Berklee College of Music history

Jazz Trumpeter Fats Navarro September 13, 1948

In 1954, when the school's curriculum had expanded to include music education classes and more traditional music theory, Berk changed the name to Berklee School of Music, after his 12-year-old son Lee Eliot Berk, to reflect the broader scope of instruction.

In 1957, Berklee initiated the first of many innovative applications of technology to music education with Jazz in the Classroom, a series of LP recordings of student work, accompanied by scores.

Multiple Grammy-winning producer Arif Mardin came from Turkey to study at the school in 1958.

Reed player John LaPorta began teaching in 1962.

Trombonist Phil Wilson joined the faculty in 1965.

Berklee awarded its first bachelor of music degrees in 1966.

The first college course on jingle writing was also offered in 1969.

Vibraphonist Gary Burton joined the faculty in 1971, helping to solidify the place of jazz-rock fusion in the curriculum.

The theater was renovated and opened as the 1,227-seat Berklee Performance Center in 1976.

In 1979, Berklee founder Lawrence Berk stepped down as president.

The series, which continued until 1980, was a precursor to subsequent Berklee-affiliated recording labels.

Beginning in 1981, the string department curriculum expanded to include many stylistic idioms besides classical music.

Instrumental majors also expanded to include the first college hand-percussion major in 1988.

On a more global scale, Berklee partnered with selected music schools around the world to form the Berklee International Network in 1993.

Another new major, in music therapy, was offered beginning in 1996.

The theater was renovated and opened as the 1,227-seat Berklee Performance Center in 1976. It also houses the library, which was renamed the Stan Getz Library and Media Center in 1998.

In 2002, the school began offering classes online through Berkleemusic.com, now called Berklee Online.

In 2003, the school began offering classes online through Berkleemusic.com, now called Berklee Online under the leadership of Dave Kusek.

Other curriculum developments included the incorporation of a hip-hop course in 2004.

In 2006, mandolin and banjo were accepted as principal instruments for the first time.

The studios of the five-channel, commercial-free Berklee Internet Radio Network (BIRN), which launched in 2007, are also housed on campus.

One of the worlds best Bass players gives a Jazz bass clinic at Berklee College of Music ( Boston MA) March 13,2010.

Livingston Taylor teaching his popular Stage Performance Techniques - level 1 - class at Berklee College of Music in the spring of 2011.

In January 2014, the college launched the Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship (Berklee ICE), a new campus center which offers courses, workshops, research and an incubation environment to encourage music businesses startup companies.

In June 2015, Berklee College of Music and The Boston Conservatory announced that the governing boards for the two schools had approved plans to pursue a proposed merger.

On January 19, 2016, the two schools announced that they would be merging.

The production will run from February 3 through 12, 2017 with eight performances at the Annenberg Theater in the Palm Springs Art Museum.The fully staged play will star Loretta Swit (best known for her role of…