On this page, you can find the Culminating Experience (CE) Projects for all graduate students from the Berklee College of Music master’s program Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) (CPPD) from 2015 – present. Click on any title for more information and access to the full paper and other deliverables (if available).
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Whitewater Falls: A development of songwriting style and artistic identity
Erynn McLeod
2019The purpose of this study aims to develop my own artistic identity using songwriting as a vessel. Over the course of this year, I took part in various classes, workshops and performances to enhance, strengthen and hone in both my technical and performative skills as a singer-songwriter. My background in musical theater and training in classical voice aided this development by setting a strong foundation for my transition into a composer. This collection of eight original songs follows the story of a young woman navigating her way through relationships as she attempts to “break the cycle”. To break the cycle means to choose not repeat the destructive, toxic, and abusive behaviors that we have observed through our role models. Further development of this project will include writing a libretto and workshopping it in various venues around New York City and beyond.
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What Lies Ahead: Blending Saxophone and Acoustic Instruments with Launching in Ableton Live
Sean Meade
2019The purpose of my project is to demonstrate the combination of elements from jazz and hip-hop music with electronic music production in a live performance setting. To accomplish this, I utilized typical modern jazz harmony, blended with hip-hop and RnB melodies and grooves, and then used a foot controller and in-ear monitoring systems in order to utilize Ableton Live as anyone would utilize an instrument for their craft. The end result of my work is 6 tracks that display the unison of these elements together, in a way that makes a three- to four-piece band sound larger than it ever could acoustically. My goal is to present this music to the electronic music community to expose them to jazz music enough to make them interested in more jazz music; and conversely to present the music to the jazz community to expose them to the vast possibilities of electronic, and in turn make them interested in forms of electronic music that go far past their premade misconceptions of one of the largest genres currently expanding in the music scene today.
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A Comparison in to the Differences between Studio Recordings and Live Performance
Angus Newman
2019My project will be based around the contrast between live and studio recorded music. I will be analysing, researching, composing, recording, and performing. My role will be to oversee the entire project and and to coordinate working with specialists such a recording engineers. In this project it is important to me that I analyse popular music that holds a connection with me. This will involve watching videos of live performances that have been particularly moving and powerful to me, such as Daniel Caesar performing Best Part at Java Jazz Festival 2018. I will also analyse production techniques used in modern popular muisc. By understanding the differences between these versions I will be able to have a foundation. This research will help me to create music that sounds ready to be received by today’s audience. My main purpose of this CE project is to create both appealing live and recorded versions of my music. I want to question the reasons music becomes successful. I want to understand the power of live performance and how this can contribute to an artist’s success. I want to understand how I can use my personal experiences to stand out and contribute to the industry in a unique and new way.
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Flor de Canela
Xerach Peñate Santana
2019The purpose of my project is to develop the artistic identity of my band: Flor de Canela. This past year I analyzed our previous steps, and our influences as well as our work dynamics. All that work had the intention of help in the process of our first EP. Flor de Canela, our first EP, is formed by five original songs that were arranged and produced and recorded during the course. My goal was always to find a clear direction in the middle of all the styles and personalities that the band has. Now we have a clear pop sound and we are in the middle of the creative process with the visual part of the band. I hope this will help future musicians to establish the identity of their bands easily.
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Representing: La Mujer
Kei Riggins
2019This project is a debut EP exploring the personal experiences and stories of Latin American women. It was also exploring my artist’s identity through self-reflection, research, composition, arranging and performing. It was accomplished by recordings, rehearsals, arrangements, performances, composing, and workshops. I wrote 5 compositions and arranged one song that are about myself and the Latin women in my life that have inspired me. These songs tell our experiences and stories in different styles, languages and emotions. I performed different compositions with covers of traditional music from Latin America piecing together a show of music about Latin American women. Lastly, I have recorded the music so that it can be mixed and mastered into an EP that digitally can be released in the future as I establish myself as a singer-songwriter in the music industry. It is the hope of this project to share the stories of modern women’s experiences, to break stereotypes placed on women of color and to add to the discussion on feminism and women’s rights.
