You Can’t Teach Music Online! Part 1: Overview
Rick Peckham, Berkleemusic Online Guitar Instructor
“You can’t teach music online!” That’s what we heard time and again back in 2002, when we first began making plans for Berkleemusic.com, the online continuing education division of Berklee College of Music. And now 16,000 students, 75 countries, 85 courses, 30 certificate programs, and three National Awards later, “You can’t teach music online” has changed to a rousing affirmation that you CAN, in fact, teach music online; quite effectively, indeed! All you need is strong leadership, the best staff, and the finest faculty all working together to make it happen. These are the ingredients of Berkleemusic.com!
Online learning, also known as distance learning, has the attention of every major university in the world, most offering online degrees, certificates, and individual courses. Distance learning draws upon hundreds of years of established pedagogical principles and offers a student-centric approach to education. Berkleemusic is an example of a distance learning program founded in tradition. It all started in the early 1950s with Berklee’s original Correspondence Course, a 25-week “Berklee-by-mail” course in music theory and arranging. That early distance-learning initiative had the very same primary goal as the online school does today—to expand Berklee’s reach and provide educational opportunities by bringing Berklee to those who simply could not get to Boston.
What is it like to teach and learn music online? In this two-part series, we will look at online music education from the teacher’s side of the desk. Stay tuned!
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Yes I totally agree I’m currently into my fifth course at Berklee Music and is really true and lessons are well taught and is great the discussion board and all great resources…I really having a great time even if I’m an experienced and well trained musician .I wish to go further with my studies and maybe another certificate ….
Hope that Berklee could give degrees too…
Jan Sturiale
There are no longer any questions that remain…You can teach and learn on-line! The success of Berklee is not one that just any entity can pull off. You have to have the right product delivered by the right people at the right time. Berkleemusic on-line has resoundingly done so. No other on-line organization will ever be able to surpass the “line drawn in the sand” by Berkleemusic. The office staff are the tops, the faculty are deeply committed professionals and the manner in which music education is delivered, is a formula that absolutely accomplishes it’s goal. People learn!
I am finishing a professional certificate in guitar and I have enjoyed the process. I am a 41 year at the guitar and yet I always new that a proper education would be most rewarding. I had other on-line college experience and was overjoyed to see Berkleemusic was sooo much different, and for the better.
I think the psychology of on-line learning is an interesting one. Many desire to bring the best of us forth. It is probably the most arduist task a teacher can face, “How can I get the most out of this student”. I am sure this is what Berkleemusic has uncovered. The delivery is comfortable and yet extremely challenging. The proof as they say, “is in the pudding”. Students flatout learn.
I am happy that I was at this time in history to experience a phenomina created by Berkleemusic. Thank you Berklee! Daniel Jay Morin
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