Berklee College of Music’s Online Class Of 2024: A Testament To Tenacity

(Hypebot) — Listed below are six totally different 2024 Berklee Faculty Of Music’s On-line graduates which have had notable and inspirational journeys main them to graduation day.

by Talia Smith-Muller of Berklee On-line

On Might 11, members of Berklee On-line’s class of 2024 will collect in Boston to participate on this yr’s Graduation ceremony, alongside their Berklee campus friends. Annually this milestone brings collectively Berklee On-line college students from world wide for a weekend of celebration amongst graduates, instructors, advisors, and household and buddies. Graduation represents not solely the end result of years of laborious work, but in addition the tenacity that defines Berklee On-line’s international neighborhood. Learn the inspiring tales of six Berklee On-line graduates who replicate on their experiences and share what’s in retailer for his or her futures.

Ashley Aunor

Leisure runs within the household for Ashley Aunor, an award-winning artist, producer, movie composer, and DJ from the Philippines. Her mother, Maribel Lala Aunor, was a teen star within the ’70s, and her aunt, Nora Aunor, has been conferred as a Nationwide Artist of the Philippines. Ashley launched her first album on the age of 5 and was on monitor to observe in her household’s footsteps, however she took the recommendation of a trainer who inspired her to take pleasure in her childhood and end out faculty.

“Once I suppose again, I’m okay with this route as a result of I believe I wouldn’t have been in a position to turn into a music producer with out that massive pause from childhood to school,” says Ashley. “I believe I’d’ve been a singer, after which I don’t know the place I’d go from there. I wouldn’t even know what a music producer was, in all probability. So yeah, I’m simply completely satisfied that I’m right here.”

A graduate of Berklee On-line’s Music Manufacturing bachelor’s diploma program, Ashley has fulfilled the promise to herself about finishing her education, and is benefiting from all of the alternatives which might be coming her means. This features a document take care of AWAL and Star Music for her mission Cool Cat Ash, which she’s hoping will deliver her music to worldwide audiences.

She’s additionally persevering with to increase her roster of purchasers as co-founder of Aunorable Productions along with her sister Marion Aunor, who additionally has a multifaceted music and performing profession. They do the whole lot from songwriting to producing, arranging, mixing and mastering, and movie scoring.

“I don’t suppose I’d’ve been in a position to even put up the corporate with my sister,” she says, “and even turn into a music producer and work as a music producer with out the information that I’ve attained from my lessons.”

Bob Corson

In 2022, Bob Corson from Ottawa, Canada, was beginning to consider retiring from his profession in cybersecurity, when he found Berklee On-line. He enrolled in a number of guitar programs, simply to see if he favored it. After one semester, he started Berklee On-line’s Guitar Efficiency bachelor’s diploma program and stepped again from his full-time job. Now Bob is graduating from Berklee On-line, however his pursuit of music training isn’t stopping anytime quickly.

“I’m actually hungry to proceed to be taught,” says Bob. “I swore I used to be going to be an expert musician, after which life took turns. So to propel myself ahead a bit of bit in the direction of that merchandise on the bucket checklist and nonetheless eager to be taught, I believe that that’s my takeaway.”

Bob lately turned the lead guitarist for the band Zooloo and the Seaweeds, the place he’s engaged on recording their subsequent album and planning a US tour.

He will likely be attending Graduation along with his spouse, daughter, and her boyfriend there to cheer him on. Bob says he hopes to fulfill as many classmates and professors as potential, together with his personal guitar teacher, Bruce Bartlett.

“I’m already beginning to attain out to individuals and see if we are able to meet in individual,” says Bob. “And my purpose for that’s I need to specific my gratitude verbally and in individual. It’s simply been an superior expertise.”

Avalon Reed

Avalon Reed first enrolled in Berklee On-line’s Songwriting and Producing Music bachelor’s diploma program as she was transitioning out of the US Marine Corps. From 2017-2021, she performed flute within the Marine Corps Band. Avalon determined to enroll at Berklee On-line to discover ways to flip the voice memos in her cellphone and lyrics in her journal into recorded music, a expertise that got here to the forefront throughout eight months of BootCamp.

“The one factor that basically obtained me via it was Sundays once I would go to church and sing,” says Avalon. “I noticed that via all that point, I used to be all the time singing or I’d all the time be writing songs. So once I noticed that the songwriting and the music manufacturing course was an choice, I instantly was like, ‘That is one thing I need to do as a result of I need to do one thing extra with my songs than have them simply sitting in a journal someplace.’”

