<p>My son is a junior and his dream is to attend Berklee. He is very musically inclined with many years of lessons. He took piano lessons for several years in elementary school and he has played the alto sax for eight years. His true passion, however, is with the guitar. His genre of choice is in the rock, blues, and metal area. He has also been exposed to classical and jazz while playing the piano and sax.</p>
<p>Berklee presents a couple of hurdles. First he must be accepted. Secondly, we have a bit of a financial gap to close and it appears Berklee does not offer much beyond some audition based scholarships. As a parent, my issue with Berklee is that I question how marketable he will be with a $200k music (performance) degree. I am an I.T. professional and my wife is a CPA, so we sometimes have issues thinking outside the logic box! </p>
<p>In researching it appears that Belmont may be an interesting choice since it is a Liberal Art school where he could possibly minor in another field. It also appears to be more in my financial comfort zone. </p>
<p>As a parent, I am looking for that silver bullet of school and program where he can pursue the major of his choice (contemporary music performace), but where there may be other options. Our preference is to stay in the Northeast, or at least close. We live in Western New York.</p>
<p>Academically, he is a bright kid with mediocre grades. His average over the first 2 years of high school was in the low 80s. This year though he has picked it up to the low 90s. For what it is worth he is also a year round athlete (cross country and track). </p>
<p>Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated for a school/program that you feel would be a good fit. Also, are there any recommendations on improving his chances of acceptance?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>