About Inside Track

We've created the Inside Track program to illustrate how our online extension school delivers the practical knowledge and world-renowned curriculum that Berklee College of Music has been developing for the past 50 years to students all over the world. You'll take a look at the interactions from within the course, hear from the professors on their goals for course, and read about past student experiences.

Producing Music with Reason
"Reason is an amazing piece of software, because it’s a virtual studio in a single application,” says Erik Hawkins, who teaches the online course, Producing Music with Reason. “And you can study the components of the studio in the Reason application and learn how to connect things, and it all applies to the real world.”

Guitar Chords 101
For all those people who have a guitar at home gathering dust because they’ve never had the discipline to really learn how to play it, or those who have picked up a few tricks from their musical friends but are lost when it comes to working out more sophisticated songs on their guitars, Rick Peckham has the course for you. A guitar veteran with decades of experience as a teacher and professional musician, culminating with the release of his critically acclaimed CD, Left End, he knows that the best way to inspire students is to engage them with the music they love.


Music Theory 201
If you've heard musical terminology like tonic, subdominant and dominant, but were never sure exactly what it means, Paul Schemling is here to help. Musicians and songwriters who take his online course, Music Theory 201 will gain a thorough understanding of more intricate music theory concepts, from rhythmic anticipation to tension notes. Lessons are accompanied by examples drawn from popular jazz and pop artists, which help students hear what they are learning and apply it to real music in the real world. So even when you're out drinking a gin and tonic, you'll be able to hear how that other kind of tonic is working in the song that's playing on the juke box.

Web Design for Musicians
Take a lesson from Neil Leonard, who draws on two decades of experience with the Internet and other computer technology for his online Berkleemusic course, Web Design for Musicians. Not only is the Internet now a vital tool for musicians, but the good news is that it's also a means of communicating that can be mastered easily and cheaply, if you know the basics.

Producing Music with Digital Performer
It sounds too good to be true, but that Digital Performer program you’ve got loaded onto your computer can really do it all. With unlimited tracks, support for surround sound, 64 bit mastering tools, and sample-accurate editing of audio and MIDI, Digital Performer is the program of choice for professionals for studio recording, film scoring, live performance, and remixing.
Getting Inside Harmony 1
A thorough understanding of harmony is a must have for anyone who wants to develop their voice creatively, or for performance purposes. But while harmony may be a fundamental property of all musical expression, it is also one of those concepts that can be a bit hard to grasp. And that's why its important to learn the basics from a knowledgeable teacher who has years of experience helping students understand and apply even the most abstract musical concepts.
Desktop Music Production
It seems like everyone is recording at home these days, often with a studio that consists of little more than a personal computer. Bands are recording their own demos to seek gigs and deals with record labels, and even completing independent releases that they can distribute on CD. If you feel like you’re the only one who’s missing out on the DIY revolution, Berkleemusic’s online Desktop Music Production course can help you launch your own home recording assault.
Critical Listening
The goal for the course is really to fine tune one’s listening and analytical skills, to be able to really listen to CDs, to professional mixes, in a different way, in a more active and involved way, and on a number of simultaneous levels.
Recording and Producing for Guitarists
Although there are a number of user-friendly tools now available for recording and producing music with the guitar, the real trick is to find the right combination of equipment and techniques to compliment your music and playing style. In this online course students will study the gear and processes that guitarists and producers use to create a wide variety of sounds, as well as learn how to produce more professional-sounding recorded compositions.
Style Writing for Performers and Arrangers
The best musicians have not only mastered the scales and techniques on their instrument - they also possess a broad knowledge of musical styles from around the world that they incorporate into their songwriting and improvisations. Dan Moretti’s online course will increase your style vocabulary and performance skills and help you to incorporate the styles and grooves that have influenced contemporary music into your own playing.
MIDI Sequencing Basics
The term MIDI is used to describe digitally generated sounds that can be arranged and manipulated with sequencing software such as Reason to create the effect of real instruments. If, for example, you’re a guitar player who has created a piece of music for piano, and wonder how it would sound with saxophone and drums—but don’t have access to a sax player or drummer—you can use a MIDI keyboard to trigger synthesized drum and sax parts directly into your computer.
Arranging 1
Arranging 1 teaches you how to arrange music for rhythm section and a melody instrument, in several styles of contemporary music. The course is taught by Suzanne Dean, an assistant professor in Berklee’s Contemporary Writing and Production Department.

Enroll and Pay by May 21st to Save on All Guitar or Bass Courses*

→ Save up to $305 when you enroll in any individual Guitar or Bass online course*

→ Save up to 30% when you enroll and pay for any multi-course Guitar or Bass online certificate*

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