Music Theory 201: Harmony and Function – Paul Schmeling

Instructor

Russell Hoffmann is Assistant Professor of Piano at Berklee College of Music and is a pianist, recording artist, composer and arranger in many styles of contemporary music, including jazz, Latin, and pop styles. He has served as musical director for Concord recording artist Marlena Shaw and the University of Minnesota’s “Twelve Moods for Jazz” Langston Hughes project. He has performed with many jazz luminaries, including Jack McDuff, James Moody, Billy Hart, Donald Harrison, Bobbie McFerrin, Peter Lietch, and many of Boston’s finest jazz artists. As a clinician, Russ has appeared in Berklee’s Italy summer program, Umbria Jazz Festival, Perugia, Italy; Berklee in Taipei; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Heineken Jazz Fest, San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the Berklee Annual Jazz Festival. He is the author of workbooks on keyboard comping, ensemble performance, and co-author of the Berklee Practice Method: Keyboard.

Instructor

An assistant professor in Berklee’s Harmony department since 1997, Alizon Lissance is a well-rounded musician with decades of experience as a multi-keyboard player, vocalist, songwriter, and arranger. She has earned regional and national accolades, ranging from critical acclaim in Musician Magazine to receiving a Boston Music Award as “Outstanding Keyboardist” in 1991.

Instructor

Bruno Raberg is an internationally renowned bass player and composer. Since coming to the US from his native Sweden in 1981, he has made six recordings as a leader, about 30 as a sideman, and has performed with numerous world-class artists. Some of the distinguished musicians Råberg has performed/recorded with include Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Sam Rivers, Billy Pierce, Donny McCaslin, Billy Hart, Bob Moses, Mick Goodrick, Ben Monder, Bruce Barth, Jim Black, Matt Wilson, Ted Poor, Bob Mintzer, and John Medeski. Tours have taken Råberg throughout Europe, Scandinavia, USA, Japan, India, Africa, and Central America, and to jazz festivals such as Pori, Umbria, Monterey, Nancy, Bologna, Graz, Stockholm, Boston, and Cape Town. Råberg is currently leading several constellations of his own: the Lifelines Quartet with Chris Cheek, Ben Monder, and Ted Poor.

Instructor

Michael Moyes has been working at Berklee since 2008. He has performed piano as a soloist, in combos, and accompanied by a full orchestra. In addition to piano and music theory, Michael teaches five string banjo and actively performs and records original bluegrass, country, and folk music. He is also the Associate Dean of Admissions Strategy and Operations for Berklee College of Music.