<p>My son just got accepted to both Berklee and William Paterrson and is having a hard time deciding between these two schools. He plays the Bass and loves jazz. He wants to major in sound engineering/production. Both schools have excellent sound engineering and production programs. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks.</p>
<p>$$$$ considerations?</p>
<p>He got almost a full ride at Paterson and partial at Berklee. Paterson would definitely be cheaper, but putting the $$ aside, we are trying to compare the two schools. The advantage of Paterson is it’s proximity to NYC. The advantage of Berklee is it’s reputation. Any advice/experience with these schools would be appreciated.</p>
<p>One thing about Berklee is that it is an international school. Talent comes to Berklee from all over the world and in the words of my son (who doesn’t attend Berklee but that other music school down the street) some of those kids from Israel……Japan……Amsterdam….etc….are just so darn talented!!! That can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your child’s personality. It means there might be more competition. But at the same time it means that there are some AMAZING musicians to play with and learn with and jam with. Some kids grow when they are a big fish in a little pond other kids grow when they are a little fish in a big pond. Your son probably knows which type of pond will serve him best over the next four years.</p>
<p>Berklee has $$$$ and lots of it. The new building they just built is gorgeous. They have state of the art recording facilities and I have yet to see a video come out of Berklee that does not look 100% professional. </p>
<p>One thing I am not qualified to comment on but that I know from my own son is that Berklee has a different approach to teaching ear-training. Something about fixed and moveable C. Regardless your son will know what that means. He might have an opinion about how that might impact his learning.</p>
<p>Berklee works on a trimester system and many kids go to school over the summer and graduate in 3.5 years. It works well for musicians who often have to choose between practicing and earning some money over the summer.</p>
<p>As for Paterson, have your son talk to current students who are there about how often they really do go into NYC and what they do when they are there and how they get to and from the city. There is the fantasy about NYC and then there is the reality of dealing with NYC.</p>
<p>And congratulatons. </p>
<p>I know very little about the jazz programs at either Berklee or William Paterson, but I do know (through my son) that the performance opportunities in New York are unparalleled. My son generally has two or three gigs every week. And it seems that he encounters students from and graduates of William Paterson fairly frequently in the NYC jazz scene. I have no idea whether this is representative of the William Paterson program as a whole - I agree that your son should talk with students at both schools to try to get a representative sampling of their performance opportunities. But the “fantasy” about NYC can definitely be a reality. It is jazz mecca.</p>
Hi JazzBassDad! I’m curious to know; what did your son decide? We are in a similar boat; son was accepted to all schools he applied to, including Berklee, New School, Purchase, William Paterson…and though all have offered nice packages, WmPaterson has offered the best overall. Did your son decide on WP? If so, how does he like it there?
My son is in his second semester at Berklee. He also is hoping to major in production (MP & E) but know that only 50% of applicants to this program get a spot and you have to have completed 2 semesters.
Like @stacjip says it is a pretty international environment, which was a big reason for my son choosing it. He is a TCK (third culture kid who has american parents, but had never lived in the US until this year) He also talks about how everyone is crazy talented and what a motivator that is. He is in 3 different extracurricular bands/groups.
He feels that if you just trust the Berklee system you will end up in the right classes for your level. He tested out of entry level academic classes with his IB scores and got a few higher level music classes (ear training and theory i think?) and he has been really happy with the challenging but achievable level he is working in.
Good luck and congratulations!