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Compositional Development
German Scheufler Santoro
2019In my CE I plan on delivering a complete album of songs that are harmonically, melodically and rhythmically interesting while making them relatable to a bigger audience in a variety of different genres. Through this process I ended up with 8 songs in which I composed and dedicated each to a certain events in my life that marked and changed me as a human being therefore making them relatable to other similar stories the audience may have and making them their own. With these materials I plan to release my 1st full album in which will be streamed in all music platforms with 3 music videos to help the release.
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A Holistic Approach to the Creation of Music
Joe Sturges Gómez
2019This project is a documentative essay in which I will explain some of the methods and approaches I ́ve been using throughout the years, and in the Master ́s course at Berklee Valencia in the 2018-19 year, that have helped me have a better grasp on how to convey a story when composing or performing, while staying true to myself, and be more efficient with my creative process. These approaches, have helped me understand more the most effective ways I can work with when creating music, or practicing.. I strive with this work to show the “how” and “why” of my creative process, so that in the future it might help someone incorporate some of the approaches stated into their own way of creating, or to inspire them to explore the way they work, to hopefully understand themselves as musicians in a deeper manner.
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Still Untitled: Discovering the True Identity of Julian James
Julian Williams
2019The main objective of this project is to forge an identity for myself that stands out as someone unique and versatile in today’s musical environment. Through the creation of an EP my goal is to create music inspired by different influences and channel them through my creative process in order to make music that reflects who I am. The completion of this project will allow me to showcase my ability not only as a trumpet player but as a composer, lyricist, producer, and mix engineer; while also giving insight into how I write my music. This ranges from how I approach composing melodies, establishing grooves, experimenting with arrangement, and my approach to writing lyrics. Using a mixed method of test-error action research, self-ethnographic study, combined with unorthodox approaches to research, I tried to incorporate different approaches when writing my compositions in the conception phase. This created a mindset that carried over and affected the choices I made when recording and mixing in the production phase.
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Elemental
Kayla Zuskin
2019Elemental is a conceptual set of pieces that utilize the four elements as a framework for compositions within non-traditional compositional and improvisational methods. The pieces contain the underlying theme of climate change, and consistently utilize the guitar as the main instrument for composition. The project was inspired by Tikkun Olam, the study of guitar itself, and the desire to create large scale works within a social context. The pieces completed within the year are five drastically different compositions with varied forms, instrumentation and length. Each was composed differently but started with harmonic content on the guitar and contains a corresponding recording and score. Some also contain spoken word, lyrical content, or paintings. The main take away from the project are the methodology and compositional processes. Utilizing a cyclical methodology, of research, create, revise, record, revise, record in most instances. By using music as a common language, we can open a dialogue on social awareness and bring issues into the mainstream.
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¡ULTREIA! Improvisation in World Music from the Perspective of Contemporary Harmony
Nehir Akansu
2018Ultreia is the name of the project that intends to connect going forward and reaching beyond improvisation in world music from the perspective of the contemporary harmony, including a multidisciplinary approach (fine arts collaboration and extended technics). As a classical music educated violist, I found my musical purpose to be improvising with my viola. Regardless of the style (whether it is jazz or folk or experimental music), I admire the mindset of improvisation. Since I discovered this freedom with folk music in Santiago de Compostela, I decided to dedicate my Culminating Experience to expand my knowledge about World Folk Music and to compose for 7 different genres that have a connection to my life. This project intends to be a visible bridge from improvisation to composition that includes the colors of traditional and modern music. I hope this work can encourage musicians who want to go beyond playing into a world of musical discovery.
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Meditations: Exercising Perspective
Christopher Black
2018Meditations is an attempt to reconcile myself with all that I’ve learned over the course of this year into a cohesive, expressive project that will continue to grow well-beyond the confines of my time spent at Berklee and propel me towards realizing my lifelong dreams. Meditations is a music methodology that repurposes world rhythms played on indigenous drums for arrangement on a scaled instrument. The arrangements themselves are minimalistic, but hold immense potential for further development; various applications of this methodology are investigated throughout this project in the form of multiple objectives, and in doing so I have developed skills that will aid me throughout the duration of my career in music.
