Berklee & The Boston Conservatory Prepare for Merger?

After opening its doors 149-years ago, The Boston Conservatory will soon be merging with Berklee College. Once the new school completes the necessary regulatory and accreditation review and approval process, later this summer, the combined institution will be known as Berklee with the Conservatory becoming The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. The hope is that by combining forces, Berklee and The Boston Conservatory will be able to lead the way in establishing new and original music genres and art forms for years to come.

Following a six-month process that gathered information from faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, and industry leaders, the formal merger of The Boston Conservatory and Berklee College of Music's facilities, faculty and programs has been announced.

In a recent press release, Berklee explains that the motivation behind the merger is to put the new combined institution at the absolute forefront of performing arts education:

"The strategic underpinning of the merger is the belief that music, movement, and digital technology are converging to give artists powerful new means of creative expression in the theater, on the concert stage, and through established and emerging platforms.

"To become the leader in exploring new and original art forms, breaking down boundaries that isolate genres, and unleashing the tremendous creative potential of the global arts community."

In a recent interview with The Boston Globe, chairman of Berklee's board, Jeff Shames, echoed those same sentiments -- explaining that together the two schools will be able to accomplish far more than if they remained apart:

"We intend to collectively invest in the new Berklee -- regardless of discipline, program, or genre -- and hope to create significant artistic breakthroughs."

What do you think of Boston Conservatory's merging with Berklee?

Is it a shame to see a school with as long a history as the Conservatory's give up its well established identity?

Or, is it nice to see the two colleges joining forcing for the betterment of education and the arts as a whole?

Let us hear what you have to say about the merger in the comment field below.