"If you've hit the wall on a music project and you feel tapped out, that's a perfect time to pick up your pen and write some prose, even a stream of consciousness, to free you up. When words start to flow, so does the music."
"Teaching in Berklee's dynamic community gives me inspiration and numerous examples to show the symbiosis of liberal arts and musical study. The world doesn't categorize artistry into Music and Liberal Arts departments, business concentrations or professional studies, and neither do my courses. Writing skills and literature enhance a musician's ability to communicate with power and confidence. In Urban Sociology, I encourage my students to take off their iPods, look around, and tune into the sounds of city life to understand how we are connected to one another even as strangers. The city yields constant inspiration for song and story. I emphasize 'open' listening: stepping back from the quick retort and becoming mindful of the other's point of view. Musicians who read and write well and keep up on events beyond the music world will enjoy a distinct advantage in their professions."
"As an editor and student advisor of FUSION magazine, I experience another facet of Berklee creativity. This new online magazine showcases the most amazing written works and art forms from our community. In spite of crazy-busy schedules and practicing routines, many students and faculty find the time to write essays, plays, fiction, and poetry. When we sit around that editing table, munching pizza and discussing the latest submissions for the next FUSION feature, I look at this terrific collaboration of young musicians/writers in the making and say to myself, 'It doesn't get much better than this!'"
