Funding for Masters at Berklee USA
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Kesivan Naidoo, drummer/composer from Cape Town, South Africa.
Is currently part of the historic first Masters Performce Program at the Prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts in the USA. Only 20 Students from around the world has been chosen to do this masters degree at what is known as the Global Institute.
"Berklee has granted me a full tuition scholarship but I have to cover the living expenses and additional funds for books and equipment required for the study.
I have been lucky to recieve a large protion, being granted The Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Scholarship, they have been most generous, giving me one of thier highest tier grants. Also an notible contrabution from a private funder, Dipak Patel.
Even with all these scholarships . The living expenses are very high here in Boston, particularly for a student from South Africa with the declining currency of the Rand.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity
and almost an impossible dream come true for any aspiring jazz artist from Africa. I have already completed the first semester here at Berklee and the exposure to the Jazz Greats that I have had so far, has been life changing. We are trained by at least 2 legends of Jazz every week, Joe Lovano, John Patitucci, Danilo Perez and Dave Douglas just to name a few.They are mentoring us to become the next wave of the gobal musical artform known as Jazz.
It has been a dream of mine to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, to learn from the world’s great Jazz teachers and performers. As a single-parent child from a poor family in East London I've had the privilege of being taught by and performing with some of South Africa's great Jazz artists – including Bheki Mseleku, Zim Ngqawana and more – as a member of their respective bands. I was blessed to secure a scholarship to complete my formal training at the University of Cape Town, where I graduated with a First Class pass with a Bachelor of Music (Hons) in Jazz Performance in 2002. Since then I have been a professional full-time jazz drummer.
As a composer and performer I am interested in the unification of musical cultures and traditions in order to create new forms of artistic expression. This philosophy is manifested in my latest album, Brotherhood – the repertoire from which I was fortunate enough to showcase with my band The Lights at Carnegie Hall in New York in October 2014. My vision is to move South African Jazz into the new standard of the contemporary. This is a global standard. The ethos of Berklee’s Global Institute for Jazz fits this vision exactly. Danilo Perez's Contemporary Performance Program is the premier Graduate Jazz program in the world that focuses on the global phenomenon of jazz ranging from American, South American and Caribbean to African traditions and beyond.
I have worked with Danilo Perez before and he understands my vision, my playing and my limitations and is the perfect teacher to take my playing and vision to the next level. Berklee is the perfect environment to do this because of the calibre of the teachers and artists in residence. Jazz performance and the art of drums in particular progresses more quickly when done with the direct transference of the masters.
Berklee's Master of Music in Contemporary Performance with a Global Jazz Concentration has a balance between both practical and theoretical aspects of performance and composition. I expect to enhance my skills as a performer on the drum set both technically and conceptually, and to further expand my understanding of the cultural and historical importance of Jazz globally. As a composer, I expect to learn the requisite techniques to improve my own expression through music. The College also offers many opportunities to meet other great musicians who, in turn, would help me network for my already established venues, institutions and festivals in South Africa.
I have also been greatly influenced by both South African Jazz, having performed here for most of my life, as well as Indian Classical Music, being of a South African Indian heritage. These influences have enhanced my love of Jazz and the art of improvisation. My experience as a professional, working Jazz musician will benefit me greatly in such a program as well as enable me to contribute to an institution interested in Jazz from a South African perspective.
I have achieved much in South Africa, having performed extensively and been part of developing the culture of Jazz as both a festival producer and Jazz nightclub owner. I now feel that the natural next step would be to not only strengthen the connection between South African and American Jazz traditions, but also to bring this knowledge back home with me to inspire the next generation of musicians. Having a masters degree is an essential requirement for teaching at a University level back at home in South Africa.
I know that my studies here at the Global Institute at Berklee College of music will help me make amazing music and my journey as an artist here has the potential to change and stengthen the trans-Atlantic conection through this art of music. I am grateful for your interest in this journey of mine and hope that one day my music will bring Joy to you.
So I humbly ask you to please help me be a part of this historic first Masters Class and grauate from this presitgious university.
