Stefan Lessard (Dave Matthews Band)

Years after joining the Dave Matthews Band as a founding member at age 16, Stefan Lessard decided that the time was right to go back to school with Berkleemusic. After completing multiple online courses—and with 20 years of "street cred" under his belt from his years performing with DMB—Stefan not only knows what works from a musical standpoint, he also knows why it works from a theory standpoint.

Kevin Plessner (Oceanographer)

In addition to playing guitar in Brooklyn-based band Oceanographer, online student Kevin Plessner is a full-time recording engineer who works extensively with Pro Tools. "I needed a refresh," he says. "I needed to update myself on all the latest enhancements that were going on with the software."

He enrolled in Berkleemusic's Advanced Mixing & Mastering with Pro Tools, an online course authored and taught by production guru Dave Franz.

Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan (Karmin)

When YouTube sensation Karmin—featuring Berkleemusic student Amy Heidemann—debuted their cover of Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now," they didn't expect to get over 64 million views (and counting!) in a little over three months.

The duo have since performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, On Air with Ryan Seacrest, at Lollapalooza, and have taken the stage with hip-hop legends The Roots.

Niko Ellison (U.S. Air Force Band)

Ronicle "Niko" Ellison, a vocalist in the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West, wanted to further his music education, but needed a flexible program to fit with his busy life on the road. He chose Berkleemusic because it's "head and shoulders above all the other online schools."

Niko chose to complete two online Certificate Programs—a Master Certificate in Music Business and a Master Certificate in Songwriting—in order to advance his music career. He's grateful for all he learned in these multi-course programs, especially the relationships he forged with his instructors.

Mary Haller (Songwriter)

Online student Mary Haller recently completed a Master Certificate in Songwriting and, soon after, found success as the winner of the 2011 ole "Hitsville" contest in Nashville.

Recently, her song, "Instead of Roses" was signed to a single-song contract with ole, one of the world's largest independent music publishers, after being named one of two winners of ole's "Hitsville" event in Nashville.

Ilya Mazayev (Recording Engineer)

After working as a research fellow in economics at a think tank in Russia, Ilya Mazeyev decided he wanted to shift into something more creative. After entering the world of music production at Berkleemusic two years ago, Ilya left his research position and is now running a studio in Moscow and working as a recording engineer.

Lindsay Ell (Singer/Songwriter)

For Lindsay Ell, music became the passion of her life very early on. She started piano at the age of 6, and picked up the guitar at the age of 8. At just 10 years old, she started songwriting, and since then, she has worked with an illustrious list of musicians, including Randy Bachman (Guess Who/BTO), Buddy Guy, CJ Vanston (Spinal Tap/John Mayer), Russell Broom (Jann Arden), Bill Bell (Jason Mraz/Tom Cochrane), Chris Isaak, Shawn Mullins, Suzie McNeil, and Serena Ryder.

Vanessa Rousso (DJ, Producer, Professional Poker Player)

Vanessa Rousso ranks among the top five women in poker history in terms of all-time money winnings, having a total of thirteen World Series of Poker in-the-money finishes. She's also an aspiring DJ, producer and songwriter.

Don Hertig (White House CFO)

Online student Don Hertig is the Dep. Chief Financial Officer of the US Federal Government in Washington, D.C.. Don talks about his lifelong passion for music, and how Berkleemusic helped get his music education back on track as a full-time professional.

Suzanne Ciani (Pianist/Composer/Sound Designer)

Electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani recently released a new retrospective compilation, Lixiviation, which received rave reviews from Pitchfork and NPR. Looking to harness the publicity that suddenly came her way, Suzanne enrolled in a Berklee Online marketing course to maximize her exposure.

Patrick Egan (Composer for Film, TV, and Games)

Patrick Egan, an online Orchestration student from Dorchester, MA, talks about his lifelong dream of making music—and making a living doing it. After an attempt at studying bass as a 19-year-old undergrad and his years-long struggle with a 9-to-5 "day job," Patrick decided to return to school with Berkleemusic. He says his experience in the Specialist Certificate in Orchestration for Film and TV has boosted his skills, confidence, and career outlook as a freelance composer.

Tom Webber (Human Resources Executive/Pianist)

Tom Webber doesn't plan on quitting his "day job" anytime soon. His musical goals are simple: he wants to play piano for himself, as well as his friends and family. After taking private piano lessons for years, Tom turned to Berkleemusic for supplemental instruction online. He noticed a huge advancement in his playing and understanding of music almost immediately—as did his longtime piano instructor. Tom says that both his knowledge and confidence improved greatly through his course.