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App Brasil
João Bouhid
2018This project aims to develop an application prototype that is able to generate playbacks of Brazilian music styles. The user will be able practice skills in improvisation, composition and arranging with the goal of increasing the palette of grooves that he or she is able to play and recognize. In order to facilitate the learning and practicing process, the software will offer the possibility to manipulate the tracks by changing their tempo and key. The featured instruments on the playbacks are piano, bass and drums and the styles for this prototype are two dances from Northeast of Brazil: Baião and Xote. In the future, more styles and interactions will be added and the goal is to transform this prototype into a product ready for the market.
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Crossing The Pond: Exploring Traditional Galician Music with Bluegrass Guitar
Daniel Caton
2018Crossing the Pond is a project aiming to explore Galician fiddle music from the perspective of a Bluegrass guitar player hoping to incorporate some of what he learns into his own playing, compositions, and artistic awareness. Drawing from personal musical experiences and my understanding of Bluegrass as a folk music tradition, I chose immersion as a methodology for investigating the way Galician musicians cultivate awareness and mastery of their art. Towards this goal, I elected to delve into Galician music in the following four ways: adapting an existing composition to incorporate a Galician musical element, writing a melody for Bluegrass fiddle using the form and structure of a Galician Muiñera as a template for composition, exploring the recontextualisation of traditional melodies in a non- traditional setting, and lastly, through the cross-cultural exchange intrinsic to this type of research. Consequently, my efforts allowed me to explore the intersection between not only the music cultures of Galician and Bluegrass, but additionally, the diverse artistic arena which is Berklee College of Music. To that end, my work to gain perspective in Galician music would allow me to developed relationships with individuals who will forever impact my understanding of traditional art, community, and musicianship.
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Displaced in Time: Resurrecting Rock in the 21st Century
Tommy Champion
2018The purpose of my project is to forge my own artistic identity by taking the historical musical precedent of 1960s/1970s Rock n’ Roll and bringing it to its 21st century technological and sonic conclusion. This was achieved by self-ethnographical and analytical research, by way of studying my artistic influences from 1966-1973 and the ways in which musicians from this era composed, engineered, and produced an album. The work I produced for this project is a body of 5 recorded compositions that demonstrate a thorough understanding of the production styles, engineering techniques, and compositional elements from 1966-1973. My work then goes on to challenge and derivate from these styles and techniques by using analog and ‘older’ instrumentation in conjunction with updated, 21st century recording technology and capabilities. By adopting, in particular, a modern ‘Wall of Sound’ production and engineering approach, I am able to continue and progress the genre of 1960s and 1970s Rock in the 21st century.
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The Versatile Violinist: From Bach to R&B
Korina Davis
2018My culminating experience project is a portfolio of artistic identity and growth as a violinist learning to play various contemporary genres and improvisation while maintaining classical repertoire and techniques. The violin is in high demand across a wide variety of musical genres in today’s industry, making it essential to achieve high levels of proficiency in styles outside of classical music. My goal with this project was to prepare myself with the performance, recording, and compositional and arranging skills to enter the music industry feeling well-equipped to work as a freelance musician in various genres and settings. My steps included creating a practice regimen that incorporated classical repertoire and technique as well as contemporary exercises and improvisatory techniques, composing and recording four original songs, collaborating with classmates on various projects of different styles, preparing for auditions, and creating a personal website. As a result, I have grown exponentially in all aspects of my artistry, come closer to discovering my own artistic identity, and feel prepared to enter the Los Angeles music industry with confidence.
