The knowledge acquired by the contestants through the mentorship classes of Berklee College Of Music has to be one of the most significant acquisitions from the first season of the MTN Y’ello Star. If knowledge remains the currency for the future, Berklee has massively invested in the 14 contestants that made it into the Y’ello Hub. The Berklee team, including, renowned artists/producers/educators such as: Gabriele Goodman, Joey Blake, Prince Charles Alexander, and Annette Philip, had the opportunity to work with the contestants remotely for weeks. They watched and listened to the artists performed and provided them with detailed feedback, insights, and guidance to advance their artistry.

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Jason Camelio, the Assistant Vice President of Global Initiatives at Berklee College Of Music, leads the team that explores, develops, and manages partnerships and events across the world to discover talent and design educational and cultural engagement opportunities. He has this to say about the mentorship role of Berklee, and he said, “Mentorship and coaching are incredibly valuable to creative and performing artists. Afrinolly designed the Yello Star competition with an educational and mentorship philosophy at its core. The competition is the vehicle, while the success of the artist is the goal. Afrinolly’s focus on artistic development and empowerment is in perfect alignment with Berklee’s mission”.

What is unique about the Berklee experience?

The Berklee experience is incredibly unique. It is in a state of evolution as our academic leaders and faculty members continue to create cutting-edge, world-class learning experiences for all of our students. Berklee is often referred to as a microcosm of the industry. At the moment, when a person attends a Berklee program or event, they become part of our community and the global network of learners and practitioners passionate about bringing their artistry to the world.

How can the music market in African Benefit from Berklee upcoming Programs?

We see many opportunities for Berklee to engage with learners, educators, artists, and the industry in different markets across the continent. We have so much to learn about the diversity of cultures, musical traditions, and their influences creatively and socially with the impact on the music on which Berklee College Of Music curriculum is based. Programs and engagements allow for us to share a piece of the Berklee experience while simultaneously learning from our audience.

As we move beyond the pandemic, we look forward to exploring these opportunities. For now, we implore artists, teachers, and students to take advantage of the free courses we provide on coursera.org/berklee. We also implore creatives to attend the many remote sessions we offer from our Boston, Valencia, New York campuses, and our center in Abu Dhabi.

Follow on Instagram – @jasoncamelio

Words by Sesan Adeniji culled from Afrinolly Magazine: Instagram & Twitter – @sesanadeniji