Yes @AsMother I remember when your son was first transferring in and then had the overdue injury. It’s amazing that now he’s graduating!
My son is a third semester, his first year was all remote from his bedroom. And that was after a gap year that was ruined (travel-wise) because of the start of the pandemic.
He lives off campus because housing isn’t guaranteed to upperclassmen as I’m sure you’re aware. Even though he had never been to campus at all!
He’s done well, I think it was harder to get to know people by starting off living outside the dorms. But he seems to have hit his stride this semester and I think he’s been happy with Berklee overall. Loves his private teacher. He has a ways to go so we’ll see where it all leads him.
I hope you keep checking in with news of your son and I wish him good fortune with whatever path he decides upon! Always rooting for our music kids.
Oh–your son really had a bumpy start! I can’t imagine starting college all-remote…it seems so unfair. And then not being able to get on-campus housing at the beginning…sheesh. This is my son’s first year of living off-campus and, as an older student who’s been able to at least START Berklee in the more-or-less-usual way, I think it’s good for him (one of his roommates is his dorm-mate from freshman year!). When he was studying from home for a year I at least had a chance to kind of give him more of a clue as to how to live independently and do the things necessary to keep up an apartment to some extent.
But I’m really glad to hear that he’s happier this semester. As I recall, college tends to get better with every semester (especially senior year).
Please keep us posted!
Thank you so much! It’s been a long and bumpy road, so it feels good to know that he was finally able to have a good experience at Berklee, and also that he has the option to continue studying as a grad student (you know–in case Spielberg doesn’t need him ASAP to do the score for his next film ).
I’m sure I’m not alone in having wondered at times if he’d every get a chance to get to this point! What a crummy few years it’s been all-around (especially for students who, like @raincat 's son, had to start off remote)!
A big congrats @AsMother . I remember too that your S took a round-about path…some voluntary and some involuntary moves. I’m glad that you have followed up too…since I love hearing the follow-up stories…and I think it’s good for people to see that it’s not always a smooth, narrow path in music…and that’s OK! You can be successful by taking your own path.
I’m so happy for you. Good luck to him…with whatever choice he makes for next year.
I still check in on occasion and it’s always great to see the next generation of music students in action. Also great to see some of the old timers. Congrats to AsMother’s son! And to raincat’s son. And to everyone else on this thread keeping music alive. Still can’t believe my son is 5+ years out of school and making a decent living with his music. Even through the pandemic. And now back to a full live performance schedule - pretty much at pre-Covid levels. Thank goodness for vaccinations and keeping my fingers crossed for no regression. Good luck to everyone who is still waiting to hear about admissions decisions. And take heart that music has survived and is still alive despite everything.
Thank you for your post. Our daughter has been accepted to Berklee and her main interest is Film Scoring. It’s great to hear that you feel Berklee prepared your son so well; CONGRATULATIONS on his acceptance to NYU!
Did your son have opportunities to intern? I am curious how helpful Berklee is with helping students find internships and/or employment.
Thank you very much, @bridgenail ! You, @compmom , and many others here who have been “around” since way back when my son was a H.S. senior and his college counselor was concerned that he wouldn’t get into ANY college, and we were really floundering and worried, have been such an invaluable source of support and information all along. Nope–it hasn’t been a “smooth, narrow path” in many ways, but then again I think that, provided the young musician is able to persevere and really loves what she or he does, that might actually add to the growth and sense of accomplishment that eventually comes. Someone said to me once, “Wise is the child of disaster.” If that’s true, then my son should be a sage at this point!
But really–your own wisdom and understanding has been appreciated more than I can express.
Wow, @jazzpianodad --has it been five years?! It’s so great to hear that your son is able to actually make a living with music (and yeah–especially for the past couple of years !). That’s really encouraging, and gratifying. Congratulations to your son (and you). I still believe that music is one of the most valuable things we have in this insane world, and I would always encourage a young person to follow his or her dreams, even if others say that it’s foolhardy. I hope that your son continues to get to perform many, many times throughout his life–he must be really good!
Congratulations to your daughter, @2022Twins ! Berklee might not be for everyone (and I think at first my son kind of wished that it were more of a traditional/Classical-focused conservatory, but he got over it ), but for students who are dedicated and self-motivated it can be really rewarding.
Your daughter may already be aware of this, but the real film-scoring work doesn’t start until around the second semester of sophomore year, when wannabe Film-scoring majors have to take and get a decent grade in a basic scoring class. After that, yes, there seems to be a great deal of support and guidance about networking and finding internships (or even paying jobs…gasp!!). And in senior year there are a couple of by-department-permission-only classes that really take it to the next level. I honestly know nothing about any other undergrad film-scoring programs, but I have a feeling that Berklee grads do have something of an advantage in that they’re really prepared to dive right into the field once they’ve graduated.
Has your daughter decided yet? Feel free to DM me if I can try to answer any other questions you may have.
Thank you so much for your feedback on Berklee @AsMother . I was reading all your posts above, Congrats to your son on NYU acceptance for Masters! My son is also mainly interested in film scoring and applied to Berklee, Peabody and NYU, waiting for results. And he says his dream is to do Masters in USC or NYU.
Has your son applied to USC Masters?
Hi, @NS2003 , and thank you! I hope that your son gets into his first-choice (or all of his choices!). I actually know nothing about the film-scoring undergrad programs at Peabody and NYU (although I’m kind of partial to NYC in general!), so I wouldn’t know how to compare Berklee’s program to theirs.
