Contemporary music school help...

<p>I'm a 19 year old vocalist looking for a contemporary music program. I've been looking at Berklee, Musician's Institute, and L.A Music Academy, but I'm open to any other suggestions.. I wanted to see if anyone with any experience with these schools could help me out with some advice or anything I should be aware of. All my family lives on the east coast, but because I've lived the past few years in the Dominican Republic, I feel it would be great to keep enjoying some beautiful weather down in L.A.. I know that has nothing to do with music but just wanted to share a little bit of my background.. Anyways, my worry with MI is that I've gotten the feeling that it leans towards Rock and Metal, or at least the guitar programs seems like it does, and I wanted to know if that translated over to the vocal department too?? Also, is LAMA even in the same league as the other 2 schools I mentioned?? Any help is appreciated, thanks.</p>

<p>Tell us more about what you want to do with music … do you want to perform, write, record, teach, etc. And what is your background and training? And what are your financial limitations? Berklee can be very expensive, so unless you have the finances (or your parents do) or unless you are really at the top end of the audition pool and get a partial scholarship, you will have to fork out some big bucks. Some musicians on CC that have auditioned at Berklee have also auditioned at USC Thornton / Popular Music which is also contemporary.</p>

<p>Hey there! Since I’ve already been through the contemporary music admissions process, I figured I may be able to help you out a bit…</p>

<p>First off, my background: I’m a (classically trained) contemporary vocalist. This past year, I auditioned for five contemporary music programs and was accepted to all of them. The schools/programs are as follows:</p>

<p>University of Southern California (Thornton) - Popular Music
Berklee College of Music - Performance
New York University (Tisch) - Recorded Music
University of Miami (Frost) - Music Business/Creative American Music
The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music - Vocal Performance</p>

<p>My recommendations differ based on what you’re looking for in a school. All three schools on your list are conservatory-type schools. Would you consider attending a university with a strong contemporary music major? If your grades are high enough for some of these universities, they’re definitely worth looking into. Don’t worry, they won’t bombard you with too many core classes. It’ll be mostly music. If you’re still not interested in universities, scroll down a bit where I’ll get to the others.</p>

<p>Belmont University (BM Commercial Music) - An acquaintance of mine attends Belmont for gospel music and absolutely loves it. Considering the fact that Belmont is a Christian university in Nashville, their strongest music genres are most likely gospel, country, and Christian rock. Many contemporary music students consider applying to Belmont, and Nashville is a surprisingly lovely place for those of us who aren’t necessarily country folk. If you’re not so into attending a Christian school, however, Belmont may not be the right place for you.</p>

<p>University of Massachusetts at Amherst (JAAMS program) - UMass Amherst is unique in that it combines jazz curriculum with music that is African-American in origin. (Hint: most contemporary popular music is of African-American origin.) I personally have not visited this school or the area, but it certainly seems nice if you don’t mind not being in a big city. If you don’t want any jazz, this school is not for you.</p>

<p>University of Southern California (BM Popular Music) - I have just enrolled as a student of USC and this program. USC, according to USNews rankings, is a Top 25 university. It’s got everything including academic rigor, school spirit, Los Angeles, a thriving social scene, and a gorgeous campus with nice facilities. The music program itself is highly selective and a phenomenal opportunity for anyone who wants a career in popular music. The program has only been open for two years so far, and already, kids are getting signed to record labels, going on tours with big name groups (Steve Miller Band, Earth Wind & Fire), opening for popular musicians (Sara Barellies), and being taught by a phenomenal array of guests and full-time faculty including Cee-Lo Green, Macy Gray, Lamont Dozier, Michael Jackson & Clay Aiken’s musical directors, etc. There are plenty of Youtube videos of kids in the program. Check 'em out if you’re interested.</p>

<p>University of Miami (BM Music Business/Contemporary Writing&Production with Creative American Music minor) - UMiami’s program is unique in that it combines a major in Music Business & Entertainment Industries or Contemporary Writing & Production with a contemporary singer-songwriter minor. UMiami has a lovely campus and the faculty seemed really nice when I auditioned. It’s also probably not as competitive or expensive as USC, which can be a plus.</p>

