SEATTLE—Three students from EMP|SFM’s Experience: The Band will spend five weeks in Boston this summer learning how to take their musical talents to new heights.

Berklee College of Music, the world’s leading college of contemporary music, is collaborating with EMP|SFM to identify talented and deserving teens from the music program offered at the museum. Students Aaron Liao (Seattle), Austin DeVries (Edmonds) and Ronan Delisle (Redmond) will be awarded full tuition scholarships to Berklee’s five-week Summer Performance Program during Experience: The Band’s year-end performance and ceremony. Bassist Aaron Liao has also been awarded a four-year scholarship to Berklee College of Music, and begins in the fall. The ceremony is part of All Access Night at EMP|SFM on Thursday, June 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Experience: The Band is a full-scholarship program and part of the Berklee City Music Network, a partnership between EMP|SFM and the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Members of Experience: The Band work on theory and composition, music history, take part in musicianship classes with state-of-the-art online learning materials and perform concerts at EMP|SFM. At the end of the school year, members are eligible for scholarships to the summer program based on their audition to the program. In addition, seniors are eligible to apply to Berklee College of Music and to audition for coveted four-year scholarships.

“I visited the Experience: The Band classroom a couple of times this year and I was delighted to find a group of dedicated young musicians at work honing their craft, said John Roderick, singer and guitarist of The Long Winters. “The benefits of kid-focused music education are felt, in ways large and small, by the entire region, and the talented and motivated kids at Experience: The Band are already holding up their end of the bargain.”

Members of Experience: The Band include:

• Aaron Liao, age 18, Nathan Hale High School (Seattle), bass
• Austin DeVries, 17, Meadowdale High School (Edmonds), drums
• Brennan Bartel, age 16, Skyline High School (Issaquah), guitar and vocals
• Cedar Russell, age 16, Bothell High School (Bothell), guitar and vocals
• Derek Gamlam, age 15, Garfield High School (Seattle) keyboard
• Grace Noah, age 14, Lakeside School (Seattle), vocals, guitar and keyboard
• India Mitchell, age 12, St. Therese School (Seattle), vocals
• Kaitlyn Sykes, age 14, Madison Middle School (Seattle), guitar and vocals
• Reign King, age 14, Brier Terrace Middle School (Brier), bass
• Robin Sadinsky, age 17, Garfield High School (Seattle), guitar
• Ronan Delisle, age 17, Inglemoor High School (Redmond), guitar
• Samuel Landsman, age 15, Northwest Yeshiva High School (Mercer Island), drums
• Scott Helm, age 15, Glacier Peak High School (Snohomish), drums
• Taylor Lloyd, age 13, Glacier View Jr. High School (Puyallup), guitar 

“I have been very fortunate to see students develop inner confidence, learn to function well in a group setting, identify and hone their musical aptitudes and develop personal confidence and self-trust,” said Gordon Tibbits, director of Experience: The Band. “Students often begin the year as timid followers and unsure of themselves, which is evident in the first showcase. Remarkably, at the end of the year the students transition into confident performers and student leaders who are very capable of formulating their own creative ideas and implementing them effectively with their peers.”

EMP|SFM produces additional all-ages programs such as Sound Off!, the Pacific Northwest’s largest underage battle of the bands competition. Past participants have included, Schoolyard Heroes, The Lonely H, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head and New Faces. Sound Off! is a catalyst for many bands to gain recognition in the Seattle music scene. All Sound Off! finalists receive prizes as well as consultations from producers and established musicians. Bands are encouraged to apply this fall for the 2010 event.

In June, EMP|SFM kicks off its music and science fiction-related summer day camps for students in grades K-12. Students can choose from camps that focus on songwriting, guitar, drums, bass, science, improv, audio production and even creating their own graphic novel.

For an up-to-date programming schedule, visit www.empsfm.org/calendar.

About Berklee’s City Music program

For the past 15 years, Berklee College of Music has provided free music education to under-served sixth through twelfth grade students in Boston. The City Music program provides year-round music instruction, including music mentoring and after-school classes. More than 1,000 students have benefited from this unique music education experience and more than 80 City Music students have received full four-year tuition scholarships to attend Berklee College of Music.