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Sonic Landscapes and Visual Textures: The Intersection between Improvised Music and Painting
George Francis Marti
2018This project explores the intersection between improvised music and painting through a creative collaborative process and an interdisciplinary performance. The sources of inspiration are colors combined with Valencian experiences and research. A common musical language is built up, songs and lead sheets created and reflected in expressive paintings. This artistic journey leads to a performance, where colors, improvised music, painting and video production open up room for contemplation. The methodology used is performative research, the tools are audio and video recording, picture taking, feedback forms, diary, individual and group reflections. Besides featuring artists this project offers valuable findings as how to build up a band, create songs and produce a performance while addressing what may also have an impact on our decisions when improvising: the social context and the expectations that we attribute to each other. As I am visually impaired this project aims to show that blind people can also be leaders and that they are able to grow in an environment that is usually occupied by sighted people. It can be used as a creative approach in understanding each other, focusing on sound, music and perception.
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An Exploration of Brazilian Jazz Improvisation & Composition
David C. Gualano
2018This is a creative project with many elements. All of my work in the subject of Brazilian Jazz this year culminates in my reflective paper, transcriptions, and a small collection of my compositions and recordings. The initial focus is on Brazilian Jazz woodwind playing during the 20th century. Through the process of listening and transcribing 7 songs, I have become more fluent in the language of Brazilian music. In the second phase, I composed 4 songs a Samba, a Bossa Nova, a Choro, and a Lambada. The main feature of this project came from the final phase. In collaboration with more than a dozen Berklee student musicians and five audio engineers, we recorded 5 songs over the span of 6 months at the state of the art Berklee Valencia Scoring stage. We recorded Antonio Carlos Jobim’s Chega de Saudade and 4 of my original compositions. These 5 songs have been mixed, once mastered they will be part of my debut EP “A Taste of Brazil.” My plan is to release these songs in the coming months.
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Innovators of the Saxophone Sound: A Retrospective of the Saxophonists Who Popularized and Defined the Sound & Style 1945 - Present
Joshua C. Harris
2018My decision to focus this project specifically on the aesthetic qualities of the saxophone sound, was based on and inspired by my own reflections and experiences as a professional saxophonist for over 40 years. Having transcribed the artists, who are the subjects of my exploratory research, I can honestly say that I have learned my craft by borrowing from these masters. My method for displaying these aesthetics as they relate to the saxophone sound, is from 9 select videos set into an evolutionary timeline. Through a process of comparative analysis based on my chosen parameters, the videos were assembled into an audio-visual presentation. My use of sub-tones, vibrato, riff based motifs, false fingerings, flutter tonguing, overtone series and, harmonics, is all derived from players past as well as my peers. It would be fair to say that my life’s work as a tenor saxophonist and multi-winds instrumentalist in many respects, is based on the codified vocabulary of gestures and sounds set forth by my predecessors. This language is inherently unique to the saxophone, and this is the focus of my research.
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Shifting the Compositional Palette: A Guitar-based Composer's Exploration Moving Towards Piano
Leslie Helpert
2018In the thick woods of the United States southland, during a summer campout nature immersion, I was serenaded with a guitar. Back in the suburbs some weeks after the evening passed, I woke in the middle of the night singing the lyric I’d heard in that woodsy nighttime setting. The phrase rang through my twelve-year-old self, and in the next days I manifested my first guitar; I learned to play the instrument by writing the music that came steadily and didn't stop for over 25 years. As I entered my fourth decade of life, my guitar and I were recognizing a shift. This year I took a pivotal choice of focus. By sharing my process, I hope to set into action my intention to remain committed with the real pleasure I am finding, having, at least for now, transitioned my compositional palette unto a new instrument. This is the story of my applied writing on the piano.
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From Zero
Munhui Kim
2018The purpose of this project is to pour my feelings into my own music. It has been a while that my daily life and music are too far away from each other, so it is my goal to narrow down the distance. First, I looked at myself through the process of meditation on the theme of seven emotions and expressed these feelings in my music. While making these seven songs, I poured out my feelings and thoughts: emptiness, anger, desire, hate, happiness, sorrow and chaos. Now, I can feel how different I am. I open my shoulder unconsciously and express myself confidently. I figured out whatever I am going to do will be fine because a whole new life just begins.
