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| Lee Berk: Leading the Berklee Way Mark Small with Susan Berk Berklee Press/Hal Leonard has released the biography of Lee Berk (1942-2023), the namesake and longtime president of Berklee College of Music. Lee Berk: Leading the Berklee Way documents how Lee Berk's decisive leadership guided a small, family-operated music school along its journey to becoming the world's largest, most innovative higher education musical institution. The book presents the story of descendants of poor Jewish immigrants from Russia who arrived on America's shores in the 19th Century, paving the way for Lawrence Berk (1908-1995) and his son Lee to realize their unique version of the American dream. Lawrence Berk established a humble, one-room teaching studio in Boston's Back Bay in 1945. When Lee was 12, Lawrence reversed the names of his son and formally established his growing institution as Berklee School of Music (later, Berklee College of Music). Lawrence, an entrepreneur and music education visionary, offered the world's first college-level jazz curriculum in an era when all other music institutions shunned that genre. Lee joined the family enterprise after completing law school in 1966 as Berklee transitioned from music education outlier to bellwether after its acceptance of electric guitar as a principal instrument and incorporating rock and other popular music styles in the curriculum. Lee succeeded his father as president in 1979, and shepherded Berklee through an era of explosive growth with the introduction of groundbreaking majors in Film Scoring, Music Production and Engineering, Music Synthesis, Songwriting, Music Business, and Music Therapy. The crowning achievement of Lee's 25-year administration was the 2004 launch of Berklee Online, a virtual sister school that is today the largest provider of music education in the world. While not a musician himself, Lee Berk was a passionate music fan who attended thousands of concerts and dedicated his life to providing opportunities for young musicians. Beginning at home, he fostered Berklee's mentoring and scholarship programs for Boston's urban youth and played a pivotal role in establishing a Boston arts high school. Taking it to the world, he built a network of international schools that partnered to teach the Berklee curriculum. Woven into the narrative about his professional achievements are parallel details of Lee's family life and his post-Berklee service as chair of the New Mexico Music Commission. In retirement he also became concert promoter in both New Mexico and Arizona and was engaged in that work on the final day of his life. Author Mark Small collaborated closely with Lee Berk's wife Susan to tell this story. Small, a Berklee alumnus, has written extensively for music trade publications and served as managing editor of Berklee Today magazine for 26 years. He worked alongside Lee during his presidency and remained a friend to the Berk family after Lee's 2004 retirement until his sudden passing in 2023. This biography provides insight to the quiet, brilliant man who led Berklee to its destiny as the college of choice for a huge international cast of celebrated performers, songwriters, film composers, producers, record label executives, Broadway music directors, and more. Publication Date: April16, 2025 Author: Mark Small with Susan Berk Title: Lee Berk: Leading the Berklee Way Publisher Name: Berklee Press/Hal Leonard ISBN Code: 978-0-87639-234-8 Available From: Amazon, Berklee College of Music Bookstore, various book sellers write your comments about the article :: © 2025 Jazz News :: home page |