Courtesy of Berklee College of Music Archives

Courtesy of Lee Berk

Courtesy of Lee Berk

Courtesy of Berklee College of Music Archives

Courtesy of Boston Public Library

Courtesy of Lee Berk

Berklee: 1960-1995

Lawrence Berk’s first true measure of success came when his students became teachers and partners in his vision for the school. Robert Share, Joe Viola, Herb Pomeroy, Bill Leavitt and Dean Earl, students from Shillinger House, went on to teach at Berklee. Shortly thereafter, a new generation of faculty started to develop in the likes of drummer Alan Dawson, saxophonist Charlie Mariano, reed player John LaPorta and trombonist Phil Wilson. In 1966, Berklee award-ed its first bachelor of music degree. A member of that graduating class, Stephen Gould, later returned to the school to teach film scoring.

Berklee School of Music became non-profit with an independent board of trustees in the early 1960s, insuring its future amongst institutions of higher learning. The curriculum continued to reflect new developments in popular music, such as rock and roll, soul, funk, and jazz-rock fusion. The first college course on jingle writing was added in 1969.

To accommodate the growing student population, Berklee acquired the Hotel Bostonian on Boylston Street in 1966. With Lawrence Berk at the helm, Berklee continued to grow at an accelerated pace. In less than two decades, the school acquired the Hotel Biltmore and the Fenway Theater on Massachusetts Avenue, and the State Street Bank building on Boylston Street.

In 1970, Berkelee School of Music became Berklee College of Music, and by 1976, was a fully accredited four-year college with over 2200 full-time students. One year later, the college bestowed its first honorary doctorate to Duke Ellington. Lawrence Berk eventually decided to retire as president and in 1978 passed the presidency on to his son Lee Eliot Berk, who would serve until 2004. That same year, he received an honorary degree from the very school he built and would continue to serve as chancellor until his death in 1995.

Lee Eliot Berk, a graduate of Brown University and Boston University School of Law, continued to guide the college through its accelerated growth period. He had worked at Berklee since 1966, first serving as bursar and supervisor of the Private Study Division, then as vice president starting in 1971. He serve as vice president until he became presi-dent upon his father’s retirement.

In the 1980s, the school added more majors in music production, sound engineering, film scoring, music synthesis, songwriting, music business management, and music therapy. Under Lee Berk, the school had become a more tradi-tional institution with more emphasis placed on academics. Educational applications of music technology expanded, the college administration was reorganized and more student services were added, along with non-music academic offerings. However, at the core of Berklee’s success was that most teachers were also professional musicians; a busy crossroads where musicians are students and teachers by day and bandmates by night.

“Berklee has always taught the music of the moment. With the emphasis on practicality and professionalism, it has improvised its way to success.” - Fernando Gonzalez

Lawrence Berk shaped and guided Berklee College of Music, from its humble beginnings as Schillinger House, to becoming one of the largest independent schools of music in the world. His vision was guided by a sense of practical-ity; it was always about paying the bills by being innovative within the industry. Berk’s dedication to his school was absolute and complete. He took risks and provided countless musical opportunities for future generations. He taught the skills his students needed to make a living in the music industry.

Practical Preparation for Today’s Musical Careers