<p>Not sure if this thread will update- today is 4-05-07- check out Berklee's website for the Berklee Performing arts center. <a href="http://www.berkleebpc.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.berkleebpc.com/</a></p>
<p>All of the student recitals and showcases are coming up. If you are interested in Berklee attend one of the concerts and you will get a first hand feel for the type of talent Berklee attracts and for the skill level of the professors.</p>
<p>Anyone know whatever happened with Angstridden's daughter? Her parent was the OP of this thread and was looking for pop music ops...Just wondered where that went.</p>
<p>I was wondering the same thing myself.
LA</p>
<p>Berklee is a very good College due to its diversity and variety in musc genres and students. I was their in the 5 week summer program and I got to understand why berklee is the best music college to go. Pop is definetly accepted at berklee and a big percentage of the students play and sing that.</p>
<p>aazout: what track did you do in the 5 week program? Do you play an instrument or sing? What did you like best about it? And what did you like least? What would you say about the general atmosphere- the culture of the students, etc?</p>
<p>Speaking from direct experience here...</p>
<p>Berklee, like most things in life, is what you make of it. The opportunities are there for as much challenge as you are capable of. I</p>
<p>The staff is first class, and at the top of their field.</p>
<p>There are no entrance restrictions, however you are tested upon entrance, and placed at an appropriate level. Placement is very reflective of the skills you enter with. Class placement can be from rank beginner to advanced. You may place higher in some areas and lower in others. You WILL be placed appropriately.</p>
<p>I personally know a number of people who were brand new to their instrument upon entrance, and are now absolutely monster players (after lots of hard work of course). Berklee makes it possible to find your level and grow, even if your really just starting out in music, or conversely, a seasoned pro looking to increase technical skills. Don't let the lack of entrance restrictions discourage you. It is a refreshing approach to education.</p>
<p>Graduation is more or less useful, depending on what you want to do with your music. Many get what they need in 2-3 years and move on into professional music without a degree. Others, like music-education majors require the degree. I don't know anyone who completed the degree who regrets it. The last two years are VERY challenging and specialized.</p>
<p>Academics are not a forte. However MIT is just across the bridge. If you need academics (as I did) arrange to take them elsewhere. It is perhaps better to think of Berklee as a vocational school. If you play your cards right, you might even be able to get credit for courses taken at (the many) other local institutions.</p>
<p>And a warning... the stories of high rates of drug and alcohol use and abuse in the dorm are (or at least were) true. The dorms tend to weed people out within a year, the partiers seem to sober up and get on seriously with their studies or fail academically and leave within a semester or two. The first year attrition rate is very high. If you are serious about your academics, avoid the dorms, or find dorm roommates who are academically serious and not users. Personally, I would stay away from the Berklee dorms. Dependancy habits are easy to make and tough to break, and you will have enough of that around as a muscian anyway.</p>
<p>Berklee is a tremendous value. The skills you will learn there are unique, and the contacts you make will serve you for life. I would not hesitate to consider Berklee if you are interested in a career in jazz-pop performance, music education, arranging, film scoring, songwriting, or recording. The summer program is a great way to find out. (no I don't work for Berklee, I'm just enthusiastic about the education I got there).</p>
<p>-- Harlow</p>
<p>From what I’ve learned, Berklee has changed much in the decade since the first posts in this thread, way back in 2004. It is much harder to get into Berklee, many of the kids now graduate, and it’s still as serious about music as ever. If anyone happens on this string who is interested in colleges that offer a program in pop/rock voice (there still aren’t that many, but the number is growing), go on CC to <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1372071-rock-vocals.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1372071-rock-vocals.html</a>.</p>