One of many twists in Avalon’s Berklee On-line journey occurred when she took the Music Publishing 101 course with Thomas Valentino, Esq. as a part of her program necessities and found a fascination with copyright regulation. Main as much as Berklee Graduation, Avalon is learning to take her LSATs with hopes of attending Vanderbilt Regulation College.

“It’s quite a lot of info,” she says. “The cool factor is I stayed in contact with professor Valentino. So on the finish of the semester, he gave us his e mail and he instructed us, ‘In the event you want something, don’t be afraid to achieve out.’ So he was the primary one I reached out to and I requested for suggestions on put together for the LSATs, so he’s been a fantastic supply of data.”

Jaymee Senigaglia

Graduating Berklee On-line’s Music Enterprise bachelor’s diploma program represents an array of accomplishments for Jaymee Senigaglia. What began as a mission for her coursework, changed into a profitable launch of her personal youth theater program: Stage Presence Performing Arts Studio within the Bay Space. Jaymee employs 18 complete employees members, two of that are Berklee college students.

“We’re simply making an attempt to create a extra inclusive, various, and sort area for youths,” she says, about her studio. “I launched this system final summer time and I couldn’t imagine it was worthwhile, so we instantly deliberate the following one as quickly as that one ended. After which in the midst of all of this, I truly obtained employed to do a faculty present. And in order I used to be writing my capstone, I used to be coping with the eventualities in actual time.”

The success didn’t come with out wrestle for Jaymee, who went via a divorce, a well being disaster, and lack of revenue on account of Covid throughout her time in this system. However now Jaymee is graduating Berklee as a mother of two, a bride-to-be this summer time, and a worthwhile enterprise proprietor. In actual fact, her subsequent order of enterprise is producing and vocal directing a manufacturing of Willy Wonka Jr.

“There are such a lot of issues that be ok with this diploma to me, in addition to being finished with it, however I actually really feel deeply, there’s no extra story of failure as a single mother who’s making an attempt to determine it out,” says Jaymee. “I’m not making an attempt to determine it out anymore. I do know. And I simply really feel extra assured and safer financially and with who I’m.”

Jimmy Mowery

Jimmy Mowery from Altoona, PA, first began his bachelor’s diploma program with Berklee On-line in 2018, however that wasn’t the one thrilling factor occurring at the moment. Within the first yr of his coursework, he was invited to audition for season 16 of The Voice, with judges Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton. Jimmy sang “Consideration” by Berklee alum Charlie Puth, and Levine pressed his button earlier than Mowery had even sang two traces, and Legend pressed his button about midway via the efficiency. Mowery selected group Adam.

“It doesn’t matter what, it was going to be Adam, simply because I used to be such an enormous Maroon 5 fan rising up,” says Jimmy. “I simply wished to have the ability to decide his mind and attempt to be taught from him. He may see how nervous I used to be, and it was a bit of off-camera factor, however he gave me a hug, and he was like, ‘I do know you’re nervous, however you belong right here similar to everyone else does.’”

Not solely did Jimmy work with Levine, however he was coached by Puth through the battle rounds of the present, the place the judges pit two members of their group towards one another.

“One of many first issues I stated was, ‘Dude, I’m in Berklee proper now,’ and I instructed him that he was one of many predominant the reason why I enrolled,” says Jimmy. “He was like, ‘That’s so cool!’”

Jimmy will likely be strolling at this yr’s Berklee Graduation for incomes his bachelor’s diploma in Songwriting. His post-graduation plans embody shopping for a house along with his spouse, constructing his personal studio, and recording his demos.

“I’ve liked how a lot Berklee has helped me be extra in keeping with songwriting as a result of earlier than that, it was extra like a chore,” he says. “It’s made me a a lot better songwriter, simply studying the formulation and ins and outs of the whole lot. I’m actually pleased with simply how far I’ve include my writing.”

Breanna Dickerson

Breanna Dickerson is one other member of Berklee On-line’s class of 2024 who has skilled the fun of auditioning for a preferred music competitors. A graduate of the Music Enterprise diploma program, Breanna auditioned for America’s Received Expertise in 2019, and this expertise made means for an internship at Common Music Group, rebranding her award-winning hip-hip duo, F.L.O.G.I.C., and extra.