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Soul at the Center: A Versatile Vocalist’s Exploration of Artistic Identity
Grace C. Laboy
2018The purpose of my project is to explore artistic identity through songwriting and performance, and showcase my versatility as a vocalist. Through analyses and collaboration, I created and recorded an extensive eleven-song portfolio that includes originals, all written this year, and covers spanning multiple genres. Although I had never written an original song and lacked studio experience prior to Berklee Valencia, I now feel confident writing original material and working as a session singer in several genres. Throughout the project, I carefully documented my songwriting processes to then analyze the effectiveness of each process and quality of each song. Exploring unfamiliar themes like electronic music composition and contemporary harmony, rehearsing and performing consistently, learning the basics of production and engineering, and pushing myself to create and write original songs helped me grow as an artist, and allowed me to begin the process of developing a clear artistic identity, which is centered around soulful vocals, regardless of the genre or style.
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Riding Solo: From a Dependent Cover Artist to a Solo Original Act
Anisha Lakshmanan
2018The purpose of my project is to find my artist identity and as someone who doesn’t play an instrument, to find a way to become independent. This involved finding my voice, song- writing process and workflow, a way to play an instrument and also develop a voice in electronic music. The first process was establishing a routine and logging my practise sessions. I explored different approaches to song-writing and retrospectively established a flowchart for the different processes I had. I wrote 7-8 songs, arranged (collaboratively as well as by myself) and recorded 6 of these in the studios. The second part of the project was learning the Software – Ableton Live and also practising so as to perform live with it. I performed the songs I wrote as a mixed set – half acoustic with a band and half solo with Ableton Live. Through the processes I understood my own sound and created an EP that can be published at later date.
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How I Became One: Finding My Creative Inner Self
Sylvie Leys
2018This project is a personal research of my inner. self through musical practice, composition and video creation. If it looks like a creative and practical project, in the depths it was a motivator to pursue the search of my oneness. Following a process of creation based on emotions, I composed and recorded 4 tunes, made a music video for each of them, looked into my feelings and listened to my instincts at each step of the process. I realized the importance of choosing the right people to play my music, like. relationships in life. I developed much more confidence in my playing, thanks to the encounter with the right assiduous practice of my instrument. I also came to the fact that my music is contemporary and adding the visuals to it, I hope to be able to share it with a large audience and to influence people in their way towards peace.
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CEMi Rig: Building a Live Performance and Production Tool
Carlos Emilio Llerena Tolmos
2018The purpose of this project is to create, by using both hardware and software tools, an environment that allows me to perform and produce my own music. As a saxophonist and electronic music producer, I had been struggling with bringing these two musical sides closer throughout the years. By figuring out my own personal creative rig, I would find new ways of incorporating the saxophone into my music through different techniques such as looping, live sampling and effects processing. Throughout the process, I tried out different hardware devices, such as MIDI controllers, synthesizers and effects learning a lot about sound design and MIDI programming to achieve what I wanted. As a Ableton user, this software was also implemented to have interconnectivity between all of the tools used. Specific effects were designed to transform the saxophone and almost 100 original patches were designed to be used with Teenage Engineering’s synth, the OP
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Launching a Music Career by Hand
Nan Macmillan
2018This culminating experience focuses on developing my artistic identity through the process of generating original material. The final project consists of five recorded songs, two music videos and a professional website. I supported the creation of this content with a series of interviews with Folk Singer- Songwriters and one producer, as well as by establishing a daily routine of free writing and practicing guitar and voice. Throughout the process, I solidified my artistic identity, which consists of four main components: I am a Folk and Americana songwriter, an instrumentalist, a producer and have an authentic and organic approach to my artistry. A challenge for me was leaving enough time for rehearsals and pre- production before going into the studio. Ultimately, I learned a great deal about the recording process, my songwriting techniques and habits, the significance of practicing and writing daily, and how crucial it is to communicate and collaborate with other artists in a respectful manner. The material from this culminating experience will be used to promote myself online and to share my artistry with other musicians and audiences.