<p>New York University (BFA Recorded Music) - This is a BFA program and it’s not a performance program. Skip ahead to the next school if you must have a BM or performance degree. NYU is a great, modern university, and it’s right in the heart of New York City. Opportunities are everywhere, but there is the chance of getting lost in the crowd. There’s also no legitimate campus feel. The Clive Davis Recorded Music Program offers a track for performer entrepreneurs who wish to build up their recording skills and business acumen in order to succeed as a creative entity in the industry. There’s also the option for a music journalism emphasis. The official program website is really coherent, so go there for more details.</p>

<p>The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music - This is conservatory-esque music school within a university, also located in New York City. You may have heard of Mannes - that’s The New School’s classical music school. The university itself is not academically hard to get into, by any means, but the degree program is mainly jazz and therefore the audition will require scat and such. They are open to contemporary studies and ensembles, but their main focus is jazz.</p>

<p>Now for the conservatory-style schools you mentioned…</p>

<p>Berklee College of Music is the most prestigious of the three. If you had to pick among them, I’d go to Berklee. Some really wonderful musicians have taught and studied there, and the music types are very diverse. You’d get to study at least three different genres per semester. There are some downsides to Berklee, however. It has a reputation for accepting some students who really aren’t at the skill level they should be. Therefore, you’ll be collaborating with people who may or may not know what they’re doing. I’ve heard there’s also a bit of a problem with drug dealers, but don’t quote me on that. Back to the positive - I’ve visited, and the facilities are very high-tech and shiny. The faculty and tour guides are all really personable and encouraging, and Boston is a great place to go to college.</p>

<p>I only know one person who’s been through Musician’s Institute in LA, and he’s currently working a decent job for a clothing store chain and singing in a band on the side. Not exactly a career in music, but I guess you can’t judge an entire school based on one person. His band is in keeping with your supposition though - very rock ‘n’ roll. I’ve heard that MI also admits some students who aren’t exactly at a reasonable skill level. I haven’t actually been there though, so my info isn’t firsthand. Check it out yourself and maybe you’ll prove me wrong.</p>

<p>I haven’t even heard of LAMA, to tell you the truth. Be careful about schools you haven’t heard of. Speaking of, you probably haven’t heard of Columbia College Chicago. I visited because of their Contemporary-Urban-Popular program. It seemed a little slackery, weird, and nearly a money scam, but again, I could be entirely wrong. The main thing that worries me is the fact that it’s an open enrollment music school, so a lot of these kids may even be entering as complete amateurs. Look it up if you wish, though. It does have really nice recording technology.</p>

<p>Anything else you’d like to know about? Perhaps the audition process at Berklee? Just let me know.</p>

<p>Thanks for the comments. Just a little more info: I am looking for a performance based program. I had 2 years of vocal training when I was younger but nothing in terms of music theory or reading music. Also, I don’t think money will be a problem, however, I dont really know how expensive Berklee actually is, so I’m not totally sure. Also to 27dreams, thank you for that lengthy post, lots of good info. I haven’t really looked too much into music schools within a large university as my grades are very mediocre to say the least. Also, I might sound really ignorant, but I’ve been to the websites of those schools you mentioned, and as soon as I see student in tuxes singing in a choir I get scared off thinking it’s not contemporary at all. I’m gonna look more into USC Thornton and the New School in NY, they sound great. Thank you again, and any help I can get in terms of the audition would be great.</p>

<p>If you want to spend 50k+ then have fun at Berklee</p>

<p>18karat, your 50K/year quote for Berklee includes $16K/year of living in the dorms as well, which is pricey in Boston, but the tuition itself is $32K … still a pretty penny. Many older students live in apartments in Boston which can reduce living expenses in most cases.</p>

<p>Here are some specific tuition and other costs for 1 school in Boston and the other in LA, so if you don’t have your finances understood, this will wake you up a bit.</p>

<p>Here’s from the Berklee website, which is per semester:
Spring 2012
Degree Program $16,730 (per semester, expenses not included)
Diploma Program $14,425 (expenses not included)
Laptop fee $3500 (first semester only, required; includes music software also)</p>

