To whom it may concern,

My name is Michael Adam Palma and I am currently about to start my 8th semester at Berklee College of Music.  I am a Jazz pianist/composer/sound designer/producer from Dallas, TX.  I have been playing professional gigs since 1998 in Texas, California, New York, France and Japan among other places.  In 2004, I received a full 4 year scholarship from the Berklee College of Music.  In addition to that, I received a cash Scholarship from the Performance department for great achievement in the area of Jazz.  Since I have been here, I have decided to partake in the Professional Music Major.  I like this major because it allows me to focus on Jazz and music business.  In my first semester at Berklee I was asked to join the Scholarship Ensemble directed by faculty member Dave Santoro.  This ensemble I still am in today and it is considered to be one of the best ensembles at Berklee. I have also been studying with Hal Crook in and out of school and he has been one of my favorite mentors since I have been at Berklee.  Wally's Jazz cafe, Bob the Chef's, As220 in Rhode Island, The Beehive, Ryles, and the BPC among other venues along the east coast, have been regular places that I have performed at since my move to Boston.  My mission here at Berklee is to expound upon my musical ideas and be exposed to influences that I could not be exposed to anywhere else. 

The diversity here at Berklee is what I love most about this place.  I am a jazz pianist like I said, but I also am creative in the Pop music category as well as the Commercial/Jingle category.  During my time off from Berklee in 2007 me and my friend Quinn Brown composed 12 tracks for Juniper Music, a jingle house based out of Dallas, Texas.  Juniper then resold these tracks to a company called Universal which in turn sold the ability to use these tracks to TV stations and radio stations. Quinn and myself are just now starting to get royalty checks in the mail for airplay so I am a legitimate T.V. composer now.  As far as Jazz goes, I hope to maintain my own Jazz ensemble with my original compositions, get them recorded, and release them so that I can travel the world with the many talented friends I have made over the years.  My plan is to go to grad school at the Manhattan School of Music and pursue a Master's degree in Jazz Performance. Also while in New York, I plan on trying to find work at a jingle house since I have a professional resume in this area now.  I am very proud of this past year because I have:  Traveled to New york, Vermont, Japan, and France with the school, scored major airplay on network television, and have been a member of the Jason Palmer Quartet (Jason Palmer plays trumpet with Kurt Rosenwinkel and Myron Walden).  I appreciate your time and concern in the reviewing in the renewal of my scholarship.  

Sincerely,

Michael Adam Palma