Thank You
Kesivan
Is currently part of the historic first Masters Performce Program at the Prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts in the USA. Only 20 Students from around the world has been chosen to do this masters degree at what is known as the Global Institute.
"Berklee has granted me a full tuition scholarship but I have to cover the living expenses and additional funds for books and equipment required for the study.
I have been lucky to recieve a large protion, being granted The Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Scholarship, they have been most generous, giving me one of thier highest tier grants. Also an notible contrabution from a private funder, Dipak Patel.
Even with all these scholarships . The living expenses are very high here in Boston, particularly for a student from South Africa with the declining currency of the Rand.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity
and almost an impossible dream come true for any aspiring jazz artist from Africa. I have already completed the first semester here at Berklee and the exposure to the Jazz Greats that I have had so far, has been life changing. We are trained by at least 2 legends of Jazz every week, Joe Lovano, John Patitucci, Danilo Perez and Dave Douglas just to name a few.They are mentoring us to become the next wave of the gobal musical artform known as Jazz.
It has been a dream of mine to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, to learn from the world’s great Jazz teachers and performers. As a single-parent child from a poor family in East London I've had the privilege of being taught by and performing with some of South Africa's great Jazz artists – including Bheki Mseleku, Zim Ngqawana and more – as a member of their respective bands. I was blessed to secure a scholarship to complete my formal training at the University of Cape Town, where I graduated with a First Class pass with a Bachelor of Music (Hons) in Jazz Performance in 2002. Since then I have been a professional full-time jazz drummer.
As a composer and performer I am interested in the unification of musical cultures and traditions in order to create new forms of artistic expression. This philosophy is manifested in my latest album, Brotherhood – the repertoire from which I was fortunate enough to showcase with my band The Lights at Carnegie Hall in New York in October 2014. My vision is to move South African Jazz into the new standard of the contemporary. This is a global standard. The ethos of Berklee’s Global Institute for Jazz fits this vision exactly. Danilo Perez's Contemporary Performance Program is the premier Graduate Jazz program in the world that focuses on the global phenomenon of jazz ranging from American, South American and Caribbean to African traditions and beyond.
I have worked with Danilo Perez before and he understands my vision, my playing and my limitations and is the perfect teacher to take my playing and vision to the next level. Berklee is the perfect environment to do this because of the calibre of the teachers and artists in residence. Jazz performance and the art of drums in particular progresses more quickly when done with the direct transference of the masters.
Berklee's Master of Music in Contemporary Performance with a Global Jazz Concentration has a balance between both practical and theoretical aspects of performance and composition. I expect to enhance my skills as a performer on the drum set both technically and conceptually, and to further expand my understanding of the cultural and historical importance of Jazz globally. As a composer, I expect to learn the requisite techniques to improve my own expression through music. The College also offers many opportunities to meet other great musicians who, in turn, would help me network for my already established venues, institutions and festivals in South Africa.
I have also been greatly influenced by both South African Jazz, having performed here for most of my life, as well as Indian Classical Music, being of a South African Indian heritage. These influences have enhanced my love of Jazz and the art of improvisation. My experience as a professional, working Jazz musician will benefit me greatly in such a program as well as enable me to contribute to an institution interested in Jazz from a South African perspective.
I have achieved much in South Africa, having performed extensively and been part of developing the culture of Jazz as both a festival producer and Jazz nightclub owner. I now feel that the natural next step would be to not only strengthen the connection between South African and American Jazz traditions, but also to bring this knowledge back home with me to inspire the next generation of musicians. Having a masters degree is an essential requirement for teaching at a University level back at home in South Africa.
I know that my studies here at the Global Institute at Berklee College of music will help me make amazing music and my journey as an artist here has the potential to change and stengthen the trans-Atlantic conection through this art of music. I am grateful for your interest in this journey of mine and hope that one day my music will bring Joy to you.
So I humbly ask you to please help me be a part of this historic first Masters Class and grauate from this presitgious university.
Thank You
Kesivan
Organizer
Kesivan Naidoo
Organizer
Boston, MA