Berklee College Of Music Reopens Boston Campus

FENWAY, MA — Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee reopened its Boston campus Monday with a mix of remote and on-campus teaching. This is the first semester that the campus has opened to students since the school went fully remote in March.

The return to campus, which the college is calling "Spring Back to Berklee," introduces a number of new safety measures, according to the institution.

The school said faculty, staff, and students will have to complete daily symptom reporting to attest that they are well and do not have any symptoms related to COVID-19. All Berklee community members will be tested prior to starting work or attending classes, and will continue to be tested throughout the spring semester.

Since Dec. 14, the school has tested 5,546 people, and of those 48 people tested positive for a positivity rate of less than 1 percent.

The school is getting rid of the March break, in an effort to reduce mid-semester travel amid the ongoing pandemic.

And although the acclaimed school is known for the performances it hosts, the college said in a statement it is unlikely it will be host any large, in-person events with an audience this spring.

Instead, it plans to use digital tools and media, such as livestreaming solo or small group performances to remote audiences across official social media channels to share the work and performances of students.

For students who are not able to return to campus, Berklee will provide an option for them to complete their studies entirely online during the spring semester.

Berklee’s campus in Valencia, Spain reopened in a hybrid model this fall and will continue to maintain its hybrid format for its graduate students in the spring.

This article originally appeared on the Fenway Patch