style of musicianyou
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Expectto be amazed."Features: 10; Stability: 10; Overall: 10; Craig Anderton.
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