Lawrence Berk
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Berk was the founder of Berklee College of Music
, a pianist, composer and arranger, and educator.
Berk oversaw the growth of the modest Schillinger House music school into the Berklee College of Music, the largest independent school of music in the world. Between founding Schillinger House in 1945 and his retirement from Berklee College of Music in 1978, his entrepreneurial and music-industry savvy enabled the school’s curriculum to keep place with popular music trends, developments in electronic music, and advancements in recording technology. He highly valued the practical application of classroom instruction, yet he guided the development of the curriculum to enable the school to become an accredited, degree-granting institution.
with a degree in architectural engineering in 1932. With few engineering jobs available during the Great Depression, he moved to New York City, where he became a staff arranger at NBC and studied with music theorist and teacher, Joseph Schillinger
. During World War II, he returned to Boston to work as a mechanical engineer at Raytheon.
. He began teaching part-time on Saturdays with three students, but eventually quit his job at Raytheon to teach music full time. In 1945, he purchased a three-story building at 284 Newbury Street and opened Schillinger House. Under his direction, enrollment in the first nine years increased tenfold, the curriculum expanded to include music education, and alumni began appearing in nationally famous orchestras such as Stan Kenton’s.
In 1954, he changed the name to the Berklee School of Music, after his son, Lee Eliot Berk
, to better reflect the school’s broad curriculum. In the next few years, Berk added jazz musicians such as trumpeter Herb Pomeroy
(1956), saxophonist Charlie Mariano
(1957), drummer Alan Dawson
(1957), and reed player John LaPorta
(1962) to the faculty. Starting with the arrival of pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi
from Japan in 1956, Berk also directed and expanded recruitment of foreign students, which in 2010 made up 24.2 percent of the student body. In 1957, he instituted an innovative LP and score series, Jazz in the Classroom, featuring recordings of big band arrangements and performances by the school’s best students, packaged with copies of the arrangements. In 1962, the school established the first college-level instrumental major in guitar.
In 1966, Berklee awarded its first bachelor of music degrees and moved into larger quarters at 1140 Boylston St. Under Berk’s leadership, the school offered the first college-level courses in rock and pop music and composing for commercials. In 1970, it became the Berklee College of Music and Berk bestowed the college’s first honorary degree on Duke Ellington
in 1971. Other curriculum firsts included an electric bass guitar major established in 1973, and a jazz-rock fusion ensemble established in 1974. His final major expansion of college facilities was the acquisition of the Berklee Performance Center and an adjoining building used for additional classroom and rehearsal facilities and the college library in 1976.
After he retired in 1978, he served as chancellor until his death in 1995. His son, Lee Eliot Berk
, succeed him as president of the college in 1979.
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, a pianist, composer and arranger, and educator.
Berk oversaw the growth of the modest Schillinger House music school into the Berklee College of Music, the largest independent school of music in the world. Between founding Schillinger House in 1945 and his retirement from Berklee College of Music in 1978, his entrepreneurial and music-industry savvy enabled the school’s curriculum to keep place with popular music trends, developments in electronic music, and advancements in recording technology. He highly valued the practical application of classroom instruction, yet he guided the development of the curriculum to enable the school to become an accredited, degree-granting institution.
Early life and career
Raised in Boston’s West End, Berk began playing professionally as a pianist at the age of 13 in dance orchestras led by Ruby Newman, Meyer Davis, and Joe Rines. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
with a degree in architectural engineering in 1932. With few engineering jobs available during the Great Depression, he moved to New York City, where he became a staff arranger at NBC and studied with music theorist and teacher, Joseph Schillinger
Joseph Schillinger
Joseph Schillinger was a composer, music theorist, and composition teacher. He was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine and died in New York City.-Life and career:...
. During World War II, he returned to Boston to work as a mechanical engineer at Raytheon.
Berklee College of Music
After Schillinger died in 1943, Berk became one of 12 authorized teachers of the Schillinger SystemSchillinger System
The Schillinger System of Musical Composition, named after Joseph Schillinger, is a method of musical composition based on mathematical processes...
. He began teaching part-time on Saturdays with three students, but eventually quit his job at Raytheon to teach music full time. In 1945, he purchased a three-story building at 284 Newbury Street and opened Schillinger House. Under his direction, enrollment in the first nine years increased tenfold, the curriculum expanded to include music education, and alumni began appearing in nationally famous orchestras such as Stan Kenton’s.
In 1954, he changed the name to the Berklee School of Music, after his son, Lee Eliot Berk
Lee Eliot Berk
Lee Eliot Berk was President of the Berklee College of Music from 1979 to 2004. Under the younger Berk’s leadership, the college underwent significant changes...
, to better reflect the school’s broad curriculum. In the next few years, Berk added jazz musicians such as trumpeter Herb Pomeroy
Herb Pomeroy
Irving Herbert "Herb" Pomeroy, III was an influential swing and bebop jazz trumpeter and educator...
(1956), saxophonist Charlie Mariano
Charlie Mariano
Carmine Ugo Mariano was an American jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died in Cologne, Germany.-Biography:Mariano was the son of Italian immigrants....
(1957), drummer Alan Dawson
Alan Dawson
Alan Dawson was a respected jazz drummer and widely influential percussion teacher based in Boston. He was born in Marietta, Pennsylvania and raised in Roxbury, MA. Serving in the Army for Korean War duty, Dawson played with the Army Dance Band while stationed at Fort Dix from 1951-1953...
(1957), and reed player John LaPorta
John LaPorta
John LaPorta was a Philadelphia-born jazz clarinetist and saxophonist. LaPorta's sound has been compared to that of fellow jazz experimenter Jimmy Giuffre...
(1962) to the faculty. Starting with the arrival of pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi
Toshiko Akiyoshi
is a Japanese American jazz pianist, composer/arranger and bandleader. Among a very few successful female instrumentalists of her generation in jazz, she is also recognized as a major figure in jazz composition. She has received 14 Grammy nominations, and she was the first woman to win the Best...
from Japan in 1956, Berk also directed and expanded recruitment of foreign students, which in 2010 made up 24.2 percent of the student body. In 1957, he instituted an innovative LP and score series, Jazz in the Classroom, featuring recordings of big band arrangements and performances by the school’s best students, packaged with copies of the arrangements. In 1962, the school established the first college-level instrumental major in guitar.
In 1966, Berklee awarded its first bachelor of music degrees and moved into larger quarters at 1140 Boylston St. Under Berk’s leadership, the school offered the first college-level courses in rock and pop music and composing for commercials. In 1970, it became the Berklee College of Music and Berk bestowed the college’s first honorary degree on Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
in 1971. Other curriculum firsts included an electric bass guitar major established in 1973, and a jazz-rock fusion ensemble established in 1974. His final major expansion of college facilities was the acquisition of the Berklee Performance Center and an adjoining building used for additional classroom and rehearsal facilities and the college library in 1976.
After he retired in 1978, he served as chancellor until his death in 1995. His son, Lee Eliot Berk
Lee Eliot Berk
Lee Eliot Berk was President of the Berklee College of Music from 1979 to 2004. Under the younger Berk’s leadership, the college underwent significant changes...
, succeed him as president of the college in 1979.
Further reading
- Small, Mark, "All the Right Moves - Lee Eliot Berk", Berklee Today, Vol. 15, Issue 3, Spring 2004. Interview with Lawrence Berk's son, Lee Eliot Berk, the then retiring second president of Berklee College of Music.