<p>I've been looking around schools with contemporary voice major and I found that I have been putting Berklee on a pedastal way too much. I read that Berklee is really jazz oriented and they try to turn your voice into how they want you to sound (jazz); regardless of what genre you are interested in. So I was wondering if it would be a better idea to attend a SUNY (State University of NY; I live in NY) and major in something I can make money off of and just take private lessons from a voice coach, saving a lot from tuition, rather than attending somewhere like Berklee and spending $45000 a semester. Any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Berklee is not cheap, that’s for sure, so if your finances work out better for another school, you should pursue going to a school that makes sense financially. You will hear lots of advice on this music major forum that suggests not taking out huge loans for an undergrad music degree. If you are one of the very few where money is not a concern, then I would suggest looking at Berklee in Boston, The New School (for Jazz) in NYC, Belmont in Nashville and USC’s popular music program. Some have also suggested Uarts in Philly. All of these schools are not cheap, but the reason people pay to attend is because they can work with musicians at a very high level that will push them and help them grow a strong music network. If you have talent and work hard, you could also be successful following the path you describe, and there are many good schools in the SUNY system, but you will find that a good voice program is either based in classical techniques or jazz, or both. At a school like Berklee, jazz music is used as a standard to learn specific techniques and rhythms, but it extends very nicely into R&B and rock.</p>
<p>I would also suggest including other schools in the mix, as all of those listed here are extremely competitive to get into. I think USC accepts about 25 per year from all over the country and the other programs are just as competitive. Just make sure you have a good field to choose so when the time comes, you have choices. Look carefully at any program for which you would have to take out a lot of loans. There is a lot of discussion on this board about how such debt will limit your choices after graduation.</p>
<p>Oops, let’s not scare anyone else too much- I think the OP meant to say “45,000 a YEAR” not a semester!
And there is more to getting an education in music than just lessons, which is another reason why people elect to go to special programs. tydanieloh, I worry about where you are going with career goals when you say," Major in something I can make money off of", if you do intend to seek a career in music. If you are just pursuing Contemporary Voice as a hobby, then fine, but if it’s a passion with you, something you “must” do, then don’t short change yourself by ruling out music schools. And I also question your sources when you say that “you read” this and that about Berklee; that can be a double-edged sword. You can hear negatives from disgruntled students who either didn’t like a program for whatever reason, or who were not even accepted when they applied, and you can hear raves from students who were highly motivated and who found the right program/teacher for them.You have no way of knowing who is behind a post on a chat board! Go and see for yourself. Sit in on studio classes, take sample lessons, talk to teachers and current students and ask performers you admire where they went to school; THEN you have options based on your own observations. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Thank you I was really troubled choosing which side to believe but with your post I’m determined to go there and that I should find out for myself. And yes, music is a “must” for me so thank you again for putting my head back into the right place.</p>