Berklee Online Launches New Masterclass Series in February 2023

Berklee Online has launched its most affordable offering to date with their new Masterclass series. For just $99, students can experience the renowned curriculum of Berklee College of Music in a one-time, two-hour long live session led by a Berklee instructor. Starting in February 2023, Masterclass options will include: How to Play Fingerstyle Guitar with Kim Perlak (February 15), How to Write a Memorable Melody for Songwriters with Andrea Stolpe (February 16), and How to Write Song Lyrics to Fit Your Melody with Pat Pattison (February 23). More Masterclass topics will be released later in 2023.  

“The Masterclass series is new and exciting territory for Berklee Online,” says Debbie Cavalier, CEO and Cofounder of Berklee Online. “We’ve always wanted to offer an affordable option so students from around the world can experience what it’s like to drop into a Berklee lecture in real time. They’ll interact with an award-winning instructor, collaborate with classmates, and come away from the two-hour session with an actionable set of new tools and skills to apply to their songwriting and guitar playing.”

How to Play Fingerstyle Guitar

In this Masterclass, students will learn how to play fingerstyle guitar techniques from Kim Perlak, chair of Berklee’s Guitar department. Practicing solo classical and fingerstyle guitar pieces, as well as picking patterns and lead playing in several genres, this hand-healthy approach will deepen students’ sound and ability on the instrument. Perlak wrote the book Classical Technique for the Modern Guitarist and performs with master improviser and slide guitarist David Tronzo. The Masterclass will take place Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 7 PM ET.  

How to Write a Memorable Melody for Songwriters

Led by multiplatinum songwriter Andrea Stolpe, this Masterclass will teach students the essential tools they can use to write memorable melodies. Through discussion of rhythm, pitch, and phrasing, students will expand their melodic style and learn to create a more inspired connection between their words and music. Stolpe’s songs have been recorded by artists including Faith Hill, Jimmy Wayne, Julianne Hough, and others. This Masterclass will take place Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 7 PM ET. 

How to Write Song Lyrics to Fit Your Melody

Pat Pattison, who has taught John Mayer, Amy Allen, Ingrid Andress, Justin Tranter, and more, will show students how to get the most out of what they have to say by combining their lyrics with their melodies accurately and effectively. Pattison is a professor of lyric writing and poetry at Berklee College of Music and has written and contributed to some of the most essential books on the topic. This Masterclass will take place Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 7 PM ET. 

Masterclass eGift cards are available for $99. To learn more about Berklee Online’s Masterclasses, click here.