Program Overview
Boston Conservatory at Berklee offers a Professional Studies Certificate (P.S.C.) for advanced musicians who want to spend a year focused exclusively on performance. This specialized program provides high-level training for students who have completed their bachelor's degree, and wish to continue honing their artistry through a year of intensive performance. The P.S.C. program emulates a professional musician's schedule. By design, the curriculum does not include classroom work so that students may dedicate their time to auditioning, rehearsing, performing, and professional networking.
Performance Opportunities
The Conservatory's P.S.C. program provides students with an abundance of performance opportunities. In a given year, the school presents more than 700 performances by students, faculty, and guest artists, 260 of which are world premieres. With this volume of work, students in the P.S.C. program perform often and in a wide variety of settings, from large and small ensembles and chamber groups, to collaborations with guest artists and peer musicians, to solo recitals and appearances.
In addition to their rigorous performance schedule on campus, P.S.C. students are encouraged to take advantage of the Conservatory's prime location in Boston by auditioning for local ensembles and participating in music competitions and professional music societies. This provides an excellent opportunity for students to build real-world experience and strong professional networks, so that they are better poised to land the roles they desire upon graduation.
Program Requirements
The P.S.C. in Contemporary Classical Music Performance requires students to complete 15 credits, consisting of the course requirements listed below. View the Sample Curriculum by Semester for additional details.
- M-AP 0009 Applied lessons (6 credits total, 3 credits each)
- M-EN 0089 Contemporary Classical Music Ensemble (2 credits total, 1 credit each)
- M-ST 0089 Performance Seminar: Contemporary Classical Music (2 credits total, 1 credit each)
- Xxxxx General electives (5 credits total)
What You Will Learn
Upon successful completion of the P.S.C. in Contemporary Classical Music Performance, students will:
- confidently perform repertoire from the last 125 years in a variety of settings, including solo works, chamber music, and large ensemble compositions;
- improvise in a contemporary aesthetic with a high degree of comfort;
- demonstrate entrepreneurial acumen through organizing, collaborating, and communicating with follow artists in the creation of performances;
- communicate clearly and effectively as creative musical artists as an outcome of private instruction and artistic collaborations with their peers and guest artists, as well as exposure to a wide variety of contemporary repertoire; and
- demonstrate familiarity with both conventionally notated music as well as music that uses various unconventional notational methods.
How to apply
Gainful Employment Disclosure
