Berklee today is the official alumni publication of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a forum for contemporary music and musicians.
Issue link: http://berkleetoday.epubxp.com/i/827757
American Crew, a Revlon brand, sponsored Elvis Legacy Week at Berklee in early April to pay a spe- cial tribute to music legend Elvis Presley. The weeklong celebration included guest speakers and panel discussions by those who knew the King well, and included educational showcases, styling workshops, and film screenings. American Crew partnered with the Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship (BerkleeICE) to celebrate Presley's life and legacy following the release last year of special-edition groom- ing products for men. Students were provided a special opportunity to learn styling techniques in a pro- fessional setting to help build their brands and images as artists. The week culminated with the Singers Showcase concert, which fea- tured the music of Elvis including Celebrating the King Digging the Roots By Beverly Tryon By Virginia Fordham '80 Boston Conservatory at Berklee student Zane Sipotz (left) confers with American Crew founder and celebrity fashion photographer David Raccuglia during a styling and photo session. Raccuglia and Jordan Holloway, global creative director for American Crew (right) worked with students during Elvis Legacy Week. Photos by Elizabeth Flock Summer 2017 11 Vocalist Jonathan O'Neal (whose great grandfather went to school with Elvis Presley) performs in the Singers Showcase concert during Elvis Legacy Week at Berklee in April. Berklee Roots Music Program students onstage at the Berklee Performance Center The American Roots Music Program at Berklee, established in 2009, rec- ognizes the diversity of styles in America's music. Included are blues, gospel, folk, Cajun, western swing, polka, bluegrass, country, and in- novative blends by contemporary artists. Embracing them all, the Roots Music program aims to help players and listeners dig deeper into this musical genre. Under the leadership of Matt Glaser and a team of accomplished faculty and visiting artists, the pro- gram has built on the curriculum and enthusiasm for roots music at Berklee. Students now have the option to study American roots music as a minor, making Berklee a destination for young roots musicians. Some promi- nent graduates of this program include International Bluegrass Music Awards recipients Joe Walsh '09 (formerly of the Gibson Brothers) and Courtney Hartman (of Della Mae), as well as Charlie Worsham '06, Sierra Hull '11, and others. Financial support for the program comes almost entirely from our donors who are passionate about this effort. Matt Glaser, artistic director of the program, says, "The Roots program is incredibly grateful for the generosity of donors who support what we do, which includes focusing Berklee stu- dents' attention on all rural music that has happened in the United States, as well as all music in the first half of the 20th century. Their gifts allow us to bring in incredible visiting artists to work with Berklee students and to bring students to perform at festivals." Supporters have funded les- sons with renowned musicians such as blues guitarists Woody Mann and Paul Rishell, harmonica expert Annie Raines, banjoist and Grammy winning producer Tony Trischka. Additionally, they have provided funding for such visiting artists as Shawn Colvin, Béla Fleck, David Grisman, Steve Martin, Marty Stuart, Victor Krauss, Jeremy Kittel, Alison Krauss, and Chris Thile, to name a few. Scholarships have been pro- vided by Roots patrons for students to attend the Five-Week Summer Performance Program, and more spe- cifically for fiddlers, and for those in the Roots program needing financial help to complete their degrees. Funds have been also provided for students to attend Bluegrass festi- vals across America and for special on- campus symposia. At the program's inaugural concert in 2009, president Roger Brown said, "Many of us feel passionately about connecting our students to the his- tory and culture of American popular music that comes from the Mississippi Delta, Appalachia, urban stoops, and rural back porches, and is expressed in gospel, country, folk, bluegrass, Cajun, polka, Tex-Mex, and a dozen other genres. These truly are the roots— some of the building blocks of today's contemporary music. The American Roots Music Program will put them at the heart of the discussion, to ground and inform Berklee students and all whom they influence, and to make their musical understanding and ap- preciation far richer." We are deeply grateful for the en- thusiasm of the American Roots sup- porters, and invite anyone wanting to join the effort to contact Virginia Fordham at vfordham@berklee.edu. Don Hamerman many of his most popular tunes per- formed by the college's top student vo- calists and award-winning a cappella group Pitch Slapped. American Crew also established a generous scholar- ship fund at Berklee to support de- serving students who are considered "original Innovators" in performance, composition, songwriting, production, entrepreneurialism or sound design. "Elvis Legacy Week provided stu- dents with background of how and why the Elvis brand has remained so iconic 40 years after his death," says Panos Panay, founding and managing director of BerkleeICE. "We're also ex- cited that Berklee student Jonathan O'Neal was chosen to perform at Graceland this summer." In August, O'Neal will sing at Elvis Week 2017 at Graceland in an event marking the 40th anniversary of Presley's passing.