Berklee Five week Summer Program

Wow that’s incredible! I hope you bought him a car for all the money he saved you! Haha!

SpartanDrew,
One thing to keep in mind (or at least for your daughter to keep in mind) is that scholarship especially at the high school level is not always indicative of potential. So many things impact how much money a college decides to give away in any given year besides just a blanket ranking of potential students. Your daughter might have an amazing voice and the potential to be an outstanding musician but she might not get as much money as you hoped because Berklee might want an international candidate for that slot, or have a singer who has connections they want to nurture or because they are giving out less money this year due to some capital campaign.

In my years watching high schoolers deal with the whole music application process I have seen amazingly talented kids get rejected or not given scholarship money and I have seen mediocre kids get accepted and get nice scholarship offers.

My suggestion is to try not to guess where your daughter ranks because in the end it is not going to help her and it is only going to make you more anxious going into this long and very stressful process.

FYI my son just did his first graduate school audition…Last night I texted him, “It must be a lot less stressful and easier mentally than auditioning for undergrad” and he responded “Definitely”.

Thanks so much StacJip. Very thoughtful and insightful perspective. It is agonizing honestly. I want her to be able to fulfill her dreams in college and at the same time we need to be reasonable and responsible. If she doesn’t get scholarship money from Berklee this summer she will likely not go and will try again next year. It is just unaffordable given that my son is a college freshman and we are paying tuition for him. Hopefully she will get some money. We will see. She has also auditioned for Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Academy which takes more vocalists that Berklee does for their jazz workshop so I’m hoping that one of the two pans out. Thanks for you comments.

Agree with StacJip 100%. I’ve been known to stalk the YouTube videos myself. I’ve also been left standing with my jaw dropped a few times lately when hearing / seeing who is getting or not getting accepted where and with or without scholarship. I don’t think this is exclusive to music students either. There are kids with a 34 ACT getting rejected from the same schools where a 29 ACT student got accepted with scholarship! You just never know!

Believe me I hear you on that one. I guess I’m wondering if there is any format to finding out who actually receives the scholarships once announced. We will hear on Feb 28 so not too long. If she doesn’t get the jazz workshop (which we know is a longshot) and maybe gets some other scholarship money, it would be great to find out the vocalist(s) who did. Of course there is an essay part as well so who knows how much weight they put on that…

@electricbassmom I took your advice and called the scholarship office yesterday. I’m glad I did. Someone, I can’t recall where, suggested I call and ask for a supervisor since the emails I got back that didn’t really answer my questions were likely from students. I’m certain that was the case. In any case, I spoke with a supervisor and found out that the jazz workshop scholarship only takes 5-10 students period out of all of the audition videos submitted! That’s instrumental as well as vocal auditions. They may not even take a vocalist if they aren’t what they are looking for. I’m glad I called and found this out. I think my D has a slim to non existent chance of getting the scholarship but hold out hope for maybe something in the general 5 week. The talent pool is huge. Anyway thai you all for your advice and comments. They have been enormously helpful! We will find out either way on 2/28

Yes, that is correct. When she didn’t get a scholarship she tried to do her backup plan (bio-chemistry for pre-med) and did that for a year but her heart was in music. She performed in an acapella group st BU and it reminded her that she was a musician.

we were just notified by email that my D did get a scholarship for the 5 week! Pretty happy about that. After I gathered more info I knew that the full ride jazz scholarship was beyond a long shot. I doubt they even took a vocalist. It’s definitely geared towards an instrumental jazz ensemble. That being said she got 1K towards the 5 week which I’m happy about since she is just a HS sophomore. It’s still a LOT of money but I think she would grow immeasurably from it. She also auditioned for the Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Academy which is entirely geared towards vocalists. They take 40 in the country from audition. We may opt for that this year if she gets in and defer Berklee to next year although we are visiting campus in April. She may love it so much that she decides she needs to go that route this summer. Thanks for all of your help everyone!

Woohoo! Nice job to your daughter. Either opportunity sounds great.

I know this thread is old, but does anyone know how many kids are in the 5 week performance program all together?

My guess based on the final concert we attended was maybe 100+. But it could be more. I would just call. I think a lot depends on the economy and international students. There might be less this summer because many international parents are feeling less comfortable sending their children to the US given the current political climate.

Thanks!

anyone on this thread going or are parents of students attending the 5 week this summer? My D is planning to attend. She is registered. She did receive a closed FB group for students of the 5 week but I don’t know if she has joined it yet. When she does I will update the number of students on that.

just jumped on the closed FB group and see as of now there are 94 members

I asked Berklee via facebook and they said between 900-1,100 attend. My S is planning to attend as well!

Great! What year is he and instrument? Is he already registered for it and did he get the FB invitation?

He is currently a junior and he plays jazz guitar, I will ask about the FB group. What about your d?

Congrats to everyone going to the Berklee 5 week. Two of my three children attended it. And for both it was influential. For my middle son the program confirmed that he did not want to attend conservatory or only focus on music. That was a big deal because he was a special-education kid and the director of his program kept trying to use the fact that he was successful in the high school music program to insist he was well on his way to achieving his goals and she did not need to do anything about the fact he was failing math and science (FYI that child is now in graduate school in mathematical biology). For my youngest the program confirmed that he did indeed want to devote himself to art and music and that it was going to be conservatory or bust for him. It also helped him sort out what specific type of conservatory he wanted and how he wanted the classes and ensembles to be organized.

Remind your students to connect with others, especially some of the international students. And I hope they all have a great time and have fun.

@astute12 my D is a jazz vocalist and singer/songwriter. She is also a junior. She has already toured Berklee, Thornton and NYU and spent a long weekend last summer at Berklee doing a workshop and loved it. Right now it’s her top choice college but we are planning to visit Frost in April and Belmont at some point as well.

@StacJip your advice through the past couple of years has been so very helpful! I really appreciate your comments and thoughts based on your kids experiences. I Had a major heart to heart with my D this past week and during the holidays when things seemed to stall with her musically/academically etc which questioned in my mind her resolve to pursue this in college etc. (I think she is going through normal teenage stuff honestly…) She is firm and steadfast that this is all she wants to do. I think the Berklee summer will be perfect for her to get a feel first hand if she’s up for the task. I’m looking forward to the experience for her!

Yes, definitely call. The size is not as important as the fit. The upper caliber kids are grouped in higher experience ensembles and classes and the less experienced are grouped also. The sorting happens in the first few days.