My son ONLY applied to NYU for the Master’s. He thought about USC, but I think he wanted to avoid LA if possible (even if it’s still considered “the place to go” if you’re interested in film–although I think that might be somewhat less true these days, especially now that Robert De Niro is about to build a huge film studio in NYC). If he decides to go to NYU he will also be able to live at home and save a bit of money (he’s also got a pretty good music set-up here, especially after being home for a year because of Covid–lots of room for equipment, keyboard, and about a zillion guitars, and not TOO much worry about being too loud for neighbors when he practices). And the program seems to be well-regarded.
Has your son visited any of the campuses? Does he have a first-choice?
@AsMother , thank you! My daughter hasn’t decided yet. She only applied to 2 schools that have Film Scoring; Berklee and the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. She will find out if she was accepted to Frost in mid to late March. We live in Tampa. Frost has a very good program. The plus for Frost is that it is a true university experience. As far as our daughter is concerned, the only negative for Berklee is that it is totally a city school. She loved everything about it when she toured and auditioned in November. She has studied the curriculums intently and feels that Berklee has exactly what she is looking for. Frost is a close second. She was offered a big scholarship (half off tuition) at Berklee but we are still waiting to receive her financial aid package as a whole. Another plus for Berklee is that due to her AP scores, she can skip all of the gen ed requirements. That would hopefully save us money and allow her to double major if she wanted.
Our biggest concern is that our daughter is neurodivergent and has ADHD so her executive functioning skills could get in her way. I am planning to reach out to Berklee to see how they might be able to help her be successful in this area if she finds herself struggling. She has done very well under our guidance but it is scary for us to picture her so far away. But it also could be the best thing for her. She has a true love for music and is very dedicated. The scores she created for her college portfolio kind of blew us away. So it is exciting to think about what she will be able to do with actual guidance and classes. We believe in her which is why we are willing to let her go.
If anyone on this page is neurodivergent or is the parent of a child who is, I would love to hear how your kid handled all the things. PM me if you’re more comfortable chatting privately. I would really appreciate any support or suggestions from those who have been there.
Let me know if you would like to discuss Frost - my D is a freshman. She has never been diagnosed with ADD but she thinks she may have it (not uncommon for girls to be diagnosed around her age) and is actually arranging some testing now. What I’m hearing is that Berklee is less structured - I would say frost is the opposite. My D changed major from performance to music industry to get a little more flexibility. All the music freshmen are following a very similar schedule, which my kiddo loves, really builds community - actually she loves every single thing about the school and her life there and is thriving. I’m sure she would be happy to talk with your daughter. One note - UM is extremely stingy about AP credit - no credit for some tests at all, some require a 5, etc. if that is important, you should check their chart!
My son had his Oberlin audition/interview and the panel told him that decisions will be released March 19. Thought I would pass on for any who applied. Good luck to all!!
@MathandSinging ,Thank you for sharing your daughters experience at Frost! Yes, I felt that Frost was a structured environment for sure. I know my daughter would do well in that type of community. We have to wait until March before we know if Frost will be an option. In the meantime, I am going to contact the accessibility resources office at Berklee and find out what services might be available for my daughter to ensure she is successful.
I had checked out the AP chart at UM and yea, they are definitely more stingy lol.
Wow, @2022Twins --half-tuition from Berklee is quite an accomplishment in itself! And it will be nice to be able to skip the gen ed requirements. She must be very talented!
Actually, my son was diagnosed in high school (after starting to fail just about every test he took, even though his teachers said that he understood the material, and had always been really bright) as having “slow processing speed” and ADHD (in addition to depression, which was no doubt exacerbated by the fact that, after being a star student for many years, he was very close to being flunked out of his school–in FL, btw!). After the diagnosis he was given the accommodation of time-and-a-half on tests (including SAT’s), but it was still a struggle, and I pretty much assumed that he’d need similar support at college.
However, once he hit Berklee all of that seemed to disappear–he was happy, and was being encouraged to do what he loves and in which he has talent. Night and day difference. I know that people with ADHD tend to also be able to hyper-focus on what they’re really interested in (and he does–he works for hours on end, even at home during break), but even in the required liberal arts courses he did just fine. (Through his experience, I also figured out that I probably have had undiagnosed ADHD throughout my life–I wish I’d known that in college, where I couldn’t understand why I often had to read a sentence multiple times before it actually got through, and simply thought I was stupid at a pretty academically competitive college!)
Obviously everyone is different (hence the term “neurodivergent,” I guess), but being at Berklee restored the confidence and academic proficiency that he’d had until middle school, when things started to go WAY south (and we had just moved WAY south too, so that was probably a factor as well–it was a totally different culture/environment than the one he’d been used to up north).
So I can’t really comment on Berklee’s guidance and support for neurodivergent students, because we never had to make use of it, but the difference was miraculous.
).
!). That’s really encouraging, and gratifying. Congratulations to your son (and you). I still believe that music is one of the most valuable things we have in this insane world, and I would always encourage a young person to follow his or her dreams, even if others say that it’s foolhardy. I hope that your son continues to get to perform many, many times throughout his life–he must be really good!
I’m sure she would be happy to talk with your daughter. One note - UM is extremely stingy about AP credit - no credit for some tests at all, some require a 5, etc. if that is important, you should check their chart!