All students at Berklee College of Music study a principal instrument and will ultimately select a major in their second semester. We offer 12 diverse majors; many students choose performance, the largest major at the college.

Program Details

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A Method and a Mindset

No matter what style you pursue as a string player, you'll find faculty in the Berklee String Department who have deep knowledge and professional experience in the idiom. From working with players from the Boston Symphony to devising a jazz curriculum for the harp, you'll learn how to bring your skills to professional levels. With individualized instruction in violin, viola, cello, harp, banjo, and mandolin, you'll gain the versatility and tools you need for following your creative vision to career success.

  • Financial Aid and Scholarships

    Learn about financial aid, scholarships, and others ways of paying for your Berklee education.

  • Study Abroad

    Study abroad at our Valencia, Spain, campus. It is recommended that performance majors study in Valencia during their third, fourth, fifth, or sixth semester. For specific program information, please see the chair of your major or contact the study abroad office.

Alumni Story

Sierra Hull B.M. '11

Alumna Sierra Hull received the International Bluegrass Music Association Award (IBMA) for Best Mandolinist for the second year in a row. Upon first receiving the award in 2016, she became the first female to earn the honor since IBMA's founding in 1990. 

Student Spotlight

Students Perform 'Lord of the Rings Symphony' at Symphony Hall

More than 200 musicians from the Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra and Chorus performed Howard Shore’s B.M. '69 '08H Lord of the Rings Symphony at Boston's Symphony Hall as part of Berklee's Signature Series. Shore watched from the audience and hung around to give a student clinic the day following the performance.

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