<p>Well, first of all, Hi!, this is my first post in the web, and I have really enjoyed reading some of the discusions here</p>
<p>I have a little problem here. I have been playing the guitar for 3 years now, and I decided that I wanted to follow a major in music. Thing is, I just know that I want to play the guitar. Could someone tell me which colleges are good, I mean, I have obviously heard of Berklee and Julliard, but I know there's more to it. Which would be the top ranked music colleges on perfomance and electric guitar?, my style is into classic rock and blues. </p>
<p>Juilliard, and any other "conservatory", would NOT be a destination for a classic rock and blues electric guitarist. Conservatories generally only teach classical, although many do have esteemed jazz programs as well.</p>
<p>We probably need a little more information about what level your playing ability is to give you some direction. But, you can look into the websites for a couple of schools: University of the Arts, Berklee, Hartt School of Music (though this is one of the major conservatories, I know guitar players with no jazz or classical background who went there). If you have some jazz chops or are willing to work on it, you can check the audition requirements for The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. They take a good size number of guitar players but they do expect you to know your jazz.</p>
<p>You might want to add The New School's contemporary music program, Belmont, U/Denver, and College of Santa Fe to your list and look at the specific programs outlined on their web pages. </p>
<p>To the best of my knowledge, Hartt does not have a formal contemporary guitar program. The areas offered are classical and jazz, and they are two distinct programs.</p>
<p>Auditioning on guitar at Berklee is like auditioning on violin at Curtis, Juilliard, or NEC. You need to be at the very top of the food chain, and even then it's the whim of the gods.</p>
<p>Self assessment of skill level is a difficult, if not impossible task. Your best assessment should be from your private instructor, current or former performing professional musicians, faculty at a good undergraduate level program or reputable music school.</p>
<p>Look at the audition and/or prescreening repertoire listed under admissions at the schools mentioned. This will give you an idea of what is expected for candidates on a particular instrument or genre.</p>
<p>Hartt does not have a "contemporary" guitar program, but I do know of a student who went there with no interest or experience in jazz and left after four years with only an introductory knowlege of jazz guitar. His focus was blues and rock and they seemed to accomodate that there. I am betting that if you can demonstrate the skills they ask for at your audition you don't necessarily need to be well-versed in jazz per se. That's why I think Hartt is a good place for a guitar player who wants a good structured music education but does not have the background in jazz that other conservatories require. </p>
<p>I am not sure I would equate guitar at Berklee with violin at Curtis, Julliard or NEC! Maybe you meant just the sheer numbers of applicants. Berklee takes lots of guitar players every year, compared to the tiny number of guitars accepted by NEC or MSM--not to mention the relatively small number of violins that get into those really top string programs. Berklee really is a good choice for a guitar player who may still need a good deal of skill development, though you do need to have a basic level. Their audition leaves room for knowing no jazz at all, too. What is difficult about Berklee is the cost and the lack of individual attention you get as guitar player unless you are the top of the food chain.</p>
<p>Based on what you've written Berklee seems like a good fit for you.
It used to be an easier school to get into but that has changed dramatically for guitarists. Berklee has decided to reduce the size of their incoming guitar studio significantly. It will be very competitive this year and going forward.
They are one of the very few schools in the country to teach Jazz, Rock, World and Contemporary music. USC has a Popular music program but its brand new and includes all aspects of Pop- vocalists, drummers, bassists, etc so there will be just a few spots for guitar. Word is that the incoming Pop Music class at USC will ideally be 20 students- across all of the instruments and voices.
Just an aside- if you are interested in applying to Berklee apply early action.
You would audition in Dec and hear at the end of Jan. Berklee fills its classes from the Early action folks first- if you want to attend in the fall of any year it is best to apply Early Action. It is non binding and financial aid decisions come out mid Feb after the notifications.</p>
<p>While Berklee has gotten more competitive (and now actually has real auditions, contrary to a few years ago), I would not say that it is anywhere near as competitive as some of the other jazz programs. On the other hand, some of the very best players in the whole country are there, including many of last year's Grammy Band/Brubeck/Vail winners. Because it is a huge place, I concur with JazzMomm about the "top of the food chain". The kids playing at that level have perhaps the best experience of anywhere in the country. But there are loads and loads of kids NOT playing at that level, and some of those kids have a much different experience (not as many playing opportunities, very different mentoring and teaching, etc).</p>
<p>I agree with AllMusic. There are many ways to experience Berklee. The people I know who have made the most of it have taken it upon themselves to network, to challenge themselves and to experience the incredible diversity that is Berklee. Its best for a student who knows EXACTLY what he/she wants to learn.
