<p>Not wishing to offend any Berklee grads...but there is a little question I've heard asked and answered several times...</p>
<p>Question: What do you call a failure at Berklee?</p>
<p>Answer: someone who completes their degree.</p>
<p>The reason being that many many students are offered professional jobs with groups that come through that campus. The artists above did not leave Berklee because they weren't getting anything out of it...they left to become professional musicians and were given that opportunity by the connections they made while AT Berklee.</p>
<p>Seconding Thumper's message.Berklee's dropout rate doesn't signify failure like at a regular college..it means someone connected..and got their gigs.Its all about connecting and networking there.If you are anything but a classical musician,its a great place to be.</p>
<p>Songman...I read a book and other lit from Berklee and it struck me as being kinda dated, even though the copyright was current. I just got a feeling that perhaps Berklee was not super current.
D. however, decided she wants to try to get in an LA or NY school for college but will be considering the summer program.</p>
<p>My niece, a singer-songwriter who started performing at clubs while still in high school, went to the Berklee summer program for high school students last summer and ended up getting a big scholarship to attend as a fulltime undergrad starting this fall. As someone with lots of professionally trained musicians in my family tree, I can confirm that Berklee is appropriate only for people like my niece, who are focused 110% on a professional performing career and regard academics as little more than a distraction. The school itself offers many performing opportunities but equally important, in my view, is its location in the heart of Boston and attendant opportunities to become part of the music scene there.</p>
<p>In NY your D should look into the New School University's popular music offerings. Manhattan College of Music also has a good jazz vocal program, I believe. Jane Monheit graduated from there. Another place nearby to investigate is the SUNY campus in Purchase, in the northern suburbs of NYC. Purchase is the SUNY system's performing arts school and has strong programs in drama and popular music.</p>
<p>Angstriden- your right... a current criticism of Berklee is that the faculty is older and possibly dated. Being an older guy myself I am tempted to say it doesn't matter. I realize however, that with new technologies ,etc There are numerous markets and ways to make it in the business that did not exist years ago. Heck just the other day I was reading about how musicians are looking to a new market which is selling tunes for cell phone rings.What's next?</p>
<p>There are some basics though in the business that will never change- when my son says hey look at this unique chord change I point out that Led Zepplin, or the Beatles or someone else used it back in the 1960's.1970's, etc. They just played the chord in a different fingering thus producing a slightly different sound. Today's songwriters and performers mess with the basic song sturcture and reverse them or break some rules thus producing what appears to be "a new sound"
The key is whether or not the Berklee professors are aware of the new configurations and are willing to teach them,or do they fall back on the old fashioned style....I will say this though....</p>
<p>a quote from a Berklee letter to my son after completion of the songwriting workshop this past summer:</p>
<p>"Here at Berklee we eat,drink and sleep music......we understand that music is a passionate undertaking and our goal is to support and encourage you in pursuit of your passion whether it be performing,music business,songwriting or a career in music technology".</p>
<p>Damien S. Bracken, Director of Admissions</p>
<p>IMHO, I think this pretty much says what Berklee is all about, older faculty or not!</p>
<p>I went to camp there over the summer. It was a three day Gospel workshop. The voice teachers were phenomenal performers as well as teachers. All the gospel teachers gave a performance on the first night, and I was absolutely blown away. I kept wondering, "why the hell aren't all of these people famous?!" The teachers were, really really good. And, contemporary gospel is similiar to pop music. Berklee also has a long camp too. It's six weeks, I think. A lot of kids go there for different instruments and different types of music. Your daughter could go to camp there for vocal pop music for six weeks. No audition is required. When I went to the Gospel workshop, I thought most people wouldn't be that talented, because you don't have to audition to get in. Not true. Everyone was very talented. I made friends with some of the guys from the six week camp, and they were all very talented too. My only complaint about Berklee was that EVERYONE there smokes (cigarettes, among other things, I bet.)</p>
<p>My cousin's son is at Berklee . He is talented but hardly knew how to play an instrument but however , he was accepted ( I think because my cousin could pay full price ) . My cousin is worried as her son is just " there " hanging out . My son , is enchanted with the idea of going to Berklee - with performance in mind - but coming from a family of Theatre siblings ( My sister - a Niagara U. drama graduate - and her colleagee are very successful working at lifelong theatre careers ) - I worry more about just the basics of earning a living while trying to be a performer ( My sister was lucky that she had a trust fund to help her with her goals ) . </p>
<p>With an EFC of about 700 , we can not even consider many places for him , even though he is an A student at a public honors magnet school and he has studied both electric and double bass for many years . </p>
<p>In New York State , does anyone know how these schools measure up to music education ?? 1 ) SUNY at Purchase 2 ) Crane Music School at Potsdam 3 ) SUNY at Fredonia </p>
<p>Ithaca College is a musical place but wary of my son being trapped there .He is a very serious , studious type . With alumni ties to Dartmouth , I wonder if he should even apply there but do not know anything about their music education dept . Obviously , he could only go there on a grant type of scholarship with his stellar grades and an IB diploma . He is a Junior now and I do not want to look at private colleges taht we could never afford . It's a rough decision , not knowing but I would hope he choses a well-rounded education than a place like Berklee .</p>
