PHOENIX--Two local teens, both students of Phoenix Conservatory of Music (PCM), received full scholarships to attend Berklee College of Music's Five-Week Summer Institute in Boston. 

Scholarship winners Isabella Perrino and Nick Garzon, both 15 years old, were nominated by their instructors at Phoenix Conservatory of Music last fall and auditioned in February at the three-day Berklee School of Music Regional Collegiate Auditions held in Phoenix.  Here, Berklee observed hundreds of talented teens from all over the country and Phoenix Conservatory of Music is proud to say that two out of its three nominees were awarded scholarships to attend this amazing summer program at the world's leading college of contemporary music. 

“I’ve been involved with Phoenix Conservatory of Music for the last two years and it’s been the best two years of my life” said Nicolas Garzon. 

Both students are part of PCM’s programs that teach instrumental and vocal instruction in rock and jazz, classical music, ensemble performance, and musicianship.  This year, as part of Phoenix Conservatory of Music’s affiliation with The Berklee City Music Network, the students were able to participate in an online college preparatory curriculum via donated computers from AZ Strut.  This curriculum is fun, hip, edgy, interactive, and teaches solid musicianship through contemporary greats like Michael Jackson, Green Day, Jason Mraz, and Christina Aguilera.

Isabella and Nick will join hundreds of students from all over the world for a once-in-a-lifetime experience at the Institute, sharpening their music skills in private lessons, ensembles, master classes, and concert performances of jazz, rock, funk, pop, and R & B. They will be immersed in musicianship and theory courses plus attend lectures and demonstrations in songwriting, music synthesis, and music business led by renowned musicians, such as Quincy Jones.

“For each student we will need to raise $3,100 by the end of May,” says Regina Nixon, Executive Director, Phoenix Conservatory of Music. “Their flights have been donated by Infinite Spectrum Productions, and their tuition is covered, but we need to cover the costs of meals and lodging while they are in Boston.”  

The community can make a donation to help Isabella and Nick attend the Berklee Summer Institute by making a tax-deductible contribution at www.pcmrocks.org or calling 602.353.9900.

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In 2010, The Berklee City Music Network, through a competitive process, selected Phoenix Conservatory of Music to be the only national network affiliate located in Arizona.  Both organizations share the goal of changing students’ lives through contemporary music education.  The Phoenix Conservatory of Music’s mission is to unleash the power of music in children and families by providing a platform for creativity and expression, and preserving music as an essential building block to a person's development.