It is a great place for a musician who is intent upon developing his/her own sound. Some of the mainstream jazz schools teach jazz from a more traditional place (and I agree with AllMusic here too- they are extraordinarily competitive).
If a student is interested in world music, third stream or anything a little more edgy they might want to consider Berklee.
Berklee does evaluations each fall and students can request to be reevaluated in the spring semester. They grade players on a scale of 1-8 as I recall- ensembles are made up based on these grades. The key is to move up and play with more advanced players. That can be a real motivating factor for students.
At the upper levels the networking that happens at Berklee is really extraordinary.
That said however, its not for everyone and that is not everyone's experience.</p>
<p>I concur with jazzguitarmom, we learned the same thing at December Berklee audition as well as last summer's program (fewer guitarists, tougher to get in). Also she very accurately described the "pecking order" at Berklee the way we understand it. Great school for the motivated guitar player, though, and it certainly offers the most wide variety of music styles.</p>
<p>To the original poster, we have just been through the whole process for a more "contemporary" guitarist. Bottom line is that you will want to keep learning all types of music, there just aren't that many straight rock/blues colleges out there. Jazz is important, and will expand your llist of opportunities. </p>
<p>In addition to Berklee, S considered USC's new popular music program (also the jazz program there), and you might also want to look at Univ. of Colorado Denver, they have a studio/jazz program. Also take a look at the for profit colleges like Musician's Institute and McNally Smith (both of which I learned about here on CC).</p>
<p>Finally, it might be a good idea to look at colleges that just offer BAs majoring in music, since there are so few straight-up BM contemporary guitar performance opportunities. From what I've seen, you really need to love the music, not just the performance. That will be true at Berklee just as much as anywhere else.</p>
<p>To guitarist's mom and jazzguitarmom - thanks for the info on Berklee's program. Obviously my DH wasn't taking good notes when he went to the December audition with our DS (lol)! </p>
<p>Blackmore9x - my son didn't make it past a couple of prescreens either, and it really forced us to do more digging around. More hours combing through message boards and websites, more forms, more application fees, more essays, more songs to learn for auditions, more road trips. If you really want to do this, you will find a way to make it happen. I know it feels crappy to be told "no," but there are a lot of great schools out there waiting for motivated, less-experienced musicians like you (and my son). Keep looking, keep learning and keep trying. (I met someone at an audition recently who is about 45 years old. He said he finally decided it was time to "fish or cut bait.") Anything worth doing or having involves a certain amount of risk. I really admire all of you "kids" who are putting yourselves through this process. </p>
<p>My son just got back from his audition at Duquesne, where he had an excellent experience - the program, facilities, and faculty are all very impressive. Everyone has treated us well since the first email inquiry. He was able to relax and have fun during the audition. Now Duquesne is really high on his list, with Berklee (yes, we are awaiting the EA decision tomorrow, too!!) and UNT. Here's the fun part: We didn't bother looking for it until someone else told him "no."</p>
<p>Ack - Apologies to Blackmore. I confused you with another poster in a different thread. Don't know if anything I wrote helps you or not. Good luck.</p>
<p>Zappa Mom, not meaning to imply that Berklee has become super competitive, I don't think that's the case at all. Just, as AllMusic noted, they are taking a closer look these days at the guitar applicants.</p>
<p>Also to original poster, don't forget to take a good look at 1) guitar faculty and 2) ensemble opportunities, in addition to the musicians with whom you are surrounding yourself. And that would be true anywhere, including some BA programs. </p>
<p>So what's bad about Berklee (too many guitarists) may be a great thing about Berklee -- lots of guitarists, lots of fellow musicians, lots of competition keeping you on your toes, always someone better than you, that's how you improve!</p>