Hi- my daughter is currently filling out her application for Berklee College of Music. I was just wondering if anyone had any insight or suggestions as to the type of things to submit for the two optional supplement questions. I feel that she should submit things which highlight her strengths. She is not sure what that would be.
Also, I was wondering- how should a musical resume be formatted and what should be included?
I’m new to all of this and am not quite sure where to send her for advice.
I don’t think there is a right answer for this, or a wrong one. she should try to write essays that come from the heart so they sound real and genuine. that’s more important than answering the prompts exactly or trying too hard to get in the committees’s heads and tell them what you think they want to hear.
Berklee College of Music—— Online application requirements for Berklee is very simple (I think that it is almost “too simple” for conservatory). Your daughter should include (upload) some “optional supplements” like, artistic / music resume, performance videos and / or audios, a recommendation letter or two and an honest essay would be nice if Berklee is one of her top choice schools. Berklee admission process seems very heavy on live auditions. However, Berklee live auditions don’t categorize instruments / voices / style of music, etc. My jazz instrumentalist needed to play for judges who know very little about jazz for about 5 minutes. So, I think that supplemental performing videos and / or audios would probably be a good idea. There will be way over 3000 applicants because it is the largest conservatory in the world “plus” no pre-screening process. So, anything to stand out to support her live audition would be great.
Artistic / Music Resume—— It should be just in 1 page or a little more, not 3-4 pages for sure. First, her name and instrument(s) / voice. It should start from “most current” and includes month and year on: Ensembles and Solos (including high schools), Awards and/or recognitions, Instructors and Directors (including their email address), Summer camps or/and other programs, Artists whom performed with. It can also include music-related volunteer work. However, Berklee doesn’t seem looking into volunteer work much. I am not sure since my instrumentalist didn’t include any volunteer work, essay or repertoire list for his Berklee application. However, he did upload three videos / audios, artistic resume and a recommendation letter and did Early Action with live audition in Boston and was accepted in mid December with Merit Scholarship.
Apply early so she can choose best audition date / location for her. Good luck!
You might want to check out Eastman School of Music’s website. They seem to have a lot of useful information regarding the application process–including help with music resumes. Good luck!