Program Overview
Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s brass performance program provides students with a strong foundation in traditional and standard repertoire for brass instruments, while offering many opportunities to explore contemporary, commercial, and emerging styles and techniques.
The program is designed for students to develop technical command of their chosen instrument, as well as the performance and collaborative skills essential to thriving in today's music industry. For example, by performing and rehearsing with various ensembles each semester, students experience a professional performance schedule while becoming comfortable in a wide range of genres and styles.
Throughout their Conservatory experience, students are mentored by esteemed faculty members who perform regularly with regional and international organizations. Providing valuable professional insight and guidance, the faculty motivates students to refine their artistic abilities and explore diverse opportunities as they forge their future careers.
Our Students
Students who flourish in the Conservatory’s brass performance program are curious about learning new styles and brass performance techniques. They aspire to be versatile musicians, experts not only in classical repertoire, but in new repertoire as well. They are committed to personal and artistic growth, and appreciate collaboration.
Curriculum Overview
The first two years of the undergraduate brass program are designed to help students develop a critical understanding of music theory and history, and their own musical and technical abilities. Students will learn techniques for breathing, sight reading, and practicing effectively on their own. They will also begin to strengthen their performance skills by participating in symphonic orchestras, dance, theater, and opera production orchestras, and chamber ensembles. As a result, students become intimately familiar with a wide range of repertoire for brass instruments, from classical to contemporary to musical theater, and with every style in between.
In their final two years of study, brass performance students deepen their understanding of technique through courses in brass pedagogy and continued private study with their studio teacher. At this time, students may also explore specialty areas through the various electives offered at the Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, such as film studies, arts journalism, and career skills. Additionally, students perform degree recitals that highlight the skills they have developed during their time at the Conservatory, including performance technique, mastery of various genres and styles, and refined artistry.
Program Requirements
The Bachelor of Music in Brass Performance requires students to complete 120 credits, consisting of the course requirements listed below. View the Sample Curriculum by Semester for additional details.
Core Studies
Major Requirements
- M-AP 0009 Applied lessons (24 credits total; 3 credits each)
- M-EN 0001 Orchestral Repertoire 1: Winds and Brass (1 credit)
- M-EN 0002 Orchestral Repertoire 2: Winds and Brass (1 credit)
- M-EN 0069 Instrumental Ensemble (8 credits total; 1 credit each)
- M-EN 0079 Chamber Music (6 credits total; 1 credit each)
- M-PD 0201 Pedagogy 1: Brass (1 credit)
- M-PD 0202 Pedagogy 2: Brass (1 credit)
- M-PR 0009 Concert & Recital Attendance (0 credits; completed four times)
- M-PR 1201 Foundations of Instrumental Studies 1: Brass (1 credit)
- M-PR 1202 Foundations of Instrumental Studies 2: Brass (1 credit)
- M-SK 0009 Recital (0 credits; completed two times)
- M-SK 0991 Conducting 1 (1 credit)
- M-ST 0009 Applied Lesson Studio Class (0 credits; completed eight times)
- M-ST 0209 Performance Seminar: Brass (4 credits total; 1 credit each)
General Education and Liberal Arts
- C-PR 1001 Introduction to Creative Media Technology (1 credit)
- L-CM 1301 Introduction to College Writing (3 credits)
- L-CM 1302 Literature Topics (3 credits)
- A-xx 739xx Africana Studies or L-CM 739xx Liberal Arts elective: Arts & Humanities (3 credits)
- A-xx 749xx Africana Studies or L-CM 749xx Liberal Arts elective: Social Sciences (3 credits)
- A-xx 759xx Africana Studies or L-CM 759xx Liberal Arts elective: Math/Science (3 credits)
- A-xx 7x9xx Africana Studies or L-CM 7x9xx Liberal Arts electives (12 credits total; 3 credits each)
- M-LT 1103 Music and Culture in Context (2 credits)
- M-LT 1104 Narratives of Music History 1: Antiquity and the Renaissance (2 credits)
- M-LT 2103 Narratives of Music History 2: The Baroque and Classical Periods (2 credits)
- M-LT 2104 Narratives of Music History 3: Romanticism (2 credits)
- M-LT 3103 Narratives of Music History 4: Post-Romanticism and Modernism through WWII (2 credits)
- M-LT 3104 Narratives of Music History 5: Modern Contexts and Narratives Post-1950 (2 credits)
- Xxxxx General electives (5 credits total)
What You Will Learn
The B.M. in Brass Performance program features a range of course experiences that allow students to build a toolkit of skills required for success as impactful artist-performers today. Upon successful completion of the program, students will:
- prepare and accurately perform a wide range of musical styles, genre, and repertoire through the foundation of technique and musical comprehension developed in applied instrumental lessons, large and small ensembles, coachings, master classes, and observations, as well as through genre-specific repertoire courses, and the study of brass pedagogy, music theory, and music history;
- apply ear-training skills, knowledge of theoretical and harmonic analysis, as well as historical context to the study and performance of a score;
- sustain and build upon their instrumental technique, based upon their understanding of the foundational techniques of their instrument, studied in applied lessons as well as in brass pedagogy;
- perform with meaning and context, informed by an ability to analyze and place into context the material of a score;
- develop and foster meaningful artistic collaborations with partners across the musical and artistic spectrum;
- cultivate meaningful connections to the communities in which they perform and teach, informed by the experiences in large and small ensembles and through special partnership programs at Boston Conservatory; and
- establish an artistic identity that represents their individuality, celebrating music of past and present, and serving as a champion for the future of our industry.
Your Future
Alumni of the Conservatory’s brass performance program enjoy full-time careers performing with emerging and renowned ensembles, teaching at private studios, and serving as arts administrators at esteemed organizations across the country, including:
Ensembles
- Atlantic Brass Quintet
- Boston Ballet Orchestra
- Boston Landmarks Orchestra
- Montreal Symphony Orchestra
- Symphony New Hampshire
- Synergy Brass Quintet
- Triton Brass Quintet
Arts Administration
- Boston Pops Orchestra
- Boston Symphony Orchestra
How to apply
