1. COMPOSITION Researching a Berklee Major

2. TO BE, OR NOT TO BE…  What interests and abilities should one possess in order to be successful as a Berklee composition major? That is the question…  The answer: A student interested in pursuing a career as a composition major should be well-acquainted with music from different historical periods. The student should also have a portfolio of original scores and a developed compositional personality.

3. CORE MUSIC CURRICULUM  Berklee has a core curriculum that consists of arranging, ear training, harmony, and music technology. The core music curriculum is the foundation of what Berklee offers its students and is applicable to any major a student decides to pursue.

4. CORE MUSIC CURRICULUM PART II  Arranging: Students are given the opportunity to create musical arrangements in various styles. Arranging is an essential component of composition, which places an emphasis on concert music.  Harmony: Students acquire musical literacy and develop skills in analyzing music.  Ear Training: Students learn to hear the music that they see (which will also develop their overall skills as musicians).  Music Technology: Students will learn the skills required by each major from a technological perspective.

5. COURSE OF STUDY  In addition to the core music curriculum, the composition major has it’s own separate course of study. Classes include:  Tonal Harmony/Composition: Emphasis on voice leading, melodic writing, and figured bass.  Conducting: Study of techniques of conducting vocal and instrumental music.  Counterpoint: Focuses on the contrapuntal styles and techniques of innovative composers throughout history. And more…

6. CAREERS  Students majoring in composition have many options for careers in music, which are all very rewarding. Some of them include:  Composer: Professional composers create instrumental pieces for specific channels such as film, television, live performance, or recording.  Arranger: An arranger provides musical arrangements for professional musicians based on the artist, producer, or conductor's specifications.

7. CAREERS PART II  Teacher: Teach music composition in a school setting. In addition to composition, a teacher may teach subjects such as music theory, music arranging, and music history. (or conduct chamber groups, choruses, or orchestras).  Editor: Edit or develop instructional music books for students and various musicians.

8. ALAN SILVESTRI Most recognized for scoring the films Back to the Future, Predator, and Forrest Gump. Graduated Berklee in 1970.

9. ALAN SILVESTRI PART II  At Berklee, Alan was a guitar and composition major. Never on his career path had he ever considered scoring films, he originally wanted to be a bebop guitar player.  One day a friend called Alan and said, "Do you want to score a movie?” To which he replied, "Uh, sure.” “I literally went to Pickwick Bookshop on Hollywood Boulevard and asked them if they had any books on film scoring because I was about to score a film. They had one written by Earle Hagen. I read the book and did the job. Next thing I know I'm a film composer.” (Silvestri)

10. CONCLUSION  Alan Silvestri is an example of success as a composition major at Berklee College of Music.  A composition major will learn the skills to function as a composer of concert music with the options of pursuing a career as a teacher, scholar, and/or practitioner of music theory and composition.

11. WORKS CITED  http://www.berklee.edu/  http://popdose.com/the-composers-alan-silvestri/  http://www.imdb.com/ http://www.imdb.com/  By: Matt Wood ♩♩ ♫♫ ♬♬♩♩ ♫♫ ♬♬♩♩ ♫♫ ♬♬♩♩ ♫♫ ♬♬