<p>The person who said there were no entrance requirements to Berklee is incorrect and I have no idea how long ago he or she went there. There are auditions that you have to go through, and I personally know some GREAT guitarists who did not get in. </p>
<p>Furthermore, I think that Berklee does look at grades, at least in some aspects. While harmony may not seem academic in the traditional liberal arts sense, it requires intelligence to grasp the concepts. While some musicians may play on instinct (blues) for example, Berklee wants to create a professional musician that has the skill to do anything that is needed musically. While lots of kids find jobs in bands, other kids find that they don’t want to take the time or have the ability to learn what Berklee is trying to teach. </p>
<p>There are also liberal arts courses at Berklee. My daughter, a 5th semester student, is currently taking an Art History class that she loves. Her quote is that she could stay in the class all day. This is her teacher: [Henry</a> Augustine Tate | Berklee College of Music](<a href=“http://www.berklee.edu/people/henry-augustine-tate]Henry”>http://www.berklee.edu/people/henry-augustine-tate) They will be going to the many museums in Boston as part of the class as well. She has taken English, writing, statistics, etc.</p>
<p>As far as deciding what school to go to, it ultimately was a simple decision for her. She wanted a place that had an international flair and everyone was carrying an instrument and the shared language was music. I loved Belmont. It has a gorgeous campus and would include traditional college life. After she visited Belmont’s campus and only spotted one instrument being packed around the campus and seeing that everyone in the cafeteria looked like they came from her high school, there was no debate. It was Berklee. </p>
<p>Your mileage, of course, may differ.</p>
<p>Good luck all finding a place that fits.</p>
<p>rockbandmom—the OP posted over 9 years ago. The admissions requirements have changed dramatically for Berklee over the last 10 years. At one time there were no audition requirements whatsoever. This is why it’s a good idea to post new threads rather than revive old.</p>
<p>Hi, musicamusica! It was not RockBandMom but me who ‘revived’ this. Here’s the thing: Perhaps the worst aspect to CC (maybe the only) is that people continually start new threads–about the same topic. Then, information that would’ve been helpful to newcomers gets lost in the bin of history; it either has to be continually recreated, or is never found. Having worked in the web field since 1994, I was surprised on joining CC that it allowed such chaos; there should be a series of filters that guides newcomers looking for information to that info if it already exists, so that knowledge bases that have been already created can be continually built upon, instead of continually being restarted from zero. (CC search isn’t robust enough to accomplish this on its own.) I’ve found that looking back into past years on a topic is very helpful in getting a wide and deep understanding on that topic. As for RockBandMom, I have to say your post made me laugh out loud but also was eye opening–and I say that even after more than a year of researching contemporary music schools. Your daughter’s take on things–that the people at Belmont (wonderful) looked only like her fellow high schoolers, vs. the international cabaret that is Berklee–not only helped me see my son’s wishes and future in a clearer way but also is exactly the kind of information that will be useful here in 2013–and, probably, also in 2023. Some things change, most things remain the same. Fortunately, even if this thread goes fallow again, your daughter’s and your thoughts will always have a chance of being found again–because many people do what I do–use an outside search engine to find information here–and it was just such a search in 2013 that led me to this thread that had, sadly, been quiet since 2007. Imagine, had everyone interested in Berklee pop voice that posted on CC had posted here, how great this thread as a resource would be. Had all the relevant comments been made here then (instead of having 2004-2007 + 2013 info here but all the interim info lost among multiple threads) this one thread would cover that whole 2004-2013 decade, all in one place. Hope the web engineers at CC are listening.</p>
<p>“It was not RockBandMom but me who ‘revived’ this.”
