ATLANTA (August 21, 2024) – Spelman College and Berklee will offer Ashley Rawls, C’2026, and Berklee student Nia Skeete the opportunity to participate in the second year of the exchange program this fall. The initiative will celebrate Black music, culture, and the power of sisterhood. Maydson McSwain and Idriemeka Bailey were the inaugural Spelman and Berklee students, respectively, who participated in fall 2023.
The mission of the Berklee-Spelman Exchange Program (BSEP) is to promote educational opportunities in music and liberal arts to female-identifying students of African descent; to facilitate cultural and social integration through the study of music performance, theory, and history, with a specific focus on jazz and contemporary music; and to increase the retention of African American women in jazz while expanding the jazz canon.
Ashley Rawls, a junior at Spelman, is majoring in music with a concentration in music technology. The piano and vocal student will be able to take advantage of Berklee’s offerings in musical performance, production, and composition in a wide array of African and Afro-diasporic styles and genres, as well as study with renowned Berklee faculty and visiting artists.
“I chose to participate in the Berklee-Spelman Exchange Program because I knew that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to really invest in myself and my growth as a musician,” said Rawls. “Berklee’s highly acclaimed music programs will instill in me the necessary tools to navigate the music industry and introduce me to a different environment and cultural perspective. I believe that my time here at Berklee will greatly prepare me for my journey as a musician and allow me to excel at Spelman College.”
Skeete, a senior at Berklee, is double majoring in Electric Bass Performance and Business Management. Alongside her studies, she is also a dancer with Jo-Mé Dance Theatre in Boston. During her time at the college, Skeete has participated in numerous advanced ensembles and large productions, including the Berklee Beyoncé Ensemble, a large production that captures the essence of HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) culture and aesthetics.
“Through my various performances, I’ve cherished the opportunity to connect with a diverse range of individuals,” says Skeete. “I believe that sharing love through music, dance, and the arts can help build a more unified society. At Spelman College, I hope to expand my knowledge of the performing arts and business, immerse myself in a community of Black excellence, and most importantly, spread my love for Christ while creating lifelong sisterhoods.”
The Berklee-Spelman Exchange Program (BSEP) was conceived several years ago by its Founding Director, Tia Fuller, C’2000, a Grammy-nominated recording artist, saxophonist, bandleader, and professor and artistic director of Berklee’s Ensemble Department. Fuller, a magna cum laude graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in music from Spelman College, collaborated with Paula Grissom-Broughton, Ph.D., an assistant professor at Spelman, to develop the program. Furthermore, BSEP aims to provide Berklee students with a strong foundation in Black culture, its influence, the power of sisterhood and empowerment of self. The program also offers Spelman students access to Berklee's abundance of resources, ensembles and world-class education in contemporary music and performing arts.
Learn more about the Berklee-Spelman exchange program.
[Images by Jamea Beavers]
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