<p>SUNY Purchase was one of the schools that our son's private instrumental lesson teacher recommended to him for music performance. I don't know if it has music ed also.</p>
<p>It is close to NYC, a plus in the performance field. His list was whittled down and Purchase did not make it to his final list so I don't have much else to share.</p>
<p>Lots of very talented musicians from where I live go to Crane!</p>
<p>I just want to comment that schools like Dartmouth do not have MERIT Aid, so those stellar grades and IB Diploma will not get him a grant there. Most applicants to places like Dartmouth have stellar credentials. What they DO do is to give need based aid and if your financial picture is like you say and they determine you need aid, you will get it but not because of his grades (at schools like Dartmouth) so I encourage you to still give schools of that calibur that are private a whirl because you may do just as well there with the need based aid as perhaps some state tuitions or merit based aid at less selective schools. </p>
<p>As far as Berklee, your son needs to figure out if he wants a more well rounded education or a conservatory style education and go from there. </p>
<p>I believe SUNY Purchase is good for bass.</p>
<p>A conservatory style school, like Berklee, that has bass is University of the Arts in Philadelphia.</p>
<p>The Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford has both classical & jazz programs. If your son is both an accomplished musician and an excellent scholar, he could no doubt get some great financial aid there. I wish to second what others have said that you should not rule out costly colleges, because many of them have generous merit or need-based aid programs. Boston University, for instance, gave my cellist daughter (who also had excellent grades and test scores) full tuition for all four years. By the way, BU also has an especially strong bass faculty (but is primarily focused on classical training, though it also has a good music ed program).</p>
<p>As long as we're getting suggestions for colleges here,..What's a good college for jazz composition for a student who had just okay grades in high school (excluding music classes where he always got A's, including a 5 in ap music theory) but has extrodinary talent music wise? This guy started college last year at a state school majoring in music performance and made the "A" jazz band in percussion and this year made the "A" jazz band in piano. They have 2 jazz bands and it's unusual for a freshman or sophomore to make the "A" band.</p>
<p>All he wants to do is perform and compose but is finding his state college is just not deep enough. Any recommendations?</p>
<p>My daughter just started a performance major on double bass, and she plays electric bass guitar as well. If you can tell me more about your son's musical interests, I may have some specific information of use to you. </p>
<p>We found that an extremely important consideration is the fit between the student and their primary instrumental teacher. If the two of them are incompatible it will be a waste of time and money whether the school is named Berklee, Juilliard or the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople.</p>
<p>You may wish to have a look at University of North Texas. They are reasonably priced compared with most private schools. I have heard excellent things about the double bass teacher there (Jeff Bradetich) and the Jazz bass teacher (Lynn Seaton) has an impressive resume.</p>
<p>My daughter graduated in May from an arts high school. At the graduation, I was speaking to the grandmother of one of the music majors (my D majored in visual arts) and she said that her son turned down a full-scholarship to Julliard to attend Boston Conservatory due to a prior teaching relationship with the prime instructor in his instrument. The music students that my daughter went to school with attended classes 6 days per week. It was a very intense program. Though she was not in that program, I gathered that entrance to conservatory programs is 99.9% talent and academic performance is not given much consideration. A number of these students were offered full scholarships. My daughter applied to an art in NYC that was way more than we could afford, but she knew going into the application process that only a significant scholarship would allow her to attend that school vs. MassArt (in-state). She got the scholarship amount that we had told her would be needed and she is now happily attending her first choice. I would say that if your son is talented and knows upfront the risk there would be no reason to at least apply to a better program.</p>
<p>Easydoesitmom
Potsdam is the traditional school in New York state for music educators.But if you are worried about your student getting "lost" in Ithaca then you don't want them in potsdam..there's nothing there.Ithaca has a thriving off campus music scene and enough of a town to keep kids occupied.
Don't rule out Ithaca for music education b/c of its cost..D was offered great scholarships there a few years back..a combo of music and academic merit,which would have made it very feasible.She ultimately chose a different school due to major instrument teacher but loved their facilities and setting.</p>
<p>Thanks , every parent , for your input & suggestions ( will definitely look at U. of Hartford & visit Ithaca again ) Luckily , S is a Junior and I have some time for exploring this issue .We want to find a good "fit " for him.</p>
<p>Yes , you are right . With our low EFC , our daughter ended up at Hiram College which offered her a better financial aid package then some of our state ( NY ) ones so I won't rule out private .</p>
<p>One more question : Is anyone familiar with Eastman School of Music and U of R in terms of aid ??? There seems to be many graduates who go there from his high school . What's the allure ??</p>
<p>Also thanks for the parent who mentioned BU . He has been getting a lot of mail from them . And thanks for the parent who mentioned that Dartmouth ( this is my family's idea - not his ! ) does not have Merit Aid .He knows that he is not a "conservatory " approach student as his Uncle is a cellist in our local ochestra , and teaches as well, and told him to consider getting both - education & performance combined - at his college choice .</p>