<p>And here’s from USC’s website, and some of these expenses would likely apply to Berklee or other music schools:
$42,162 Tuition (per year)
656 Mandatory fees
12,078 Room and board*
1,500 Books and supplies
900 Personal and Miscellaneous
580 Transportation
$57,876 Total (add $150 USC Orientation Fee for your first semester)</p>

<p>Also keep in mind that USC gives pretty decent financial aid. Your price could potentially be cut significantly if you qualify for need-based aid.</p>

<p>Don’t reject any program which meets your needs purely because of sticker shock. If you spend some time on this site you will find that many programs offer significant merit assistance which softens the blow. Two of the schools discussed above, Frost and Berklee, are prime examples of that. If they conclude following the audition that they want you badly enough, they will demonstrate their interest with an award. You can learn more about which schools are more generous than others by reviewing the acceptances threads.</p>

<p>Keep in mind, I was putting that info on tuition out there because the OP had not even looked at how he was going to fund his education, but also stated that money may not be a problem. The schools that 27dreams lists are a great starting point to refine what he wants to do and where he wants to go, but whoever is funding will surely want to know the costs, especially if money is not a problem, and therefore financial aid is unlikely. I cannot guess on the talent of the OP, so can’t assume merit/scholarships will help foot the bill. And 18karat is right … be prepared to pay 50K/year at many of these schools, because even the most talented don’t get scholarships.</p>

<p>It seems unfair that Berklee is regularly criticized for being expensive. The tuition at the other top level schools is just as expensive if not more expensive. Snowflake is right that the big cost at Berklee is the housing. Keep in mind that not even all of the Freshman (1st semester) students are guaranteed housing. For most the COA will be based on the cost of housing in Boston and you may be able to split it among roommates.</p>

<p>My D was seriously considering Berklee for Fall 2011 but decided to go with a much smaller program at Peabody for Jazz voice. After applying talent scholarships, the total cost is slightly more expensive at Peabody.</p>

<p>If the OP is looking for jazz voice, you might be interested in this list D and I put together when we were looking for a program in the Northeast:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1107026-searching-jazz-voice-schools.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1107026-searching-jazz-voice-schools.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>27dreams, could you let me know more about what I should expect from the Berklee audition???</p>

<p>I can help with any audition tips/advice as well, I was accepted for Fall 2011 but am not attending due to cost. apparently (totally unsure), there was a 12% acceptance rate this year</p>

<p>What did you audition for?</p>

<p>Guitar, you mentioned you are a vocalist but there are a lot of general things that all applicants go through during the process</p>

<p>27dreams, what a great post, thank you so much! Does anyone have programs to add that fit the contemporary vocalist, but are not at the top level in terms of competitiveness or price? I’m thinking of more regional programs that I may not have heard of. I have a 16 year old rock vocalist who would love the USC program but might not be academically able to keep up with classes (or be admitted).</p>

<p>mamakin, two other suggestions are Santa Fe College of Art & Design and Univ of Central Oklahama for contemporary music voice. (These came up on a quick google search.)</p>

<p>Just as a point of reference, Santa Fe College of Art & Design is a for profit institution, so realize you’re comparing apples and oranges versus the typical not for profit educational institution. </p>

<p>I believe that they are using the former facilities of the now defunct College of Santa Fe.</p>

<p>Yes, violadad, my niece was a student there when Santa Fe went under, so I am leery of any programs there now.</p>

<p>Hi 27dreams. My D has been accepted to The New School, Berklee, McGill, Butler, Bennington (we know it’s not a music school), and CCPA at Roosevelt. Some nice scholarships at some. All for performance jazz voice. Do you (or anyone else out there) know anything about Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt? It’s a good fit for her–location and cost-wise.</p>

<p>Having a challenge with a very narrow college search (should be a short list):

  • Conservatory
  • Commercial Music (prefers rock/contemporary music)
  • Drums (specifically, drum kit)
  • BM/BFA</p>

<p>I know he’s my kid, but he really IS good, earns money at it now, and plans to make a living performing as a commercial musician. Now at an arts charter high school. Good student but not always straight "A"s (3.5+ GPA). Also strong in jazz & Latin percussion, yet doesn’t want to focus on jazz studies at conservatory. </p>

<p>Ideas? (Besides Berklee, of course…)</p>