Hello parents of musicians- I was wondering if you had any thoughts or feelings about Berklee School of Music in Boston? Does it seem like a good fit for a student passionate about his/her instrument? Do any parents have a S or D considering it or upset they did not get in? I am reading about families very supportive of their child as a musician, but not hearing too much about what I understood to be one of the best music schools in the US.
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Berklee is considered to be one of the top music schools in the US
My son did a summer program at Berklee but chose not to apply because he was not looking for a conservatory only school. He was interested in perusing a dual degree and preferred a non urban campus. Luckily there is a music school or music program out there for everyone!
Hi there! Berklee is known as an absolutely great top school. My son would love to go there, and he is auditioning, in hopes that maybe some scholarships will be offered. Berklee is awesome, but it’s also known to be expensive. Several of his friends have applied over the past three years, and most of them got in but did not attend because of the cost. Berklee does give scholarships, but sometimes not enough for a family with an EFC of 25K like we have. That might be why you don’t hear a whole lot?
Also, someone pointed out that schools seem to wax and wane on these boards, and it’s just not a year for talking about Berklee. I recall one musician making it in, and their parent leaving the board a while ago because they were one-and-done!
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I wish him well both musically and physically! What a rough road! So glad that he will have the opportunity to audition after all he’s been through!
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Bravo to your son and to your entire family. On all fronts. Just when we think this process is too hard, we hear a story like yours that puts all of our small stresses into perspective. Thank you for the important reminder. Best of luck to him. And to all of these kids.
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We know a few kids that auditioned at and were accepted to Berklee. I am on my 2nd kid going through music auditions, both my kids did auditioned instrumental and vocal programs in a major metro with a good number going on in music. I also do a little college related counseling work so I just happen to know a lot of kids who’ve gone through the process in the last like 8 years.
That said, for the families we know that applied, they got considerably better financial offers elsewhere. One friend of my son’s talked about Berklee non stop for ages, he ended up in the jazz program at Jacobs with a great financial offer. They aren’t super generous with scholarships for many undergrads is my impression. Though I wouldn’t be surprised by exceptions either depending on needs in a particular year. Just something to keep in mind if you are watching budget for UG.
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Though I don’t have your experience, I get the same impression, with the exception of people who play more rare instruments. For example, a large scholarship for dulcimer (just an example pulled out of nowhere, because I can’t remember the actual one).
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My son just auditioned for Berklee today! He had a wonderful time auditioning, and one of the evaluators told him he thought he was a “good fit for Berklee.” Of course, we have to wait until March to see if he’s accepted, but the audition was a positive experience. I agree with others that it has a reputation as a top school if you want a pure conservatory experience that’s very expansive in its offerings. It also seems to be very inclusive in their admissions policies, which makes it more realistic for a kid like mine, who has struggled with academics due to ADHD and lacks the academic record or desire to apply to competitive university programs. Having said that, I know there is a good chance that we won’t receive adequate financial aid for him to attend, even if he gets in. Also, if you’re looking for a more traditional conservatory focusing solely on classical music, there are probably better choices, including Boston Conservatory, which is now part of Berklee. Berklee has a heavy focus on pop, jazz, and contemporary music. They still seemed to be interested in my son, whose training is all classical piano. He is also auditioning at traditional conservatories like Eastman and Mannes and some state schools. If you have a child with strong academics who wants a liberal arts education, state schools with good music schools might offer better financial support and a well rounded education.
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@Pianomom1, I’m so glad your son auditioned today and had a warm, good experience. It sounds like he had a great connection with the evaluator, which is key.
I hope I have not contributed negative vibes with my post above. We are still applying, because scholarships ARE possible at Berklee! I’ve been telling myself to remain open to what may come at any of these schools! I think I’m telling myself negative things to prepare in case it doesn’t happen for us, because my son loves Berklee so much. I should not put that on anyone here.
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Hi what is VP? We did hear back from CMU for piano auditions.
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Vocal Performance 
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We heard back from CMU as well! Hope that your news was good news!
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Oh I totally agree. I just know having a sense of which schools may and may not GENERALLY be generous with merit helped us form a well balanced list and you just never know where your musician might click! So I always appreciate hearing that kind of information. My kid is auditioning at a couple pie in the sky schools this year. I always feel if nothing else, it may be a good look toward grad school when more/different doors may open or even just exploring different places that might be interesting to live as a young adult.
Good luck!
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I don’t feel you were negative at all. We’ve been trying to prepare our son for the possibility that he could get accepted to a coveted conservatory and still not get to go because of finances. It’s a tough situation. My son really loves the idea of Berklee and the other East Coast conservatories he’s auditioning for (he especially loves the Berklee vibe). But they are all ridiculously expensive. We’re just hoping one of them gives a hefty scholarship.
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Yes! We’ve been looking over our list wondering if we have a sufficient array of merit possibilities, and since it is so unknown, the information about general generosity is so helpful. I’ve read the past years’ actual scholarship threads with great interest.
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That’s where we are, too, but probably with a different list of schools because of instrument/genre. It’s so hard to imagine getting into a dream school and not being able to go because of funds. No parent looks forward to that, but we need to prepare ourselves and our kids. I’ve been telling my son that there are a few on his list that look impossible but might give great scholarships, and we remain hopeful for those. Others, look expensive and ARE expensive. They make no promises about meeting need. Those are the “we have no idea, but let’s see!” schools.
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Congrats! My S22 made it to semifinals for the lower undergrad division!
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Yay congrats!!!
Don’t forget about NEC! We always thought of NEC as the top Boston school but I think the merger of Berklee and BoCo has helped those schools quite a bit.
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