PRESS RELEASE
JMC Academy is proud to announce it has joined the Berklee College of Music’s International Network, becoming the only Australasian institutional partner school.
The Berklee International Network comprises selected institutions from all over the globe who share a passion and vision for the advancement of contemporary music and quality education. Positioned as the leader in this field and with an extensive global network, Berklee until now did not have an Australian organisation in this exclusive network.
Currently JMC Academy and Berklee are working on joint initiatives with some exciting possibilities on the horizon for the Australasian region. This new relationship will open up even more opportunities for staff and students from both sides as well as several opportunities to collaborate and work with all of the other members of Berklee International Network from all over the world.
Adding further explanation on the selection and importance of the BIN partnership is Guillermo Cisneros, Vice-President for Global Initiatives of Berklee College of Music. “Each BIN partner is essential to Berklee due to their capacity to attract and generate musical talent in their specific countries. Each one of them opens doors for us to their musical cultures and strengthens the international strategy to make modern music education accessible around the world. We are delighted that the JMC Academy in Australia is now one of our international partners.”
JMC Academy had been working collaboratively with Berklee for over five years on a variety of interesting initiatives. These included Berklee staff delivering master classes and lecture series to both JMC Academy‘s tertiary students as well as students from participating High Schools. This further evolved to include participation in campus-based audition processes and in reciprocal visits to Berklee’s Boston and Valencia Campuses by JMC Academy staff.
“When the opportunity for two great institutions to work together arose a few years ago it was only natural to pursue it further” says Martin Cass, JMC Academy’s Founder and Managing Director. “However neither one of us wanted to rush into a relationship” he adds jokingly, "so this was something that over time has not only developed into a friendship, but also a significantly better understanding and respect for what each other does. Most importantly, it’s all about the passion we share for our students and the quality of education in the creative industries”.
“Invited to join the Berklee International Network validates the efforts and achievements of the JMC Academy, its staff and its students’’ says Martin. “With a combined history of over 80 years in music education it was not surprising that we shared common values and a vision for the future.”
Just returning from a three day Berklee International Summit in Boston Martin adds, “having the opportunity to be in the same room with 18 other like-minded music institutions from all reaches of the globe was truly amazing. It was a fantastic opportunity to discuss music and education from such a diverse cultural perspective making it exciting to see what the next stage of this partnership will bring.”
Currently JMC Academy and Berklee are working on joint initiatives with some exciting possibilities on the horizon for the Australasian region. This new relationship will open up even more opportunities for staff and students from both sides as well as several opportunities to collaborate and work with all of the other members of Berklee International Network from all over the world.