What Berklee SHOULD be teaching you, but isn't...

Michael Hazani ('10) 

Three Lessons I Wish They Taught Me at Berklee

In this short talk, alum Michael Hazani (’10) will discuss his successes and struggles as a full-time songwriter and producer in New York, in light of a few lessons that proved indispensable through his first half year as a professional songwriter; lessons that nobody taught him during his time at Berklee, and that in retrospect, would have saved him a lot of time, money and anguish both throughout college and in the so-called "Real World". 

This is not a talk about songwriting - it's a talk about songwriters: it's about making that leap and following that dream, in all its marvel, magic and mayhem, delivered by someone who can relate to the thoughts, fears and hopes concerning those first few steps because that's how he spent the last six months.

Michael Hazani was born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel. In 2007 he moved to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music; after graduating Summa Cum Laude he moved to New York to pursue a full-time career in writing and producing popular music. In the six months since graduating he had a song licensed  for a national TV and web campaign, signed a song shopping deal with an LA-based artist, and is currently involved in multiple projects, having his music pitched both domestically and overseas 

Joren van der Voort ('10) 

What makes Pop "Pop?"

Joren will be discussing genre-specific techniques of melody, harmony and rhythm.  While Berklee traditionally focuses on songwriting as separate from the genre, there are certain stylistic moves that, for example, are far more common in Rock than in R&B, there are harmonies perfect for Jazz, but not for most Pop.  He'll discuss a few examples of current hits to give you fresh ideas to include in your own writing.

Joren has won several awards at Berklee for his songwriting,  had songs placed on television, and had a song on hold with Britney Spears.

Ben Camp 

Strategies for Success.

Ben will be discussing specific outlooks and techniques you can apply to increase the level of success you are having on your path as a songwriter. The talk will be focused on internal successes (writing the songs you want to write, finding your motivation, and setting your own goals) to external successes (creating opportunities, marketing yourself, and becoming the "go to" writer for your clients.)

In his time at Berklee, Ben has grown the songwriters club from 300 members to 850 members, and has created several initiatives on-campus (from the MP&E/Songwriter collaboration database to the student-run Singer/Songwriter concert, to the Perfect Pitch contest), and maintained a 3.8 GPA. Off campus, he's had experience as an in-house producer/arranger for a classical-fusion organization,  had music placed on CBS, NBC and MTV. He's scored a national TV commercial, and has toured internationally as a DJ. As an entrepreneur, he has built record labels, real estate companies, and a music publishing/production company from the ground up.