Case Study: Berklee College of Music achieves streamlined global auditions and consistent applicant evaluations with Claris FileMaker Go

Making beautiful music with FileMaker Go for iPad

Berklee College of Music, a leading contemporary-music conservatory with more than 4,000 students, faced a complex global recruiting challenge: six teams of recruiters audition and interview about 7,200 applicants from 83 countries each year, sometimes holding 300 auditions a day. The admissions process required managing schedules, performance videos, legacy student records and consistent, holistic evaluations while staff traveled—often in areas with limited Internet—making laptop-based workflows cumbersome and inconsistent.

Berklee implemented a FileMaker solution—FileMaker Pro and Server on the back end and FileMaker Go on iPad—quickly extending their existing database to mobile devices. Recruiters carry local copies on iPads and sync when back on campus, enabling offline use, standardized scoring, automated scheduling and easier reporting. The result: faster, more consistent auditions and evaluations, greater staff productivity and self-reliance, and a streamlined application experience that supports Berklee’s global admissions scale.

Berklee College of Music

Damien Bracken

Dean of Admissions, Berklee College of Music