<p>Hello Music People,</p>
<p>I have a daughter that has been accepted to many good schools (Boston U and U of Rochester, for example ... pre-med interest, but also wants to continue w/ music minor or double major). She also has been accepted to Berklee as a jazz vocalist and she also is a strong pianist.</p>
<p>Can you direct me to forums that discuss the Berklee College of Music in Boston? Has anyone done their program and taken classes at Emerson at the same time? Is it a good school for a student that is strong academically and musically gifted?
Is there a way to go to Berklee and still keep up your academics so you have more choices down the road? As a parent trying to make sure she's not on the street begging one day, you know, the poor musician parent fear, I just have to know if it's possible to keep other paths open. Or do you just have to jump in with both feet and set the other stuff (pre-med studies) aside to see if you can really hang w/ strong musicians and make it in the music world?</p>
<p>I just want to know facts and information from personal experience so I can support whatever path she ultimately decides.</p>
<p>Thanks for your advice ... If you couldn't tell, I'm not from the music world.</p>
<p>Well, like most situations, it may be what the student makes of his/her opportunities.</p>
<p>It certainly does not remotely compare to some of the more elite universities from an academic standpoint, but accomplished musicians who are also excellent students choose Berklee!! I don’t think students are necessarily in a complete intellectual wasteland because they attend Berklee. </p>
<p>True, the Berklee academic offerings may not match up to other schools, but there are a wide range of courses available through Emerson (and I believe another downtown college as well) – a student could conceivably take all his/her academic classes at Emerson and all music courses at Berklee. Really a nice option.</p>
<p>The president of the college will be very quick to tell you that many Berklee grads end up going on to law school, business school and medical school. I wouldn’t be surprised if he responded to your request for information about this very subject with facts and figures! He (and the school) have a real appreciation for the special gifts that musicians bring to the world, and although it may be perceived as “only” a music school, I think the president (who is a brilliant guy) is very aware of having high on his agenda to have Berklee meet all the academic needs of its students, wherever on the range of academia each student may fall. There used to be an open letter to parents from the president on the Berklee website; it may still be there somewhere. He reiterated much of what he talks about in that letter in person with us last summer, and I perceived him to be very passionate about this mission.</p>
<p>I’m in a similar position – my son is academically very strong student and an exceptional drummer. He’s very interested in Berklee, but I’m having a hard time seeing the value, given the astronomical cost and lame academics. Yes, it would be tremendous fun to spend 4 years playing with lots of other talented kids, but then what? It seems to me he’d be tens of thousands in debt, back on the street – a difficult situation for a musician. I’d much rather see him minimize his debt, given the tough field he’s choosing.</p>
<p>My daughter is in art school, at MICA. They emphasize academics as well as art because they think that you need to know about the world to make worthwhile art. Is that less true of music?</p>
<p>Laura’s Dad, depending on your son’s specific music discipline and genre, Berklee may be the best choice for him particularly in a popular, contemporary, jazz, or non classical pursuit.</p>
<p>Berklee is a conservatory, and a fine one. But like any conservatory environment, it’s basically music 24/7, and he’ll be surrounded by those of like minds, and an extremely talented group of musical peers. There will be varied interests among the students, some with academic passions and great stats, and others with less non-music interests or are just your “average” student.</p>
<p>But you’ll find the same spectrum at virtually any straight conservatory program.</p>
<p>And option for many is a conservatory level program within a university or liberal arts college, or for the most talented academically and musically, cross institution specific programs, like Juilliard & Columbia, Harvard & NEC, Tufts& NEC, or dual pursuit options at Hopkins/Peabody, Rochester/Eastman, Oberlin College/Oberlin Conservatory.</p>
<p>I’d recommend a bit of exploratory reading within this forum </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/6280-suggestions-colleges-music-majors.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/6280-suggestions-colleges-music-majors.html</a></p>
<p>Plenty of discussions in prior threads, both college and discipline specific, and many here willing to help you explore options. Knowing a bit more of son’s music and acdemic interests, and goals would be helpful in suggesting potential programs worth a “look see”.</p>
<p>[Peabody</a> Institute - Conservatory Admissions: The Double Degree Dilemma](<a href=“http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/doubledegree]Peabody”>http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/doubledegree) is a great article in trying to assess those with dual passions or pulls.</p>
<p>Thanks all for your thoughts. Deep in my heart I know she is a true musician, but whether she does it professionally or not is really the question. She needs music, and I know she’ll make her decision based on how music can play a strong role. She just found out today that she is waitlisted at Columbia, so that just says that her academics and ECs were competitive. Maybe they also needed a white girl jazz singer who likes math/science from the Northeast? She is not a classical singer, although she took classical voice lessons to improve her technique, so she did not apply to any music conservatories that focus on classical and choirs. She is a jazz alto if there ever was one, so I think she made the right call. Her musical passion is in re-arranging songs, writing her own songs, and performing at open mics and caberets and jazz venues, which I hope she will continue to do at college. The process is a journey, so I’m excited to see where it goes. Thanks all! I’ll keep reading to see what else you all share on this topic.</p>