Paul Schmeling was the chair of Berklee’s piano department for 40 years and a pioneer in distance learning. He began teaching at Berklee in 1961—while still a student—and went on to shape the school’s approach to music theory and online education for decades to come. He was also a pioneer in distance learning and online music education. He taught the Berklee Correspondence Course in the 1970s, and in 2002 he developed Berklee Online’s first ever online course: Music Theory 101.

He eventually developed two additional music theory courses for Berklee Online—Harmony and Function and Advanced Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm—as well as Berklee Keyboard Method.

He rarely missed a semester of teaching, sometimes logging in from cruise ships and remote vacation spots throughout his retirement. Paul was actively teaching Berklee Online students until just two months before his death in February of 2024.