yes I know, but it’s best not to revive old threads and now we know why. People tend not to look at dates and confusion reigns.</p>
<p>Hi again, musicamusica! So we’ll agree to disagree. To my mind, the problem you cite is far, far, far (you get the idea) smaller than the tremendous chaos of identical and similar threads putting the needed information in a hundred spots–instead of one. And the problem you cite is one direct result of said chaos. So, no, the last thing I’d suggest is what you suggest. Think of CC, properly engineered that is, as a library of college books. Can you imagine a library that had, say, a hundred books on Berklee pop voice–and shelved those hundred tomes helter skelter throughout the building’s corridors and floors? The parents and students posting here should do their best, even with the limitations of the built-in search, to put everything about one thing in one place. There are at least several posters like emsdad trying to do that on the musical theater side, by posting hyperlinks in those later threads that should have instead been part of the original thread. Even better not to have needed to do that in the first place.</p>
<p>Berklee Goes Hollywood</p>
<p>From Berklee’s newsletter. Keep in mind it is a film industry publication…</p>
<p>Berklee’s mark on the motion picture and record industry was noted in a big way last week when The Hollywood Reporter named the college the No. 1 music school in the world. The ranking was based on a survey of industry insiders, which cited, among other reasons, Berklee’s alumni and faculty track record of winning Grammy, Emmy, and Oscar awards.</p>
<p>[Berklee</a> Named No. 1 Hollywood Music School | Berklee College of Music](<a href=“http://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee-named-no-1-hollywood-music-school]Berklee”>http://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee-named-no-1-hollywood-music-school)</p>
<p>The top five listed were:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Berklee College of Music</p></li>
<li><p>USC Thornton School of Music</p></li>
<li><p>Julliard School</p></li>
<li><p>Herb Alpert School of Music</p></li>
<li><p>Eastman School of Music</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I have a D who is finishing up at Berklee, and I met one of her composition/production professors last fall. He had 5 Grammy nominations and loved sharing his experience and skills with the students. I can’t remember his name, but he spent his non-Berklee time going back and forth to NYC. Other professors she has had as teacher or ensemble directors have worked with well known musicians and entertainment professionals around the world. If you have an interest in this music space and have a desire to get exposure to the international music scene in performing, composing, film scoring, teaching and/or song writing, you have to investigate Berklee.</p>
<p>While this is an old thread, I think it’s important that people interested in popular and contemporary music see all the views of a college like Berklee. Yes, Berklee used to admit with a lower academic bar, but in the mid-2000’s, they changed their application process to include an audition, as another parent mentioned above. This audition also is your “in” to getting considered for talent scholarships. </p>
<p>The musicians that my D gets to work with come from California, Greece, South America, Israel, India and Europe and the stories of how they got to Berklee is as interesting as the music and skills they bring to share.</p>
<p>Berklee is not for everyone; the core music classes require academic focus, and you have to get placed into ensembles based on your ensemble rating. If you are intimidated by the talent, you may not last the whole first year. However, for those that live and breath music and are willing to develop the professional skills and networking to make it work, it appears that Berklee is the right place. My D would not trade this experience for anything.</p>
<p>Snowflake
I am so glad your daughter has loved Berklee. My son (who is down the road at the smaller music school in town) has many friends and collaborators at Berklee. One of his friends started off at Manhattan School of Music and transferred to Berklee. He is now gigging around the Boston area and teaching Jazz in our town-a suburb of Boston. I recently ran into a mom whose son has special needs but who loves music and seems to excel in that area. She told me that her son has this young man as his teacher and she could not stop raving about how impressive he is. This young man loved his time at Berklee as well.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your daughter. Does she know where she will be next year or what she will be doing. </p>
<p>We used to regularly visit a tea store in Cambridge and the tea-rista was an undergraduate at Berklee. When she graduated she left to go on tour in Europe with her group. Not sure what happened to her. She was a great young woman who I enjoyed talking to.</p>
<p>Hi StacJip, the simple answer to your question is no, I do not know exactly what she will be doing a year from now, but she has many options. She will likely stay in Boston through June, gigging and teaching at a private music school outside of Boston. She did not major in education, but found out through tutoring at Berklee that she really loves sharing her voice, piano and songwriting knowledge. What she is finding is that each semester she is doing something else in music that she never believed she would do, or she is doing it with someone amazing, so she cannot yet see where her music will take her. </p>
<p>For now, she is finishing up her last full semester and then has one more class in her major next semester. The teaching job is only part time, but it pays well so she can pay her own rent and bills, which gives her room to take some non- or lower paying gigs that help her get experience and continue to network and get feedback on different types of performances. The gigs that pay are jazz gigs (with jazz standards often), and she enjoys those, but I am sure she wants to eventually get paid performing some of her own pieces. She wants to get some international experience too, so may teach somewhere outside the US to be able to fund that. Depending on where the next several years take her, she may go to grad school also. I expect she also spend time in NYC or LA.</p>
<p>So, it is not the same formula I followed for engineering, but it is a very satisfying way to get where you are going.</p>