Leon Silva has played sax with Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, Ariana Grande, and more, but he may be even prouder of earning his degree from Berklee after a 20-year absence.

The author of Berklee Online’s Advanced Jazz Piano course says growing up in Kentucky and singing in the church helped him develop an emphasis on teaching students that the best way to understand music is not just to study it, but to dance, clap, and sing to it.

Amanda Davis, live sound engineer for Janelle Monáe and Ella Mai, shares insights on her career, from mixing at Madison Square Garden to teaching Berklee Online’s Live Event Sound Engineering and Concert Mixing 201 course.

The musical elements of blues are distinctly African in origin—the pentatonic scales, polyrhythms, use of microtones and pitch bends, and call and response phrase structure all originate from the African continent. Black History Month is the perfect time to get reacquainted with these architects of the blues guitar.

Playlists have become the ultimate music discovery tool, helping artists reach new audiences and boost their streams. From algorithmic to editorial, getting your music on a Spotify playlist is a marketing tactic artists need to hack. Learn how to navigate the process and maximize your chances of your music landing on a playlist.

Improving your musical ear doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Berklee Online’s new virtual reality (VR) Ear Trainer makes practicing rhythm, harmony, and scale degrees a fun and immersive experience.

Navigating copyright infringement and protecting your choreography in the era of TikTok dances is becoming increasingly important. See how Berklee Online instructors advise you on laying down the law when trying to get your dance to trend.

Berklee Online is a chart-topping college! When it comes to online education, Berklee Online reached the No. 5 spot on Newsweek and Statista’s 2025 list of America’s Top Online Schools.

As a musician, not all of your practice will be on your instrument. Some of it will be in your head, and some of it may even be on objects that just look like your instrument. We call this mental practice, and in this excerpt from Barbara LaFitte’s Practicing Techniques for Musicians course, the former principal oboist in the Boston Ballet Orchestra shares tips on how to practice your instrument when you just aren’t able to actually play your instrument.